'86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

[jasoutside]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

The white over bare alum looks great!

 

[Watermann]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Thanks man!! She's not perfect but I'm real happy wit her. Paint is nice and dry but is a bit gooey. I can push my fingernail into it pretty easily. It's been two days. Ou Gus think this is normal for alkyd (oil) based paints?

The Rusto I used was hard in one day but I had a tarp booth around the hull and a exhaust fan moving air as well as a 5000 watt heater running. My first/base coat was barely 2 mil so it dried quick. I would say maybe you put a little thicker coat on. Try setting up a fan to move air around the hull to give her a helping hand.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Thanks for all the compliments and advice guys!! GA, I am kicking myself for not using hardener. The paint dried to the touch well but just hasnt cured yet. It is still super soft. It has been 60 in the day and 40 at night. Yesterday was 70 degrees, today is hitting 80, and it will be 60 at night. I am hoping in the next 2-3 days it will really cure well. This humidity is killing it!! I did reduce the paint and layed it on pretty thick, so I guess itll just take some more time. It would be a NIGHTMARE if this didnt ever fully cure up because the paint was bad, or something like that!!!!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

It would be a NIGHTMARE if this didnt ever fully cure up because the paint was bad, or something like that!!!!

I am familiar with this nightmare. ALL too familiar.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

It will cure. I painted my transom right out of the can about a year ago and it is a rock. No, it didn't take a year to cure, about a week in warmer temps. Hope this isn't holding you up too much. At least the hull is upright on the trailer so you can do interior stuff - Just be careful climbing in and out so you don't scuff her.

 

[lakelover]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

I agree on not painting the bottom - just not worth it, adds nothing in my opinion. I did paint the sides of my bow down a little further than most guys here have done though, just for appearance sake while in the water. I like the solid color look without the hassle!

I used Rusto Marine on the interior of mine and it took nearly 30 days to fully cure; I didn't use hardener, I didn't know about it at the time. But mine was rolled/brushed on, so much thicker than spraying. I also think the humidity conditions we had at the time had a lot to do with that. But since it did cure, it's been tough as nails.

Everything you've done looks really great!

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

I am familiar with this nightmare. ALL too familiar.

Sorry to hear that EZ. Did you have to strip her back down?

It will cure. I painted my transom right out of the can about a year ago and it is a rock. No, it didn't take a year to cure, about a week in warmer temps. Hope this isn't holding you up too much. At least the hull is upright on the trailer so you can do interior stuff - Just be careful climbing in and out so you don't scuff her.

Thanks for the positive reinforcement. I have plenty of other things to do to her. I want to drop the motor this weekend, so Ill be super careful! Other than that, I have to put the registration and number stickers back on, but I will wait until I get a full cure for that. I still have some electrical stuff to do, mount the fishfinder that I just ordered, and I am about to order an Ipilot!

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

I agree on not painting the bottom - just not worth it, adds nothing in my opinion. I did paint the sides of my bow down a little further than most guys here have done though, just for appearance sake while in the water. I like the solid color look without the hassle!

I used Rusto Mrine on the interior of mine and it took nearly 30 days to fully cure; I didn't use hardener, I didn't know about it at the time. But mine was rolled/brushed on, so much thicker than spraying. I also think the humidity conditions we had at the time had a lot to do with that. But since it did cure, it's been tough as nails.

Everything you've done looks really great!

Thanks buddy! We are going to have about 2 weeks of 70-80 degree weather, that outta do her. If not, the place where I painted her has a wood stove in it. I may bring it there and get the temp up to 105 degrees of so because that is the flash point of the paint. I REALLY do not want to scuff this paint up before it cures!!!!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Sorry to hear that EZ. Did you have to strip her back down?

Yes I DO have to strip her back down. However, unless my interior is able to magically disappear allowing me to flip the hull again, it's not happening. So despite all my effort, I'm stuck with it. :mad-new:

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Yes I DO have to strip her back down. However, unless my interior is able to magically disappear allowing me to flip the hull again, it's not happening. So despite all my effort, I'm stuck with it. :mad-new:

Was it bad paint? I dont mean to pry, but you seem to know what the hell you are talking about. So I am curious as to how you were handed such misfortune!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Was it bad paint? I dont mean to pry, but you seem to know what the hell you are talking about. So I am curious as to how you were handed such misfortune!

