To PAINT or not to PAINT that is the question!

FisherofmenNJ · Apr 22, 2024

Hey all first time poster! So as the title indicates im looking for advise or experience on bottom coating/ painting aluminum boats. Ive only ever owned aluminum boats but never painted them except for duck camo above water line. I recently bought a new to me 1999 lowe sea nymph 16’ and the boat is in great shape with no leaks. Had it out yesterday after i did some outboard work. Now that i know shes running good i have dreams of installing subfloors casting decks storage all the good stuff but that will take some time, money and planning before im ready for any of that. However i did want to clean the boat real good and paint the outside. Im wondering if painting the hull/ bottom is a mistake or seeing how it has no leaks presently may serve to prevent leaks. Any advise on paint vs epoxy and how to clean/wash and paint would be great!

Zip · Apr 30, 2024

If its not leaking, and not going to be left in water, I probably would opt not to paint it. If you plan to leave in water, there are some good antifouling below waterline paints - BUT make sure you get one without copper in the ingredients as it will corrode the hull. I believe total boat has one specifically for aluminum boats.

airshot · Apr 30, 2024

Owned aluminum boats for 60 years, aluminum will discolor and oxidise thru natural issues. So...the bottom line is....do you care about how the bottom looks ? I have owned both painted and unpainted. The real difference is the painted bottom look better and is easier b to keep looking good. The unpainted hulls get a dull oxidized Finnish and stays that way, it does not effect performance or change life expectancy of the aluminum. The oxidizing is aluminum's way of protecting itself. Bottom line comes down to appearance, do you care what the bottom looks like ?? I like a painted bottom only because it is easier to keep clean on a boat that has painted sides and decorations on it. On my non painted hulls, I didn't worry about it at all. Comes down to preference, painting had no benefit to the aluminum itself except for appearance !! But....when selling anything, appearance can make or break a sale !

LDUBS · Apr 30, 2024

I agree it comes down to appearance. I decided to get an aluminum boat so I wouldn’t have to worry about dock rash or keeping it shiny. I have to admit some of the paint jobs I see here are pretty nice.

LaqueRatt · May 1, 2024

The better question may be HOW are you going to paint it? I can slap a coat on in a couple hours, but see other guys spending weeks on it. I have to say my Mirro with marine paint on it will scuff up real quick if it rubs against a rough pier. If it didn't come painted, don't think I'd do it. Like the man said, if you want to sell it, fresh shiny paint helps a lot, but once you paint something, anything, it never ends.

Ray Clark · May 2, 2024

As said above, it all depends on what you want.

I painted the bottom of my boat this past winter. I painted the "above the waterline" half of my hull the first year I had it. This past winter, three years later, I painted the bottom half. A lot of the motivation for painting the bottom half was that I already had to remove the boat from the trailer so I could do some needed trailer mods. I painted the trailer; since the boat was already off, I went ahead and cleaned it up, too.

Choice of paint is up to you and your budget as well. I went the inexpensive route with paint and primer. Some choose to go with higher quality materials.

The build thread link in my signature line below will show you what and how I chose to do my boat.

Tin Man · May 2, 2024

Appearance is what it comes down. I painted a Tracker V16 several years ago. It was originally a painted boat. It had quite a bit of dock rash and dents/gouges on bottom from beaching.

I removed decals, sanded, primered, and painted. I also repaired some dents and gouges on hull bottom and painted the bottom as well. All same color. Used high quality Petit marine paint. I was going to spray, but in the end I decided to use the roll and tip method. Turned out pretty nice.

Preparation is a LOT of work. If hull was not originally painted, I would not have done it.
Another potential option.....My father has a Crestliner Sportsman 14. He decided to add some large pieces of vinyl to cover approx. 1/2 of the hull sides. Came out very nice. Much easier than painting. It took 2-3 people to install properly.

FisherofmenNJ · Dec 13, 2024

LaqueRatt said:
The better question may be HOW are you going to paint it? I can slap a coat on in a couple hours, but see other guys spending weeks on it. I have to say my Mirro with marine paint on it will scuff up real quick if it rubs against a rough pier. If it didn't come painted, don't think I'd do it. Like the man said, if you want to sell it, fresh shiny paint helps a lot, but once you paint something, anything, it never ends.

That’s a great point I didn’t really consider the durability I gues I kinda assumed if I did it right it would last. I’m definitely not looking for another never ending project.

FisherofmenNJ · Dec 13, 2024

Ray Clark said:
As said above, it all depends on what you want.

I painted the bottom of my boat this past winter. I painted the "above the waterline" half of my hull the first year I had it. This past winter, three years later, I painted the bottom half. A lot of the motivation for painting the bottom half was that I already had to remove the boat from the trailer so I could do some needed trailer mods. I painted the trailer; since the boat was already off, I went ahead and cleaned it up, too.

Choice of paint is up to you and your budget as well. I went the inexpensive route with paint and primer. Some choose to go with higher quality materials.

The build thread link in my signature line below will show you what and how I chose to do my boat.

How did the paint hold up this past year? Does the trailer scratch the paint up? I only trailer my boat

MrGiggles · Dec 13, 2024

Seems rather pointless to paint the area of the boat that you are seldom ever going to see, and will inevitably get scratched and banged up from beaching and loading/unloading, but that's just my thoughts.

