Aluminum boat restoration (pictures)

Here are the pictures. http://photobucket.com/albums/b161/josh6780/Alumacraft/ <br /><br />Please tell me everything each one of you know. I need all the information I can get. What I am trying to figure out right now is weather I should sand it or not. If you look at one of the pictures I have that is shot close to the serfice of the boat. You can see little ruff like bubble spots. I need to know if I can just sand these off or if there is a cleaner that will take them off. Or if I can just paint right over it. <br /><br />I would also like to have this boat painted camo. And I was wondering you you guys had any idea how much this would cost.

Re: Aluminum boat restoration (pictures)

If your going for a restore, you've got a bit of work ahead of you. Personally if it was me going for camo, I would probably leave all that (what looks like sealer on the rivets on the bottom) and give the rest a quick sand down. I'd probably look into replacing the wood on the transom and bracing the broken stuff with some angle aluminum, or possibly getting someone to weld it back to sturdy again. For the camo paint... just buy 3 diff colors of flat spray paint and camo it yourself.<br /><br />P.S. where ya from in TN?

Re: Aluminum boat restoration (pictures)

At least you have access to the rivets, so you could try bucking them & maybe most of the leaks would go away.<br />Try a search on iboats for painting aluminum. I've seen plenty of discusions.

Re: Aluminum boat restoration (pictures)

I am from hendersonville, tn.<br /><br />Yeah, I just don't know about sanding it b/c it aluminum is so thin already. I don't want to make it any weaker. Has far has the leaks go. I don't think it is leaking at all. I plan on just putting some kind of aluminum weld fillers in the holes and to fix the transom. And I want to get all the crap off the bottom of the boat so I could just go take it to a truck place and get a truck bed liner sprayed on the bottom. Now maybe I can just spray right over it. I don't know. My biggest problem right now is the outside of the boat.

Re: Aluminum boat restoration (pictures)

I would probably just give a light sand, prime, and can paint with flat paints.. maybe an over coat of black then paint your green and tan blotches over it. voila camoflauge <br />Might last ya a year or two but hey with 25 bucks you can repaint it whenever ya like.

Re: Aluminum boat restoration (pictures)

I love aluminum boats. I've done 2 in the past month, and sold each one. You haven't given enough info, though. What are you looking to do to the boat? Camo? If that's the case, I wouldn't even messs with the spots. Camo is going to make them hard to pick up anyway. I've been painting mine in similar fashion with the newer models...I've just been painting the topside blue, and the inside light gray with non-skid. <br />I don't sand aluminum. You're right. It's thin. I tried it on the first one, and it really gouges easily because everything you hit is curved, forcing you to come down too hard in small areas. There seems to be a lot of disagreement over it, but I've been sandblasting mine, and they come out gorgeous. Perfect for paint afterwards, although it takes some time to blast them. It just finishes them very smoothly. And a small blaster isn't very expensive. <br />What are the spots, though? Are they paint? Marine Tex? Epoxy putty? Everything's going to come off differently. I don't think that a blaster is going to remove epoxy or Marine Tex. Whoever put it on there probably had a few leaks, so if you remove it, you might have to deal with those, too. Give us some more info., Josh.

Re: Aluminum boat restoration (pictures)

I'd agree...it looks like much of the existing paint is peeling and bubbling. Sandblasting would give you a good clean surface to start with. There are many places around here that would be able to sand blast the boat and trailer at a reasonable price.

Re: Aluminum boat restoration (pictures)

rough it up good wipe it down and paint it .with military surpus
aircaft carrier anti skid if you can find i get mine from sinclairs surpus
its dirt cheap but you have to watch the dates on cans so it is kind of a crap shoot .but the paint is indestructible and wii adhere to anything
will kill gun in one shot where breathing protect buy gun from wallyworld and throw away after painting along with clothing and anything within 500 yards
Bennyb

Re: Aluminum boat restoration (pictures)

it's got a good bit of electrolysis, i would sand lightly, and use the 99 cent spray paint at walmart, to do the camo. i done several boats with that paint.