Questions regarding painting my aluminium boat.

[mini696]

I want to make my boat look prettier and have a couple of questions.

It was painted once in its life and as the photo shows there is a flaky coverage on the deck... How should I remove this?

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-3/1249973/DSCF0877.JPG

The sides have already been stripped (by previous owner). Do I still need to etchprime the surface before painting?

There is a hole in the deck where the aerial used to be(20mm diameter), how should I fill this in so it looks neat?

The underside of the hull is tarnished. I will use a buff on an angle grinder to polish this out. What kind of polish should I use?

[Shagga]

Mini,

If you do a search through old threads and forums you will get all the answers you need. I just rebuilt my trailer and got all the answers to my questions off this site. Like you I was considering repainting my tinnie and I know there is plenty of info on this subject on this site.

[Blackened]

G'day

Depends on what kind of finish you're after...

Either way, you're in for a hell of a lot of work

Dave

[mini696]

Thankyou... I have done a bit of a search, but was hoping for more specific answers.

[mini696]

G'day

Depends on what kind of finish you're after...

Either way, you're in for a hell of a lot of work

Dave Yeah I am not afraid of a bit of work... Its cheaper than paying someone to do it, and the paint and components are not too expensive.

The finish I want is... Well... Nice, not perfect, but anything will be better than the faded aluminium I have now.

[Mark-P]

Mate send Greg ( Sea Horse ) a PM , i beleive its what he does !!!

Mark

[SunnyCoastMark]

Hey Mini,
I have rebuilt and repainted a few Ally boats in my time - so here are my tips:-

1) Easiest way to remove flaking paint is with paint stripper and a gerni (if you don't have one - bunnings have cheap GMC for around $100 - great value - I have had mine for 4 years and still going strong)

2) Acid wash the bare ally ( This process is not as bad as some make out - dilute the acid and wash off - working from the top down) Dry off with clean rag and compressed air - make sure the boat is completely dry - water and paint do not mix!

Keep your boat and work area clean at all times!

3) Etch Prime - absolutely!

4)Use a quality two pack - I used an industrial two pack as it is a bit harder wearing

5)Spray more thin coats rather than a couple of thick coats (this will minimise "runs" - follow the wet line as you spray. - leave approx 30 mins - 1 hr between coats depending on temperature.

6 ) When you are satisfied you have a satisfatory coating Wait a couple of hours then - start thining out the paint with a bit more thinners;- ie; you will start at about 25 % and over a few coats work up to around 50% . This will give you a nice gloss. Be careful though - the coats allthough full, will need to be applied thinly and carefully so you don't get any runs. vERY IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW YOUR WET LINE HERE.

7) Leave overnight before removing any masking etc.

The above is a pretty basic procedure - there is a lot more to it than that - but it is a start - feell free to ask any questions.

Mark

[Seahorse]

mark
very good advice. I wouldnt class indust 2 pac as harder. Most industrial paints are a 4;1 mix.
If it was me i would rather go full auto 2:1 mix.
Thats only my opinion.
Other than that, Mini go for this system

Cheers
Greg

[mini696]

With the 2-pac systems, do you need to sand between coats?

[SunnyCoastMark]

Mini,
No, there is no need to sand between coats.

Mark

[coucho]

mate if ya boats not pretty enough decorate it with some more blood what next a thread on maincures?? lol

[Seahorse]

Mini
just give it the necessary tac of time, 10-15mins.
Take ya time in the preparation and the job will look great.

[SunnyCoastMark]

Mini,
As seahorse said - preparation is the key - if this is right - you are half way there!

If you take shortcuts during the prep work - it doesn't matter how good your painting is - the job will be dissapointing.

Enjoy.

Mark

[reelchippy]

Great Infro

[Chris Ryan]

after doing my 18' halfcab 18 months ago, prep prep and prep. take your time and many coats getting thinner gives a great look and makes it as hard as.

I used Altex coatings paint for mine. Hellish expensive but worth it for me.

Chris

[skeeter]

I followed a similar process to sunnycoastmark except I hired a gerni because i couldn't buy one cheap enough with the sort of pressure i was chasing. I got a 3000psi model and it worked perfectly.
I believe the combination of a good quality paint stripper and gerni made this part of the process quicker and more successful than I imagined. It took about 3 hours to remove the paint from the sides, gunales, stern and nose deck on 4.5m centre console.
It came up so good, still deciding whether to repaint. I have polished up the aluminium again to remove most of the paint sanding marks. Its not perfect (new alum. finish) but its pretty good (well i am happy with it).
PM me if you want the paint stripper brand, I contacted manufacturers asking for the most suitable product for aluminium boats.

Peter