New guy

[Zip]

Hey sonny, I wanted to ask - maybe you mentioned this already, but what primer do you plan to use to paint? Zinc chromate in a can? West systems epoxy primer?

 

[sonny1]

Not a fan of Zinc Chromate. Dangerous stuff. Major marine life kill on the Chesapeake bay back in the late 80's They found large concentrations of zinc Chromate in the wildlife. Traced the source back to the shipyards and found that when it was removed during overhauls the stuff was falling into the water and did not break down. Navy banned the use of it shortly after. Spraying it is dangerous at best and removing it is dangerous. Studies have shown that direct contact even after it has cured can lead to health problems. I know a lot of people swear by it and yes it works well but I think I'll pass. Aircraft industries have in recent years gone to different primers due to the health hazards. It is one of those substances that does not break down it just accumulates in your body until you die from relative illness. Have two one gallon kits of the West System Epoxy made for aluminum . That works out to four gallons of primer. Plan on coating the inside and outside of boat with a minimum of five coats. They claim that when applied correctly it will protect and last for a long time. Expensive but so far have not been disappointed with any of the products by West System. Time will tell.

 

[sonny1]

Bought a paintless repair kit for the hail damage on the vehicles. Rather nice kit the extra bonus is I can use it on the boat. Should be able to use the rods to straighten out some of the deeper dents thus using less epoxy.

 

[Zip]

Yea, I have been debating the ZnCr for awhile too, I know that stuff is crazy toxic. Didn't know that about the pollution it has caused. I was looking at this product, thought you might look at it (I know you have your epoxy already):

https://www.totalboat.com/products/aluminum-boat-barrier-coat-epoxy-primer
Im thinking maybe going this route.

 

[sonny1]

I have 2 one gallon kits of the same stuff. Thought about gator glide but this stuff is supposed to be easier to apply. Bought the proper stuff to thin out primer. Temperature and humidity can screw with application. Thin coats are a must have if you want it to turn out right. The stuff ain't cheap by any means. They say it will help seal up any small leaks and will last a long time. It had better at that price. The problem with the gator glide is it is not very tough. Will require a yearly brush up and abrasive level is not rated very high. I did a lot of homework prior to purchase of a quality primer. Gimmicks and bull don't work for me. This stuff is very highly rated by a lot of shops around Eufaula lake in Oklahoma.

 

[sonny1]

Ready to get back on working on the boat in the morning. Need to feather sand fairing compound on the boat and then add more to fill in dents. Really looking forward to it. Weather is going to be great. Highs are going to be near 90 degrees and mornings are suppose to be cool. Perfect weather for work at hand.

 

[Striper57]

Sonny, you are as tough as they come. Just got done fixing your roof and helping your neighbors and then right back to working on the boat!

 

[sonny1]

Sonny, you are as tough as they come. Just got done fixing your roof and helping your neighbors and then right back to working on the boat!

No we are not that tough. Tonight feeling the pain. Age and physical conditions after busting my rear the last few days have left me a wreck. Feeling every bit of 65 years old. Running out of time on the boat. Need to get the work done before weather turns bad. My dream is to be fishing next year in a nice boat.

 

[Striper57]

Well I'd say you'll get there in no time with your work ethic. And I know you are being humble, but I can tell you are tough and full of heart. Toughness isn't a lack of pain, but rather the ability to never let it stop you or beat you. Also, have you had any time to try pulling dents out of the vehicles yet?

 

[sonny1]

Received dent kit yesterday late afternoon. Removed two dents from fiat and a couple of dents in the boat. With the boat you need to be careful. Will post some pics today.

 

[sonny1]

Works great on the boat. Did remove two dents on the Fiat. Need to pick up some hardware for supports to go with the rods. Have some experience with the rods but have never used the glue. PDR light works great. Not a bad beginners kit for a little over $100.00 dollars.

 

[sonny1]

Afternoon spent playing with my new toys. Works great on the boat. Pulled a lot of little dents out and got some experience with the glue. Still will require some fairing compound but it is going to take a lot less and be a lot thinner. If I keep at it should end up with a smooth bottom on the boat. Am not using it for dents close to the rivets. Do not need any headaches.

 

[thill]

That's pretty neat. Did you buy the kit from Amazon?

 

[sonny1]

No bought it direct from company. The price from the company's website was better than the price on Amazon. Plus it was free shipping. Only took two days to arrive. Very happy with the purchase and the company I ordered from. Will purchase more tools and equipment as needed from this company. Good people.

 

[sonny1]

Well got some things done today. Sanded and feathered existing fairing and two repairs Cleaned Boat with alcohol and then got ready for some more Mix until green Small piece of plywood so I can take it to the boat and apply. Then we clean everything up and repeat. Now in the morning we have a lot of feathering to do. Fairing compound is spread thin after using the non paint body work tools. Should in up with one smooth bottom. Pretty good considering boat is old and well used. No one will ever see the amount of work that went into this. I will and that is all that matters. Once Primed painted all the hard work will disappear. Just look like a boat that did not see much use. Very happy with how well the first round of fairing is sticking to the boat. Not worried about it staying in place solid. Much better than JB weld or any other garbage. Made for boats. West systems products get my vote. After sanding we hit the Gluvit on the inside.

 

[sonny1]

Really nice weather for today. Checked boat this morning and the fairing set up nice. Sanders are going to get a work out and the leaf blower. Found the leaf blower comes in handy for removing the dust from sanding. Sore and worn out from yesterday but hoping to get this all sanded down and feathered. Weather is supposed to be good tomorrow and would like to get the boat turned and apply the gluvit. Need to start thinking about rearranging the garage so I can get the boat in and begin painting.

 

[sonny1]

Held off on sanding. Started and stopped. Going to let it cure a bit more. Might be ready tomorrow morning. Hated to stop but do not want to take a chance of screwing it up.

 

[sonny1]

Very long day. Started at 8:00 am and just now got done. Started out with 80 #grit. Then went to 120#grit. Then dropped down to the good stuff 320#grit. Feathered in nicely. Not perfect by any means but still very happy with the results. Fairing compound was cured enough today to get her done. The stuff turned blue as I was sanding then as the sun hit it turned green again. Yesterday sanded a small section and it went blue and stayed blue so I stopped. A lot of small dents that were rather deep are now covered. Level it is not. Deep dents from abuse are now gone. Washed the bottom with Dove soap and then rinsed the boat real well. Areas were the 650K ran we cleaned up with a stainless wire brush with the 4 inch grinder prior to washing. Really glad I took the time to do this. Thought about blowing it off thinking it was not worth the work involved. Very much so worth the extra work. How many folks on here post the bottom of their boat. Think about it not many. Especially on a very small aluminum boats. By the time I apply the Epoxy primer from Total Boat made for aluminum hulls no one will know the amount of work that went into the boat prior to the paint. I will as am sitting in the backwaters of Lake Eufaula Oklahoma around 3:00 AM catching fish. Hurt like hell but a very good day.

 

[sonny1]

Paying for yesterdays work. My knee is twice the size it normally is. Back is killing me. I even woke up late. My norm is 4:00 AM today it was 7:45 AM. Need to turn the boat fix one seat and plug a small rivet hole. Then clean and get busy with the gluvit.

 

[airshot]

Sucks gettin old....my wife says the only thing golden in old age is the color of your pee. !!!