Aluminum Boat Paint

JimS123

JimS123

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I'm restoring an old tinny and want to paint the deck (aluminum floor). It's a little dingy and is down to bare metal in a lot of places due to foot traffic over the past 61 years.

I see there are a lot of options out there, but I thought I would see if anyone has any real world experience.

Brand, oil or water base, non-skid?


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M

Mc Tool

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Aug 7, 2024
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Ally can be hard to re paint . Its not so much the painting but the prep work needed to get a good durable finish . If that were me Id be havin another look with the idea that its a nice looking used retro dinghy and talk myself into leaving it as is :):).
Otherwise its scotchbrite pads ( preferably some powered version ) clean , etch prime and paint
 
Scott Danforth

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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I used moeller rattle can of zinc dichromate primer followed by green rustoleum rattle can. sprinkeled on some pumice granules and another layer of green rustoleum in the canoe a few years back. been holding up to even the dog claws and tossing in the gear.

for prep, all I did was chuck up a wire brush in the drill, hit all the old paint, then fire up the pressure washer. once dried, I wiped with acetone, then painted.
 
JimS123

JimS123

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Mc Tool said:
Ally can be hard to re paint . Its not so much the painting but the prep work needed to get a good durable finish . If that were me Id be havin another look with the idea that its a nice looking used retro dinghy and talk myself into leaving it as is :):).
Otherwise its scotchbrite pads ( preferably some powered version ) clean , etch prime and paint
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I guess I knew the answer ahead of time, but was hoping for an easy way out.

We've owned the boat for 40+ years. My sons grew up in her. My youngest moved to TN and wants to build a waterfront house. I told him I would restore it and the other day he was in town and said what a good job I did. But why not repaint the floor?

I've been restoring aluminum outboard motors for 40 years as well. I DO the right steps and they all turn out OK.
 
JimS123

JimS123

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Scott Danforth said:
I used moeller rattle can of zinc dichromate primer followed by green rustoleum rattle can. sprinkeled on some pumice granules and another layer of green rustoleum in the canoe a few years back. been holding up to even the dog claws and tossing in the gear.

for prep, all I did was chuck up a wire brush in the drill, hit all the old paint, then fire up the pressure washer. once dried, I wiped with acetone, then painted.
Click to expand...
Back in the 1960's I used the zinc stuff on a few motors and they are still pristine today. Unfortunately, it's not available any more. (EPA you know, at least not in NY). Acid etching primer is OK, but the long term durability won't match the old stuff.
 
M

Mc Tool

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JimS123 said:
the other day he was in town and said what a good job I did. But why not repaint the floor?
Click to expand...
I been fixin a wee dinghy I ( stupidly ....I think Gilligan would have passed it up ) bought and I was thinking about some of that stone chip paint used on car sills for the floor. :unsure:
 
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MikeSchinlaub

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JimS123 said:
Acid etching primer is OK, but the long term durability won't match the old stuff.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure you can't get that anymore either, or at least we don't. Direct To Metal (DTM) primer is what we use now.

If you use a wire wheel, just be sure to use the non twisted kind. Use fine, loose bristle cups.
 
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Jeff J

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If you use a wire wheel, it’s best it is stainless and never been used on anything else. We used “rivet cleaning discs” chucked into a drill motor to prep airplanes. Harbor Freight has a pretty good fiber wheel that should work but I haven’t tried it on aluminum yet.
 
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