duck boat paint

I have and older 12′ alumacraft boat i was given the go ahead to paint, its plain aluminum right now just wondering what i should do first? i’m gonna try to find a paint gun,probally cheaper then sray cans. Thanks

we used the H.S. Camo paint on our boat and it seems to hold up fine.

ya know we just painted 3 boats me and my uncle and we sanded down the aluminum boat and sprayed 2 coats on with that hs camo and it didnt hold up very well after two weekends of hunting i have also been in and seen redneck jr’s baot with that hs camo and it worked for him very well so i think that you my have to put a couple more coats on two of the 3 baots were fiberglass and that worked well but i would still recomend the hs camo to just have a couple coats we used some other stuff to try it out and i dont know the name off the top of my head but it was boat paint and you could scratch it off with you finger nail i will have to get back to you on that one so good luck its kinda a trial and error thing

Jr. left out one important step in the paint process. Go to an auto parts store and get some self etching primer. This stuff is expensive and nasty to work with but it attaches itself to the aluminum so the other paint will stick.
By the way Sledhead—what are you doing up at midnight on a school night.

I’ve been painting an old lund alaskan with Krylon Fusion Camo – $3.29 at wally world

I didn’t clean about 4′ of the boat and just painted that much on a lark one night to see if it would stick. Both plain aluminum, faded red, and the transom caps. Then I went to a car wash the other night to try and get it off – it stuck perfectly. Obviously the proof will be in hunting and use.

I can say one can does 1/2 of a side of an 18′ boat to give you an idea as to how much it takes.

Todd

Bare aluminum has to have a self-etching primer coat. Make sure it is clean…super clean. I’ve used a concentrated degreaser through my power washer, let dry, wipe down with acetone, then prime it with a very light coat of self-etching primer. Let that dry for an hour then spray the top coat…H.S., Parker, Krylon spray cans work great. Save time and money by using a spray gun and use the spray cans if you are using a camo stencil. It’s best to let the paint cure for a week, then it’s good to go. If you use it before the paint cure you’ll have to touch up some areas.

Try using a brush or roller and put it on a little thicker.

It holds up better than spraying it on.

I use the spray cans for the verticle lines.

thanks for all the input

Instead of using the expensive metal etcher use straight vinager. Use a good degreaser,was remover first. Laquer thinner works well, then vinager wash with soap and water let dry and paint.

If you try and paint fiberglass with out scuffing it first no paint will stick to it.