Paint touch up question

[nightvision]

Hi all,<br />the other day while trailering our boat, I forgot to trim up my outdrive. It was drag briefly on the cement. No major damage, just a little scratch a the very bottom of the skeg and the paint is remove. What do I have to do. I was told I have to sand the rough edges down and paint it over. Do I need to prime and paint? What kind of paint? will rustolium work?<br /><br />Thanks.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: Paint touch up question

You should see my skeg Nightvision!<br /><br />Beaten to a pulp, but still straight, and it does the job.<br /><br />Once a year I'll rub down the rough bits and spray it several coats with a black gloss aerosol (Black finish Johnson). The paint lasts all season, except where I get it scraped off on rocks and shingle. No special primer or other preparation.<br /><br />Try it.

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Paint touch up question

agree. smooth any rough edges and paint to match with any metal paint.

 

[Ralph 123]

Re: Paint touch up question

Buy a skeg guard and never worry about your skeg again. You can find them on eBay. They even have a skid plate on the bottom to prevent ramp damage. They install in about 10 minutes. Saved my skegs a bunch of times, especially when I hit something or hit bottom in shallow water.<br /><br />

 

[dajohnson53]

Re: Paint touch up question

Nightvision - like the others said, a simple clean up and spray paint will last you the season - and given the sort of stuff the tip of the skeg goes through, that would probably be the same result if you put more work into it.<br /><br />If you want to prime and paint - sand with something like 300 to smooth it out, then finish with something finer. Then use a green zinc based primer that is made for aluminum. REad the instructions on the can of primer and on your finish coat. Be sure you don't mix layers of lacquer with enamel. Most OEM cans of touch up paint are enamel. Read instructions for multiple coats. <br /><br />By the way, my personal experience is that the OEM paints don't necessarily provide a perfect match for the original color and you might actually have a better match with stock spray enamels. On the other hand, $7.50 for OEM paint vs. $3.00 for a can of stock enamel - not worth worrying about for the cost - but you might find a better match.