Paint Brand Recommendations

[Fishon72]

Hello:

Getting ready to finish stripping and then going to paint my project. Going to use the ‘tip and roll’ method, don’t have a sprayer or any good place to spray. What paint is recommended? The boat is a 12’ Duranautic so I wanted sea foam green, but may end up going yellow or blue depending on what I can find in stock.

For the bottom of the hull, is there a paint I can use that will stand up to going on and off the trailer, or is it best to leave it bare aluminum? I’ve noticed factory boats are usually bare aluminum on the bottom. Is there some type of clear coat or protectant I should apply?

Going to paint the inside of the boat some shade of white. Which paint is best for the inside and floor area?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Rust-oleum works good and you can get it tinted.

 

[BillPlayfoot]

I used PPG Delfleet Essential on my hull. I sprayed it though. It may not roll or brush on very well. It is very durable. Some swear by Rustoleum or Tremclad. I don't use those brands because the automotive grade paints I use will cause the Rustoleum to wrinkle if a repaint is needed years later.

 

[Oliver305]

Rust-Oleum is a good brand. If you are on the market for the best paint for boats and you only have a modest budget, then a tin of Rust-Oleum is the ideal choice

 

[CedarRiverScooter]

You can add hardener which will provide better scratch resistance.

 

[MrGiggles]

I used a single stage automotive enamel, and then cleared it with urethane, all through a Harbor Freight HVLP gun. I painted it outside under a carport with an exhaust fan blowing. Even though it was in the middle of June, I had no trouble with bugs. I am really happy with it, it really sparkles in the sun.

I used Rustoleum on the trailer and was not all that happy with it, but I did not use hardener. it did not end up being that durable.

I would just leave the bottom bare, nothing will stand up that well to trailering and beaching.

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

I use rustoleum with a hardener. It works ok, cheap and easy to work with. I used a stock color so touch ups would be easy. Many threads about using this paint and its roll and tip friendly. It can be wet sanded and look mint depending on the effort. The jalopy journal is a good source for technique. 4 years and mine still looks good, couple scratches but that's more about how I use my boat. No flaking or fade so far.

Sent from my CLT-L04 using Tapatalk

 

[C&K]

When I restored this Alumacraft I used PPG Delthane, which is a two-part polyurethane acrylic enamel, basecoast/clearcoat. But almost more important in painting aluminum boats is the self-etching primer. No top coat will stand up without a proper primer for aluminum underneath.

It is not necessary, or even desirable, to paint the bottom of the hull below the spray rails. The 5052 alloy typically used in marine hulls is "self-healing" if it gets a scratch on it, in that the oxide that forms on the surface protects the metal from corrosion. For that reason, virtually no factory-painted aluminum boats are painted below the waterline.

 

[ppine]

You can spend a lot of money on marine paint like Interlux, you can use epoxy paint.

If you prepare the surface properly and prime it a lot of different kinds of paint will work. I like oil based enamel, but porch paint will work fine.
I have used rattle cans to touch up my $20,000 on the strake that sometimes its docks. It looks surprisingly good.

 

[Fishon72]

Wow...those are some beautiful paint jobs! I greatly appreciate all the responses.

Currently still in the process of stripping all the old paint, previous owner coated the bottom interior with anti fouling paint and it’s been a project getting it off, messy stuff.

I’m going with Rustoleum Topside and working on getting a color that somewhat resembles the factory sea foam green. I mixed a quart of navy blue with a quart of deep green, then added a quart of white and ended up with a blue teal color. Plan is to add some yellow Testors model paint and more white and see what I come up with. In hindsight I should have mixed the paint colors more slowly and methodically instead of just dumping the quarts in the bucket together, but I figured I’d need about that amount of paint anyhow.

At first when I was reading about rolling/tipping it sounded fairly difficult, after all this scraping the old paint and the sanding to come I have no doubt the actual painting will be the easiest and most fun part of the project. I’ll post some updates as I go