Painting aluminum boat

[Jim Brone]

A friend of mine wants to paint a part of his aluminum boat. The area he wants to recoat is the top portion of his hull. It does not get submerged. It is a black paint now. My question is this, if he sands the shine off the black paint, can he simply spray over the existing coat for a nice finish. What type of paint would be recommended? I suggested an epoxy enamel that might be sprayed from an air sprayer. Anyone have any experiences with this? He doesn't want to bring it down to the bare aluminum since it already has the primer under the black paint. Thanks, Jim N

 

[Bruce Freeman]

If it's enamel then yes he can scuff the original paint and shoot over top of it with out a primer.

BF

 

[Greg Meyer]

Where is Jeff White when we need him... Find "Magna 19" and ask him... He be "da man" when it comes to metal...

 

[JEFF WHITE]

best thing to do is scuff the origional paint with 220 grit paper,make sure all the shine is gone,the best thing to use for that is a dual action sander.try not to break through to the aluminum,feather edge all the scratches through to the aluminum.use a good primer/sealer on any aluminum,best to spray all the old finish with it also,so the old paint dont bleed through the new paint.let that setup as the directions.spray on 2 good coats,letting it setup between coats then spray on a final coat let it set up 24 hrs before touching it



a good acrylic enamel with a clear coat or hardner in it is good enough for the non submurged portions.even the submurged areas fair well with acrylic enamel.mine is holding up well where it hits the water.after 30 days or so a good coat of wax will help keep the shine in.

 

[Bruce Moore]

The entire area to be painted will have to be primed with "zinc chromate" primer. The color coat will have to be compatable with this primer. Check with a reputable paint/coatings shop in your area.



BruceM