Poor prep and bad paint would be my summation.

I used Petit Easypoxy. I only really picked it because they had colors I particularly liked or I would have just used Rusto. I was specifically told (and I believe I may have even seen it on an instructional video on Jamestown Distributers' web site) that if the existing paint job was in good physical condition (not chipping or peeling) that I could just scuff it up and top coat it. No priming necessary. My boat had clearly been repainted once before and done quite well. Perhaps automotive paints. It was in great shape physically, I just didn't like the dark colors. So I scuffed it up really well and top coated. Well my first trip out the paint fell off in large sections of the bottom. Also, and I believe this is a completely separate issue, is the paint that remains adhered, is soft and easily damaged. If my boat even looks at a dock wrong it gets scratched and scraped. It has NO durability. I blame that on the paint. A friend and fellow forum Starcraft member re painted his transom with Easypoxy and it's easily damaged. Yet another forum member with an SS like mine who painted with Easypoxy also has issues.

So my advice to everyone is A: don't paint your bottom. Just not worth the upkeep. And B, for the sides (and the bottom if you ignore advice A) use either Rustoleum or another easily obtained paint or step up to a quality two-part marine paint. Don't waste your time with other supposedly "marine" but still single part paints. With either, prime using a primer from the same brand.

There's my patented tinnie paint rant.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

use either Rustoleum or another easily obtained paint or step up to a quality two-part marine paint. Don't waste your time with other supposedly "marine" but still single part paints. With either, prime using a primer from the same brand.

EZ and I are in the same camp ^^^

 

[lakelover]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

I used the Petit Easypoxy with added hardener and applied over primer (all over scuffed, sound previous paint). It's holding up quite well. That being said, I doubt I'd use Easypoxy again because of all the reports like EZ's. I'd definitely use Rusto (a lot cheaper) or step up to a 2-part paint. Just too many reports like that, don't know if it's a quality control issue or just poor formulation.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

New chapter: Electronics!!! Just got my very first side imaging sonar/chartplotter combo! Things just got serious!!

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

See endangered species ahead.

Or below.

 

[Watermann]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Yah sutor she will cure up in her own sweet time. I mixed my paint 20% xylene and shot 2 light coats 24 hours apart to add up to around 4 mil and I guess it took 3 days total for that to dry up rock hard. Without the xylene and all in one coat, I'm thinking it will at least take twice as long for it to harden up for you.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Yea I hear that. I had some tarp rub on the back corners and it peeled some Of the paint right off. Just can't win.... Anyways my brother in law painted for a long time and he told me the paint looks and feels good but that I need to put a clear coat on it or it will never fully be protected from abrasions. I have an acrylic laquer resin that I applied right where the motor will go just to see how it will feel in the morning. Paint is still really easy to skin right off. I don't know guys I'm beginning to think hat I laid my coats on way too thick. Very disappointed right now.....

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Yea I hear that. I had some tarp rub on the back corners and it peeled some Of the paint right off. Just can't win.... Anyways my brother in law painted for a long time and he told me the paint looks and feels good but that I need to put a clear coat on it or it will never fully be protected from abrasions. I have an acrylic laquer resin that I applied right where the motor will go just to see how it will feel in the morning. Paint is still really easy to skin right off. I don't know guys I'm beginning to think hat I laid my coats on way too thick. Very disappointed right now.....

Not too thick, too many too soon. There's a lot to be said for letting each coat cure before applying another.

It will cure out, but it'll take quite a while. Just keep her in the sun as much as you can.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Not too thick, too many too soon. There's a lot to be said for letting each coat cure before applying another.

It will cure out, but it'll take quite a while. Just keep her in the sun as much as you can.

Man that sucks. I was supposed to have the boat ready for next Friday for some catfishn. I guess well see

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Man that sucks. I was supposed to have the boat ready for next Friday for some catfishn. I guess well see

It's nothing I'd let stop me from using the boat, just be careful taking it off and putting it on the trailer and around docks. If you do ding it, you can touch it up after the paint cures... aluminum boats aint supposed to be that pretty anyway.