86 18' Starcraft SFM

[nrf414]

Nice job so far, its been a good read.I know how the cold can hold us up a little bit. I have had the back to back fold out seats in my 16SS and they were nice but took up a lot of space. The pedestals and the jump seats in the back seem like the best alternative. One thing I can say about the b2b in the 16ss is that I could sit in the rear seat with my feet propped up on the splash well while I was relaxing waiting for bites. I can honestly say though I would have preferred the free board and you could slide a cooler over if propping feet was a necessity.

When I strip and gut mine I'm gonna go with the removable pedestals and probably jump seats in the back like EZ. It's the way most the newer ones are setup.

 

[MD28]

Paint is all stripped off. I caulked the seams with 5200. I plan on sanding it with 400 grit wet sandpaper. Wash with vinegar and rinse, maybe wipe down with acetone. Then I will rattle bomb SE primer and spray normal metal primer after that. Then comes the paint. Do any of you more experienced painters see any flaws or missing parts to that plan of attack? Also, I saw a gallon of Rustoleum aluminum primer at Menards and I'm wondering if any of you have used that? I think it is meant for aluminum siding for houses.

 

[Watermann]

Looks real nice, I hate sanding but it's a very good idea to sand the bare surface before you paint. Only reason to wipe it with acetone is if the boat has been handled or has oil or grease on it.

So read that rusto AL primer can, it's probably the water based stuff to have water based paint put on over it I would guess. I would shy away from that if your using oil based paint, just in case ya never know.

Are you painting the bottom too?

 

[MD28]

Good call with the oil base Watermann. I do plan on painting the bottom as of now. My plans change daily though.

 

[BMerr509]

Nice Job MD, def invest in a spray gun- i tried the roller/brush method and it looks OK but not nearly as nice as the guys who use the spray gun. I did two coats of primer, three coats of paint. But WM can lend a few tips when it comes to painting i'm sure. His work speaks for itself.

 

[MD28]

Thanks BMerr. I have a spraygun that I used to redo the trailer with, definitely a nice finish. It takes some patience to not go to heavy with it. Many many coats.

 

[MD28]

Temperature reached 60s yesterday so I could put on the SE. Do I need another coat?

 

[Watermann]

Looks good, as long as there's not bare AL spots you should be fine.

 

[MD28]

A few things accomplished this week. I have finished spraying the normal primer. Next is the color.

 

[BMerr509]

Looks real good MD! Keep it up!!!

 

[MD28]

A while back I mentioned that the PO stripped the bottom sparkplug hole. He fixed it by putting in a helicoil insert. When I tried to put it back in, it was stripped again... this was months ago. The solution was to either get a new head, or get a new insert that has thicker walls requiring retapping the head. I did some searching around my area and found that an old retired mechanic still had some keenserts. So i ripped off the head and brought it to him. He fixed it up for $40. The cheapest head on ebay was around $130. So Im happy with that. I put it back together this afternoon.

 

[MD28]

I also failed to mention the dandy new rollers I put on the trailer. I did that in January I think.

 

[Watermann]

Looks like a nice even coat of primer. I do all the priming and painting all in one day, makes for a long day but you're not having to sand cured primer and it all melts together into one tough paint job. I put on SE primer, regular primer and 2 coats of paint all in one day on my SS. After the base coat dried overnight I taped it off and put on 2 coats for the stripes. The base coat was still gassing out but it was just dry enough to tape it and shoot without sanding.

 

[MD28]

Looks like a nice even coat of primer. I do all the priming and painting all in one day, makes for a long day but you're not having to sand cured primer and it all melts together into one tough paint job. I put on SE primer, regular primer and 2 coats of paint all in one day on my SS. After the base coat dried overnight I taped it off and put on 2 coats for the stripes. The base coat was still gassing out but it was just dry enough to tape it and shoot without sanding.

No Kidding? I always thought they had to dry for a day before the next coat :facepalm:. Do you ever have issues with the tape peeling off the soft paint? That is my worst fear.

 

[Watermann]

No Kidding? I always thought they had to dry for a day before the next coat :facepalm:. Do you ever have issues with the tape peeling off the soft paint? That is my worst fear.

Nope no problems pulling the paint off but time wise also depends on temps and if you used catalyst hardener in the mix.

 

[RStewart]

You're doing a great job. Are you putting the bow live well back in? I like the idea of having a small one for bait up there.

 

[MD28]

I plan on it. Not sure if it'll be the same spot or not. Most likely where it was because it was right in the center. Makes it easy for guy in the back to access it with his catch.

 

[MD28]

I finally have got her painted! Its been a slow process with the hours Ive been putting in at work these days, but here it is...

 

[classiccat]

Killer paint job MD!

 

[Tnstratofam]

Very Nice!! :thumb: