14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

[kelise24]

Ok, guys, thanks for all the advice yesterday. I'm back for some more. :redface:

The pics are to show the paint a little bit. You can really see it better in the picture of the inside of the boat. It feels "chalky." Not sure if that matters.

My son wants to strip the boat we got down to the bare aluminum. The boat has a few layers of paint. Some of it is starting to chip off. He's not comfortable painting it until his dad is able to help, but since this is a surprise for his dad, he wants to make it look good.

We bought some of the Strip Klean for Aircraft (2 spray bottles) yesterday. He will begin using this tonight. He wants to know if he should just use this and some sort of plastic scraper or just a the power sprayer to clean the paint off. He will also need to remove the numbers (adhesive) that are currently on the boat. He thought he should probably avoid sanding if he is planning to polish up the bare aluminum...

He was also curious if there is something he could use inside the boat to "paint" onto the seals and rivets - or if he should - as a leak preventative. The boat does not currently leak. He just wanted to know if there is something he should use up front to prevent leaks.

Lastly, there is carpet in the bottom of the boat. He is wanting to carpet the sides but does not want to apply the carpet directly to the aluminum. We have read that you can use wood and wrap it in carpet. We also read about foam, which would be much easier for him to work with. The question with this is - wouldn't the foam covered carpet sides blow right out of the boat? Or is there a way to attach them that's not 100% permanent. Also, would the foam mildew or soak up the water? We went to Home Depot yesterday and looked at the sheets of foam. There were light blue foam sheets that were pretty stiff. Probably about 3/4" thick... Is this the right stuff?

Thanks!!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

You're taking the plywood and carpet out before you strip the boat, right?

Follow the directions on the stripper bottles to the "T".

Gluvit or Coat-it are 2 good sealers for the inside of your boat, follow the directions on either of those can too. Fix all known leaks before applying the sealer, pin holes or loose rivets. Leak test your boat by filling it with a few inches of water and then look on the underside of the hull for leaks.

3/8 or even 1/4" plywood would be good for the sides, wrap it in carpet and then pop rivet it to the ribs of the boat.

 

[kelise24]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

You're taking the plywood and carpet out before you strip the boat, right?

Follow the directions on the stripper bottles to the "T".

Gluvit or Coat-it are 2 good sealers for the inside of your boat, follow the directions on either of those can too. Fix all known leaks before applying the sealer, pin holes or loose rivets. Leak test your boat by filling it with a few inches of water and then look on the underside of the hull for leaks.

3/8 or even 1/4" plywood would be good for the sides, wrap it in carpet and then pop rivet it to the ribs of the boat.

Yes, we are removed the plywood and carpet before stripping.

Thanks for the input!! Has anyone used interlocking rubber mats in their boat? How are these on heating up in the summer? We are considering those for the siding in the boat....

 

[kelise24]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

Ok. We started with the Klean strip aircraft paint remover from the spray can on a few spots to see how well it worked. Took a couple times to get through all of the paint - there's a LOT!! Theres still a "film" of yellow - its spotty - not full coverage. Could this be a something other than paint? Like a reaction on the aluminum?

Would it be ok to use a fine steel wool once we got down to the metal to take off any grime or small pieces of paint? Or would this scratch up the aluminum too much since we plan to leave it bare?



Also - in the pics, you can see there is a grayish "caulk" like substance used in the boat. He used this on the live well and some of the rivets on the outside of the boat. What is this???

 

[kelise24]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

Anyone?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

The grayish caulk may be epoxy or some other substance and it was used to stop leaks.

Steel wool will be fine for film removal, another option is a Scotch-brite pad.

The yellowish substance might be an etching zinc primer for the paint.

 

[kelise24]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

The grayish caulk may be epoxy or some other substance and it was used to stop leaks.

Steel wool will be fine for film removal, another option is a Scotch-brite pad.

The yellowish substance might be an etching zinc primer for the paint.

Should we re-epoxy these areas once we finish stripping it? If so, what can we use that is safe to go over what's already there and does not have to be painted?

Will the primer cause any issue since we are trying to strip everything off and just leave the aluminum?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

Should we re-epoxy these areas once we finish stripping it? If so, what can we use that is safe to go over what's already there and does not have to be painted?

Will the primer cause any issue since we are trying to strip everything off and just leave the aluminum?

Primer will just be harder to remove than the regular paint, I suspect there's a lot of paint on that boat as another method to try to stop leaks... it doesn't work.

You really do need to do a leak test on that boat after you get it all stripped and cleaned.

If you find leaking rivets, this is an easy way to replace/fix them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MA1-5NXjs&feature=related

For a caulklike sealer use 3M 4200 or 5200 it's made for marine applications.

 

[kelise24]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

One of the bench seats was cut and made into a live well. He used the caulk on the seams and rivets on that seat to keep it from leaking. The paint looks as if it was an attempt at a homemade camo type thing - they just used every color they could find apparently and painted the boat... From bright blue to navy to brown and tan.... I will check for leaks, though. Thanks.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

One of the bench seats was cut and made into a live well.

When your previous owner did this he removed valuable and much needed floatation foam from your boat, and now it doesn't have enough. You should consider adding/installing more foam to your boat.

The blue or pink sheet foam works well for this and you can cut install some to fit between the ribs on the sides of your boat, then cover it up with the carpeted plywood. This may not replace all the foam that was taken out, but it will be a big help.

 

[kelise24]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

When your previous owner did this he removed valuable and much needed floatation foam from your boat, and now it doesn't have enough. You should consider adding/installing more foam to your boat.

The blue or pink sheet foam works well for this and you can cut install some to fit between the ribs on the sides of your boat, then cover it up with the carpeted plywood. This may not replace all the foam that was taken out, but it will be a big help.

I am actually so glad you suggested this. We had actually decided to use the pink sheet foam on the sides last night. Glad all this research is actually bringing me to some decent decisions.

If we used Gluvit on the inside of the boat and it is all covered with carpet, will that be good enough, since we are not planning to paint over it? I believe the paint is just for UV protection, so having it covered should do the same thing...

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

You're good to go with just covering it with carpet.

 

[kelise24]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

Here's where we are at - after a whole lot of stripping....





Any advice on where to go from here? We tried using some steel wool #1. It worked at getting some of the "gunk" off. It left major swirls, though after we washed it. We want it to look polished. We are wanting it to look good, but we don't plan on doing 50 steps of polishing to get it looking like a mirror. We do not have a power polisher or anything like that. So, suggestions that get a decent to good polish with elbow grease would be greatly appreciated. Thank!!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Aluminum Jon Boat - Strip to the metal - Seal and carpet questions

You may want to try the 3M Scotchbrite Scuff Pads, they're color coded for grit #. The maroon are medium and gray are ultra fine.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/3M-7448-General-Purpose-Ultra-Fine-Gray-Scotch-Brite-Pad-20-Pack/17039479

Available at most auto parts stores.

I'd go over the boat with the maroon and then the gray, then finish it up with Mothers aluminum polish... also available at Wal-mart and auto parts stores.

Remember the part in the "Karate Kid" movie, "wax on, wax off"? That's what you 2 will be doing.