A few questions about Prepping an aluminum boat for paint

[Uncle Paul]

Today I spent the day with a heat gun and razor blades stripping the vinyl stripes off my 88 Crestliner's aluminum hull. Then I spent the night cleaning off the glue with goof off... what a mess..... there.... one side done. My plan is to repaint the sides of the boat. The bottom is clean, and does not need to be repainted. The sides are scratched up but otherwise in good shape. Not looking to make a show boat, but would like to get the sides smooth before the paint goes on. My Questions are: What grit sandpaper should I use to start with. I dont want to remove all the old paint... just the scratches. Next: After I prime it, should it be sanded? I am planning Spray Painting the boat (Not sure what paint to use) so I am going to assume it should be sanded with a very fine grit after painting. The one thing I do want to ensure in it's shiny when it's complete. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ike-110722]

Re: A few questions about Prepping an aluminum boat for paint

To properly paint aluminum and get the paint to adhere, you have to remove the invisible aluminum oxide. This oxide is what protects aluminum and keeps it from corroding. Not doing this will result in you paint peeling off, usually in patches. See Painting aluminum boats and Tanks; http://newboatbuilders.com/docs/aluminum.pdf