Repainting an Aluminum Jon

[JMiller]

Hello All -

Im in the process or refurbishing my old jonboat that I bought a few years back. Im leery of using chemicals to strip the boat so Im opting for a more labor intensive method of using a stripper wheel and sandpaper to take the paint off. The boat has several layers of duck paint going down to an old metal-flake blue finish (why the paint wasnt sticking). As I am taking off the metalflake finish Im reaching a green layer which Im assuming is the primer.

Is it ok to simply repaint over the existing primer after cleaning it up (and possibly a light sanding) or should I go all the way down to the bare metal and reprime? ) I need the paint to last a couple of years before I replace the boat outright and would like this to be the last paint job I do on it. I'm planning on using the Parker duck boat paint that I already have....

Thanks in advance for the input -

James

 

[Mark W]

From a guy who just spent a ton of time sanding an old ducker (post below), if I had to do it again I would go the stipper route. It is not that hard to do and on a scale of 1-10 danger wise, it is towards the safer end. Brush it on, let it sit for a while and then take a wire brush (one with a handle that you use manually - no tool) and brush over the stripper. Either blow out the residue, vacuum it up, or take a spnge and wipe it out of the boat. Then redo parts that may need a second application. Sanding rivets, braces and so on is a pain in the arse.

Or, if it were me in your situation, I would sand with 60 grit to roughen the surface and repaint. You said you only needed it to last a couple of seasons and this method would accomplish what you need to get done.

If you were to sand to bare metal, the aluminum primer that should be used is much less safe than the chemical stripper IMO.

One guys opinion.

Mark

 

[Derek Z]

I found Gluvit to be a decent base for my Parker painted jonboat. The key to it working was to put a light scuff with a scothbrite after the 2nd coat and a flat clear coat on top of the Parkers. Parkers as a tendency to chalk out and will attract mud/stains like a diaper on a toddler. The clear coat keeps up the nice clean consistent color so during the off season your boat doesn't look like monkeys threw poo all over it.

Another thing I did to my boat was a light misting spray (after the Parkers) of the textured stone paint made by rustoleum in brown. Doing this broke up the solid Parkers paint and gave it a slight "camo" texture I really liked. Its similar to the zolatone paint they sprayed in the interior of my Jetcraft.
Good luck.