[Lakeview]

I have a 14' Aluminum John Boat. Its old and beat up, but still good. I would like to put on a long lasting paint job. It doesn't have to be fancy. I will probably just paint it an old drab green for duck hunting and fishing. The old paint job looks real bad and is thinning badly. I don't think it had the right prep or paint. How do I begin. Should I sand down to the bare aluminum or can I go over the existing. Do I need to prime or do anything else to the surface. How do I do this and where do I get the materials needed. I also need to keep the price and the time required to a minimum - Thanks!Lakeview

[naketa]

i have an old alum boat to and it was nasty to and a bought some good spray paint and put like 3 coats on it and it still looks good

[Lakeview]

Thanks! I thought about spray paint, but I think I would like something a little nicer and that is rugged. I will be running back in the thick stuff and I don't want to mess with this paint job again for a long time. Does anyone have any suggestions.

[Capn Mike]

I'm surprised how often this subject ("help me paint my jon boat...I want to make it look nice") comes up.And I'll ask again: why?!

[Lakeview]

I guess nice is not the right word. I just want to make the boat green and I don't want to paint it again for a long time. The paint is also to prevent future leaks at the rivets.

[ratherbefishin]

The first thing you have to do, and the most important, is get everything down to bare aluminum.You could sand it, scuff it, but the best and easiest way to go is a chemical stripper-go with one of the new ones- non toxic, no fumes and doesn;t burn your hands.They were originally formulated to strip aircraft.Check out the websitewww.napierenvironmental.com for a product list and where you can buy it. There's no point in going to all the trouble and expense of repainting if you haven't prepared the substrate properly, and you can't expect whatever new coating you use to be successful, no matter what brand you use

[DJ]

lakeview,If you have bare aluminum, you need to prime it with zinc chromate. Any top coat over that should be OK.Before priming with ZC, was the hull with a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water.