[JTMaclain]

I have a 1998 14ft weldcraft boat. It still has the original green paint but it looks to be kind of oxidized. Should I prime it before I paint it or just rub it down a little with sand paper?Thanks,Nick

[walleyehed]

I would recommend a healthy soap and water bath before sanding or "roughing the surface", because if at any time the boat had wax on it, you will impregnate the wax into the pores of the aluminum. If there are any un-painted areas on the outside, after the was job, use scotch-brite, not sand paper, and hit every square inch. I would use a good primer such as Dupont's CORLAR 2-part epoxy primer or something simular if you are serious about the finish coat sticking well...Good luck!

[Major Woods]

1) Pressure wash it to remove all loose paint.2) Scotch-brite pad all surfaces to rough up.3) Use a comercial paint prep solution to remove all oils.4) Zinc chromate primer.5) Final paint.

[ratherbefishin]

better to strip it completely- right down to bare metal- why go to all the trouble and expense of recoating it if there is any of the old paint underneath ?This of course, is where all the time and effort goes- so if the boat is worth it,and you want to ensure a good job, you must strip it completely.You can either spend many hours sanding and buffing, or use a chemical stripper.Check out www.napierenvironmental.com for a product line up-water based- doesn't burn your skin, no fumes and biodegradable.Spray it on, leave it overnight and pressure wash it off.This was originally designed for stripping aircraft, so it works just as well on boats.Sure makes the job easier, too, as well as assuring a much better recoating job