Restoring a Tinny

[stuee]

Hi. Im looking at buying a tinny (in australia) Its painted inside and out but would like to remove the paint inside and out as its all deterated a bit and repaint inside and the outside restore back to the aluminium look.
I was looking at the pressure washer sand blast gun attachment to clean with.
I have 3 questions.
1. What would be the best grit for the sand blaster.
2. How would i get the outside looking like aluminum again like a normal tinny.
3. what would you suggest the internals paint i should use.


Thanks in advance folks.

 

[Woodonglass]

I'm Not a "Tinner" but...from what I learned here on the forum in the past years, Sand Blasting an aluminum hull is NOT highly recommended. Soda Blasting seems to be ok, but if there are any weak spots in the hull the Blasting might possibly blow a hole thru the hull. Chemical Paint remover and sanding is the most preferred method. Look for a product called SHARKHIDE to restore the outside to the aluminum look.

This link will give you a good, inexpensive painting method (it's #19 in the list)...http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-...at-information

 

[ezmobee]

As said, sand blasting will warp aluminum.

 

[Watermann]

Welcome aboard :wave:

I've seen the results of sandblasting AL boats and it's not pretty, the entire boat becomes an ugly matte looking pitted mess.

Stripper and a pressure washer works best for me.

 

[stuee]

Thanks all. So i have a friend with a industrial pressure washer that 3500psi (double the normal plug in homne ones) , if i sprayed on paint stripper then went over it with this pressure washer what would i have to do after or would it be ok just as it is? i dont want it looking messy though,.

 

[gm280]

stuee, they make a great paint remover/stripper called "Aircraft Remover". Many companies make that stuff and it is the best I've ever used. Apply it either by spray (you can buy in in rattle spray cans and regular non spray cans) or brush. Apply it, let it sit to do its job, and then hose it off. I wouldn't use a power washer to remove the paint stripper. I would wait to see how well the strippers works first. Once you hose off the first stripper, apply more where there is still stubborn paint. Keep repeating until you have the hull cleared of paint. One word of caution though, that stripper will burn your skin so wear appropriate PPE equipment and certainly eye protection. JMHO

 

[Watermann]

I think that pressure washer would kick you know what! I've removed the paint on 3 boats for a total of 52 feet of aluminum. I can tell you that scraping sucks the life out of you so that's why I use the pressure washer with the 20 degree fan up close to where it takes off about 4" of paint at a pass. I found the Jasco stripper to be the best, even over aircraft remover. Also one bit of advice is to start at the bottom spraying and work you way up, it's odd how the paint will reattach itself just by water running down and rinsing the stripper off, even when bubbled up.

 

[Woodonglass]

Several of our members have used this with good results.

TIP: If you buy coat about a 3ft square area and then tape a plastic garbage bag over the area and let the stripper "Cook" for about 30 minutes or so, it WILL do a much better job of Eating the paint off.!!! I've seen both methods used...Scraping and Power Washing. To me it looks like it depends on how well the paint is adhered and how well the Stripper does it's job. If the PW doesn't work...You'll prolly need to go to scraping!!!:nod:

 

[stuee]

Thanks again all. great advice. When ive stripped the paint off what would be my next step? polish, special lacquer (preferably something easy and doesn't need to look like a showroom but just clean and nice)

 

[gm280]

Thanks again all. great advice. When ive stripped the paint off what would be my next step? polish, special lacquer (preferably something easy and doesn't need to look like a showroom but just clean and nice)

If you are not going to repaint, there are products on the market to "seal" the aluminum again. One such product is call "Sharkhide". While I have never used it, a lot of iboaters have and recommend it on these forums. Check it out. I haven't used it because I don't have an aluminum hulled boat.