Stand Up · Dec 14, 2024

MrGiggles said:
Seems rather pointless to paint the area of the boat that you are seldom ever going to see, and will inevitably get scratched and banged up from beaching and loading/unloading, but that's just my thoughts.

I didn't paint the bottom of my boat for the above reason.
Not to mention that the flakes of paint that don't stay on the boat end up in the water I suppose.

Ray Clark · Dec 14, 2024

FisherofmenNJ said:
How did the paint hold up this past year? Does the trailer scratch the paint up? I only trailer my boat

I trailer my boat and it is stored inside.

The boat has some dock rash, but overall has held up well.

I did put a real scratch in the new black paint once when I was recovering the boat last summer; I missed and rubbed the front of the bow against the winch post. However, the scratch was easily repaired with a quick shot of spray paint.

I'm not one to be overly concerned about the paint job on a 45 year old fishing tinnie. I just wanted to make it so it didn't look like a boat rescue waiting to happen.

I will say that paint choice is important. A regular can of Krylon from WalMart is likely not going to give the durability one would like. For me, the best balance between cost and durability was Farm and Implement Paint. Both Krylon and Rustoleum have their versions of it. I have used both brands in roll-on quarts and spray cans for various pieces of equipment, including the boat. The paint is very hard when fully cured, and that cure process for me took at least a week after painting to really harden up. The Farm and Implement Paint comes in a fair range of colors; a quart of it costs about $17; most home centers have it on the shelf. I used the Massey Ferguson Red color and the standard black gloss. I usually keep some around the shop for various little projects.

Buster · Monday at 4:46 AM

Fresh or saltwater? Kept in water or out? There are reasons to paint the bottom of a saltwater boat other than appearance but for freshwater it's pretty much appearance.
Although there is a product out there (Speedcoat-49) that's a silicone and epoxy mix that's supposed to increase speed. If it actually works and a mile or two an hour is important to you, you might want to try that. At a minimum the slick surface should help cleanability of freshwater stuff like pollen and algae lines. But as said by others--once you paint then you have to maintain.

OldSailor85 · Monday at 7:59 AM

My boat is a fishing/exploring tool.

No paint since the factory. Trailer is galvanized and still rust-free after 40 years.

I've had a few vintage cars and sports cars. That's enough paint to take care of for a lifetime.

thill · Tuesday at 8:40 AM

My last boat, I did not paint, and it was awesome, but had that dull, industrial look. Some people love that, so I had no problems selling it.

My current boat was painted, so I kept it going, and it turned out well.

I used Rustoleum aluminum primer on bare areas and then shot Rustoleum industrial paint with a shot of Japan Drier (a curing/hardening agent) and thinned it with a bit of Acetone. (To further help the curing process) It was dry to the touch in HOURS, not days, and cured over the next week.

I am VERY happy with how the paint turned out. Rustoleum industrial is very hard, strong and glossy stuff, as Ray Clark mentioned above. And it was cheap. I spent less than $100 for everything, and I easily have enough to paint my boat all over again if I ever needed to. But it doesn't look like I will... It's tough stuff. And super easy to touch up, if needed.

lckstckn2smknbrls · Friday at 6:56 PM

My 1971 Sears Sea King has 54 years of original patina. This spring when I redo the transom, foam in the benches, and add foam under a new plywood floor. I plan to keep the hull as is with a few exceptions. The new transom and floor will be sealed and painted a flat gray.
It's only original once.

admirial_deluxe · 2024-12-21T08:50:12-0500

I have a similar question about paint flaking off hull. I posted it here https://www.tinboats.net/threads/hull-paint-flaking-off-repaint-or-remove.52328/ and figured I'll chime in here too. (Please let me know if this is poor etiquette...i'm new here)

I'm worried that bits of paint will flake off and end up in the lake. That's a big No No in my book. Do you repaint/encapsulate existing paint, or remove it to the water waterline?

oilsmoke · 2024-12-21T12:10:17-0500

I only paint or repaint those that were painted when new, if it came as bare aluminum, I just buff and wax it and maybe coat the inside with Gluvit for good measure.
If its painted, and the paint is really bad, I'll sand lightly, prime the bare metal, and respray it in the original color.
Aluminum is really good as protecting itself, where you run into trouble is with electrolysis either due to poorly installed electronics, stray currents at the dock, or dissimilar metal contact with the hull.
Only bolt aluminum to aluminum, don't use steel brackets, steel rivets, or anything copper applied to bolted to the hull. If there's a bracket, it needs to be aluminum, preferably of the same grade of aluminum, and held in place with an aluminum rivet.
Even wood that's been treated or coated needs to be insulated from the aluminum, pressure treated wood is a complete no-no as most contains cupric sulfate as the primary antibacterial agent and this will eat your hull.

Any standard exterior grade plywood, (Common house sheathing, or exterior cabinetry grade will work just fine).

Be careful of the paint you use, never use any paint that contains copper, and avoid iron based primers.
Primer should be self etching type and applied to bare metal areas only. Once the coated, it can be treated much like a car using a decent marine grade paint if its being kept in the water, or automotive grade paint if its trailered is fine.

To PAINT or not to PAINT that is the question!

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