Painting a Jon boat?

[Colehenry]

Is it necessary to strip all the old paint off of the aluminum boat before applying primer and paint? Using a Zinc chromate primer. Also to you that have painted a Jon boat what steps did you take and how did you go about doing it?

 

[smackdaddy53]

If you want to do it right Id take it down to bare metal and do the necessary prep work or it is a waste of time and money.

 

[tdowning10]

I literally just did mine, prep work is the key to make the paint last. What I did was first wash the boat and strip off all decals and glue. Next i wire wheeled the entire boat (by far the hardest part) then wiped it down with vinegar and let it completely dry. Next I used self etching primer 2 coats. Then 2 coats of Parker duck boat paint which I would highly reccomend unless you are going for a bright flashy color. Also if you can take the boat off the trailer it would help greatly and then if you wanted it would be a great time to go ahead and paint the trailer too, which is what I did and now I have a brand new looking boat. Good luck let us know how it goes.

 

[DrNip]

Vinegar, what type white distilled vinegar?

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

If the original paint is not falling off the boat you can sand it to help the new paint adhere then spray the bare aluminum areas with zinc cromate primer, prime and paint.

 

[Johnny]

for SHOW or PLAY ??
In my opinion, Painting a boat is strictly dependent on how you use it .... (and your time and budget)
I have a very nice show quality 1959 Crestliner that has at least 6 layers of different colors on it.
sanded - scuffed - scraped the bad spots, some bondo, then the next coat.
Presently, it is hand brush painted with plain old Rustoleum enamel. Stop Sign Red and White.
of course you can sand it and strip it down to bare metal, prime and spray it with automotive
enamels .... but, with all the use, it is easy to retouch anything that needs it economically with common paints.
Now, if you never fish it, use it, let it get rained on (lol lol), the automotive paint shop will be more than
glad to throw a $2,000 paint job on it for you.



There is nothing more grand than
to be just simply messing around
in an old boat . . . . POGO, 1960

 

[Big Aug]

Hey bro I would definitely take the time to prepare your surface right if you want it to last. My boat is a '78 MonArk that was rust brown original factory color - heinous! I was originally going to just spot sand and scrape, prime, and paint. Then my OCD kicked in and I took it almost completely down to bare aluminum. After that I primed all bare aluminum with rattle cans of aluminum primer used on auto parts. After that I put two thick coats of duck boat paint on her and I have never regretted all the work. Once that paint is on solid and thick it's like armor - hard to scratch or ding and definitely not flaking. IMO, any job worth doing is worth doing right. Good Luck, and let us know how it goes.

 

[thill]

You don't have to take off all the old paint, but you do want to scuff up every inch, if you can, to make sure you have excellent adhesion. The aluminum spray primer is good stuff, too.

I have used Rustoleum High Performance Enamel in the big spray cans in the past with very good results, but I've rolled on the regular kind, and it worked well too. Both are pretty durable, and very easy to touch up.

I like the idea of jon boat paint. Sounds like tough stuff!

Careful prep is the key to getting any paint to adhere well.

-TH

 

[DrNip]

What are you all using to prep the aluminum before priming? One stated vinegar. I have read to various things to use as well as it isn't required if you are using self etching primer.

 

[bulrid8]

I always wash it down in TSP. A box is cheap and lasts a while. It will get aluminium very clean.

 

[DrNip]

Tri Sodium Phosphate?

 

[panFried]

I had great success with power sanding the entire boat with 220 grit scuffing original paint and taking down to bare metal in trouble spots. I then washed with mild soap and water followed by a good rinse. After it dried, I washed/wiped down the surface with Acetone prior to coating with self etching primer on bare spots and rustoleum professional aluminum primer on rest. Once prepped, I used Parker's Duck Boat paint through a HVLP paint gun from Habor Freight based on forum recommendations. Make sure to follow any paint manufacture's instructions as Parker's suggested curing period between coats. I am very pleased with the results and performance. Hope that helps a little.

 

[bulrid8]

Tri Sodium Phosphate?

Yes, it will clean the surface and make the paint or primer adhere to the aluminum better. Can be found in any paint department.

 

[DrNip]

I picked up a bottle of TSP substitute. Going to see how it does.

 

[crazyd]

Just started restoring the boat my grandfather gave me and this is just the info I needed as far as prepping for paint.

 

[gtaff]

Did any or have any of you camoed a boat before?

 

[panFried]

There are plenty of folks out there that have... Do a quick search in header for camo stencil. I think Parker's comes with stencils in there basic camo kit.

 

[onthewater102]

Aluminum is chemically tricky - it's prone to very rapid surface oxidation limiting the primers and paints you can use. The majority of your boat is painted then you'll want to sand down anywhere around any chips or scrapes to bare aluminum, clean with alcohol to cut any grease residue, then with vinegar on the exposed aluminum and prime them. The old paint on the rest of the boat, if still well-adhered, serves as an excellent primer - PROVIDED IT IS CLEAN. You will first want to wash anything with a grease-cutting soap to remove any oily residue from either fish or fuel (this is more efficient than alcohol.) This MUST be done thoroughly. Next you'll want to sand all surfaces using a medium grit (220/320 depending on how smooth a finish you're going for - I use TuffCoat rubberized marine paint so smooth isn't an issue and I can stick to 220). For the final product to come out nicely you'll want the to make sure you prime any areas before you sand the whole boat. If you expose bare aluminum prime it too and come back and sand it even with everything around it. You're not power sanding here - a rubber block with sandpaper on it is perfect to just rough up the surface without chewing through it like an electric sander. Wire-wheeling is overkill unless you've got a need to do it (boat 50% pealing etc.)

 

[onthewater102]

oh - Tuff coat has its own primer which should be applied over painted surfaces, or a different primer for bare aluminum surfaces - so if you want to go that route you'll want to get all the surfaces to be painted to the same condition (painted/primed patches or all bare aluminum) so that you use the proper primer on the whole job.