Aluminum boat painting

Tyler_B

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Oct 11, 2016
Messages
34
Hi, I have a 12ft Cadillac aluminum V-bottom boat and I'm wanting to paint it and set it up for duck hunting. My original idea was to coat the outside of it in Herculiner roll on bedliner to keep it from getting dinged and banged, and then painting over it. However after figuring up how much this paint job will cost, I was wondering if any of you would know of a good type of paint that I could use, that would prevent scratches and dents, or if what I had planned would be a good choice. Also if I did paint my boat with that bedliner, do you think it would cause too much drag? Thanks for any help.
 

gm280

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
14,605
Tyler_B, if you are merely setting this boat up for duck hunting, why not rattle can some flat paints in a sort of camo layout? It would be cost effective and you could then touch up as needed. JMHO
 

mr 88

Commander
Joined
Nov 3, 2010
Messages
2,235
Rustoleum in two different shades of gray. One "normal porch deck grey" and one darker,think warships and why they went with grey.Did that with a 18' starcraft a few years ago and no issues or peeling flaking etc. Just painted over the paint that was on it, no sanding or scrapping. Stay away from bedliner,too much weight and no reason for it. You can touch it up in the future with a ratlle can or whatever you have left . Its a hunting boat not a trailer queen.
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,771
Bed liner will not only cause drag but it is heavy. No paint will prevent "dents" and very few if any are impervious to scratches. The best way to avoid either of those problems is to avoid the issues that cause dents and scratches. With the F-150 aluminum body showing up in body shops, why not stop in and ask them what they use to prep the body before painting and what paint they use. I'm betting you will not be doing that because of the cost and volatility of the materials they use. If there is a farm story like Fleet Farm, Farm & Fleet, Tractor Supply, etc., in your area, check in the paint section for implement paint. That paint is pretty durable and quite reasonably priced in the the grand scheme of things.
 

Tyler_B

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Oct 11, 2016
Messages
34
Thanks for the advice guys, I may just primer it and get a gallon of Duralux camo paint, that'd take this job from about $150 to just $50.
 

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,824
Is the boat currently bare or does it have paint on it? If the AL is bare then just using regular primer and painting it could become a huge mess down the road as the paint will fall off in big sections. Even though it's a duck boat you don't want to be doing it wrong and ending up doing it again in a couple years.

Bare AL needs to be prepped by cleaning and use self etching primer before paint.
 

Tyler_B

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Oct 11, 2016
Messages
34
Is the boat currently bare or does it have paint on it? If the AL is bare then just using regular primer and painting it could become a huge mess down the road as the paint will fall off in big sections. Even though it's a duck boat you don't want to be doing it wrong and ending up doing it again in a couple years.

Bare AL needs to be prepped by cleaning and use self etching primer before paint.

It has paint on it, but it's been flacking off so I'm in the process of stripping it.
 

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,824
That's a great plan, I always strip down to bare on my boats before refinishing them and the paint holds on really well.
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,930
You can use Oil Based Rustoleum and do a camo job for under $50 bucks...Paint Your Boat with Tractor Paint...Say What!!!
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Using the added hardener will really help with scratches.
 

s.hadley81

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
245
It's not aluminum but when I painted my trailer, I went and bought a cheap spray gun from harbor freight and a quart of rust oleum and not only was it faster but it came out way better than it would have using rattle cans. The best part was no clogged tips or spitting cans and no sore finger. When I was done I just threw the spray gun out rather than clean it because it was only like $15. I used a pneumatic sprayer but I guess you could use an electric one if you don't have a compressor.
 

pie fisher

Cadet
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
23
just wondering i am restoring my boat this winter and wondering about pain as well.

what about an epoxy paint similar to what they use on roads? i know a guy that used it in his cattle corral and when cows would kick the steel the paint wouldn't chip. thoughts?
 
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