Sherwin Williams has a wash primer for aluminum. It is a thin coating greenish in color, water cleanup. I have 1/2 gallon in my shop and I can post picture of the can for the name if I dont forget, tomorrow. It is under 50 bucks/Gal.
Bob is right. Don't remove solid paint it is waste of time and effort.
If you have some kind of heavy paint built-up or some kind of peeling problem use paint stripper and pressure washer.
Also stay away from sanding as heavy paper can quickly remove soft aluminum.
This boat has about 5 layers of peeling paint. I have stripped about 90 percent of it so far with stripper. It has taken about 4-6 applications of stripper using a wire brush to strip it. If I can't blast it, how do I prep it for primer?
Use sandpaper, then you want to wipe the boat down with vinegar and water..... then only need to prime the bare aluminum spots with a zinc chromate primer (rattle can paint) then if you want a good paint that is fairly cheap in cost use Rustoleum.
Is your boat welded or riveted?
There are alot of factors...... is the boat going to stay in water? or be removed and trailered?
Look at what some people have accomplished here with the aluminum hulls.
It has rivets and it will be trailered to and from the lake maybe used 10-20 times per year. Also, the winters where I am at get into subzero temperatures. Summers get into 90-100's
Does this mean that any rattle can primer is zinc chromate primer or do I have to look for it?
Also, the aluminum on the transom where the wood was touching has some corrosion. Only one spot has gone all the way through. What should I do for that?
on the primer, I would degrease thw whole thing with something like xylenes first and then prime it. (do the vinegar and water first...) Look for primer that is labeled zinc chromate and or self etching... it's nearly all some color of green / olive green in the rattle cans...
