Re: Starcraft SS 18' I/O restore project
Got a crew coming over this evening to help me turtle this hull. Thanks for all the discussion re paint. The following is what I've sort of formulated as opinion in my teenie weenie mind as to painting this hull.
To begin with, I've painted many cars in my time. I was lucky enough to have the advice of a body shop owner with many years of experience back when I painted my first couple of modifieds. He harped at me about some basic things that are now painted into my brain. Cleanliness, metal prep and priming with the right stuff, tack, temp and humidity control with multi-part and multi coat paints, and he had a whole host of mixing formulas for hardness depending on temp and humidity. In those days , I could call him at 8 am and he'd tell how to mix my paint for 1pm that day.
Im guessing the reason some have had problems with Easypoxy may have to do with temp and humidity altering the tack level of the material. Hard to say for sure, but given the problems associated with it, I think I'm going to go with implement paint that I know will stand up to water. This boat will be pulled from the water and washed down and flushed after each use. I also realize that no paint job will hold up to much beach sand, but I'd like to keep as much aluminum as possible from direct contact with salt water. I suppose that means I'll have to spray something at the bottom a couple times a year.
A friend of mine has used the Rustoleum marine stuff on his bottom and it didn't fair really well when he left it in a slip for 30 days. Prior to that, the paint had been on the boat for a year or so and faired quite well in fresh water. It had been applied by roller over scuffed US Navy marine grey. So I'd say if your boat is going to be in the water three or four days and then out, this stuff will work well for you. If your going to be somewhere for a month or so, pull it out every fifth day and let it dry out for 24 hours or so.
Another friend of mine was a heavy equipment welder/repairman. At one time somebody had given him a five gallon bucket of yellow Catapillar paint. That stuff was hard as nails and would take a hell of a beating. We painted lots of stuff with it with little to no prep (ie, wipe it down with mineral spirits and paint it) by brush, by roller and with the gun. Stuck like a brother and after two coats it was hard as the iron. Wish I could find something like it that wasn't yellow. I also bought some paint from John Deere because I had an antique JD for many years. It too holds up very well. Probably has the same base as the Catapillar stuff.
So later this week I'm going to run down to Sacramento to an automotive paint store and see if they can set me up with some heavy duty implement paint. I've dealt with these guys before and they have not only been helpful, but knowledgeable. I'm going to test their knowledge and see what they recommend. I believe two to three coats of some sort of implement paint mixed like WOG's Valspar is they way to go. Just have to get some dry morning air under 85degrees to spray it in.
