Can I leave my boat un painted??

[Educator79]

Hey, I would like to get my boat down to the clean aluminum and leave it that way. IS there a downside to this? I read about an old tug boat that has been unpainted for thrity years and still looks good. The person said they just waxed it? Once it is clean and shiny, would I have to put anything on it?

 

[NetMatrix]

Re: Can I leave my boat un painted??

Hey, I would like to get my boat down to the clean aluminum and leave it that way. IS there a downside to this? I read about an old tug boat that has been unpainted for thrity years and still looks good. The person said they just waxed it? Once it is clean and shiny, would I have to put anything on it?

If it's just aluminum you don't need to paint it. My neighbor has a 14 foot john boat that is all aluminum except the platform inside of it that is wood, but the boat itself is 15 years old, and is in good condition. It's just fiberglass and wood boats that you have to paint.

 

[Educator79]

Re: Can I leave my boat un painted??

So once it is clean, then I can just leave it? Maybe put on some aluminum polish.

 

[Shife]

Re: Can I leave my boat un painted??

bare aluminum will quickly passivate and form a thin layer of oxide that will prevent further corrosion under normal circumstances.

If you polish it and want it to stay shiny without a clear coat, you will need to apply a protectant. I've used RejeX on aluminum and it works very well (works great in place of wax for your car too). Follow the instructions if you want it to last. I think it has to "cure" 24hrs before exposure to water.

http://www.corrosionx.com/rejex.html

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Can I leave my boat un painted??

A product called Sharkhide http://www.sharkhide.com/sharkhide_metal_protectant.htm can also be used to protect aluminum and keep it shiney.

 

[Educator79]

Re: Can I leave my boat un painted??

Cool. Now I just need to finish removing all the paint, and then I can move on to gluv it. Thanks for the advice.