Painting aluminum

[JimFromTN]

Has anyone ever successfully painted an aluminum boat and not scratched off or peeled off all of the paint? I bought a 1982 bass tracker last year and I am thinking about painting it flat OD green for hunting. Anyone ever done it? What kind of paint do the manufacturers use?

 

[catman529]

I stripped one boat and painted it and it held up good before I sold it. My current boat I lightly sanded the existing paint, cleaned it very thoroughly and re painted it camouflage. Both boats were done with Rustoleum camo paint and clear coat. You will scratch a little when the boat bangs into rocks on the shore. I haven't had any issues with paint chipping or flaking, only scratches.

If I remember right, the bare metal boat was primed with self etching primer


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[ronnycl]

Parker Duck Boat Paint....can order at cabelas, 1 gallon is more than enough to paint inside and out for a 16 ft boat. Its enamel paint and dries hard as a rock. Brush or spray holds up very well with no brush stokes visible. Very durable!

 

[foodplot]

If it's bare aluminum you will have to use paint designed for aluminum or it will peel.... the parker paint mentioned in a previous post will work good....

 

[Mike Belt]

... just gives it a little character.

 

[Planking]

I sanded mine with an orbital sander and then used a cheap electric sprayer. I sprayed thinned paint over thinned sprayed primer. Biggest thing was labor, sprayer cost and sander pads. On bare aluminum use a self etching primer first. Ive only done it three times, but i have been pleased with the results painting both bare and painted aluminum. I used a gallon of tree stand paint from agri supply and then bought a styx river stencil kit. It looked awesome and didn't scratch much or chip.

 

[Smo]

This one was sanded with an orbital sander , then pressure washed and left to dry a couple days.

I wiped the surface with lacquer thinner , then sprayed paint with an airless sprayer.

Use a small tip in the gun , keep it moving and don't shoot yourself anywhere.... the pressure will penetrate skin.

Paint was bought at Rural King, some off brand camo in quart cans..... cheap!

But good stuff, it has held up well the boat doesn't get used a lot but still looks good 4 or 5 years later.

I replaced the transom plywood and re carpeted the interior but can't find the pics.

 

[Grnwing]

I painted a tracker grizzly 1648 using Duralux and prepping the surface with acetone and rolled the paint on. Turned out really well. I ordered the paint from Home Depot for $65 a gallon(which was just enough for a 16ft boat inside and outside).