I am restoring a 24' aluminum boat built by Peterson Builders for the US Navy as a Harbor Patrol Boat in the late 1980's.. It was built with probably the same plans for boats built by the Sea Ark company in latter years as Work Boats for the Navy.
The hull, deck, bilge area were left plain aluminum, unpainted. The cabin exterior and interior walls and roof were painted with a base coat of a greenish colored primer, and then with 4 more coats of epoxy paint to include zinc chromate.
The areas unpainted appear to have a very nominal amount of corosion on certain areas, but with none to be too concerned about. Mostly, where water and dirt may have settled and left for some time uncleaned.
My main concern are the areas that did have paint applied. There is much corrosion, so I removed the coatings with aircraft paint remover, and other mechanical methods to include sanding with 120 grit orbital sander.
I am worried about repainting it over again. I think the paint failed at some point in time and allowed moisture to sit causing the corrosion.
I am thinking of leaving everything unpainted except for those areas to be covered in the cabin in order to create a few creature comforts. The areas to be covered would have a coating of LPS 3.
Would it be unwise to leave the aluminum bare everywhere else, considering I removed the paint and the surface layer of the aluminum by sanding and grinding, and the fact that I will be operating her in the salt water ocean of the Pacific Ocean?
I would not be leaving the boat in the water, but intend to put it on a trailer after every use and washing down with soap and water and finally spraying with LPS 2 or Corrosion X ????
I appreciate any and all comments to help me make a decision on this project. Thank you.
The hull, deck, bilge area were left plain aluminum, unpainted. The cabin exterior and interior walls and roof were painted with a base coat of a greenish colored primer, and then with 4 more coats of epoxy paint to include zinc chromate.
The areas unpainted appear to have a very nominal amount of corosion on certain areas, but with none to be too concerned about. Mostly, where water and dirt may have settled and left for some time uncleaned.
My main concern are the areas that did have paint applied. There is much corrosion, so I removed the coatings with aircraft paint remover, and other mechanical methods to include sanding with 120 grit orbital sander.
I am worried about repainting it over again. I think the paint failed at some point in time and allowed moisture to sit causing the corrosion.
I am thinking of leaving everything unpainted except for those areas to be covered in the cabin in order to create a few creature comforts. The areas to be covered would have a coating of LPS 3.
Would it be unwise to leave the aluminum bare everywhere else, considering I removed the paint and the surface layer of the aluminum by sanding and grinding, and the fact that I will be operating her in the salt water ocean of the Pacific Ocean?
I would not be leaving the boat in the water, but intend to put it on a trailer after every use and washing down with soap and water and finally spraying with LPS 2 or Corrosion X ????
I appreciate any and all comments to help me make a decision on this project. Thank you.
