What paint and primer for aluminum 68 Crestliner

[Woodonglass]

As GM280 says, You only need to do a Final Wet sanding with 1500- 2000 grit IF you feel nubs in the paint. On my boat I was fortunate to do the final coat on a Dead Calm day soooo No final sanding. I also agree with Waterman in that I did my Re-Coat with the tractor Paint about 6 hours after the previous one. That way I got 2 coats per day. Remember once you add the hardener, the paint is NO GOOD after 8 hours.

 

[Watermann]

My hats off to you guys that paint outside! I turn my garage into a plastic draped Dexter kill room with a HVLP gun as the weapon of choice and I use a box fan with furnace filter to vent out the vapor. I guess I fall in somewhere between the rattle can guy and the OCD type. :lol:

My boats have rivets so sanding would be a huge problem but a nice smooth welded boat or glasser would be way less of an issue if you're the sanding type. I too have waited 5 or 6 hours between coats but it depends on temps for me, normally the 2 hours between coats it's been in the 80's and the top coat melts right in the tacky base coat.

 

[gm280]

Watermann, I use PPG Shop Line Acrylic Urethane base coat with PPG Polyurethane clear coat paints and the recoat time is merely minutes (MSDS sheet specifies 5-10 minutes recoat, 45 minutes to tape). In fact by the time I am finish shooting the end of the first coat on the project, the beginning area paint is touch free for another coat. But that is the type paint I use. I like it but there are tons of other quality paints as well. I stick with my PPG paints because I shot so much of them now, I know how to work with them and what to expect. JMHO

 

[utfyrfytr]

Well this has been disappointing, UPS lost one order of paint during shipping, it made it all the way to Salt Lake, (10 miles from my house) and then never arrived. The re-order was damaged during shipping and was undeliverable. The UPS driver actually stopped at my house and then never delivered the paint. I have re-ordered, again, and it is suppose to be here this Thursday. I'm glad the paint for the interior I buy local. Thanks for all of the input.

 

[utfyrfytr]

Okay, have the painting just about finished, just have the stripe on the sides to do. Have been thinking about the motor mount board. I have read about using cutting board material in place of plywood. What are your thoughts? On my Crestliner the mounting board covers about two thirds of the transom. I can get it online custom cut for about $35 bucks. I'll get some pictures up when I have the stripe finished.

 

[Woodonglass]

Here's the problem with the cutting board material, It has NO UV protection and eventually will break down. IMHO just use properly treated plywood and Paint and then take care to maintain it properly. It will last many many years.

 

[Watermann]

Most of guys in the Starcraft forum have replaced the plywood motor pad with aluminum. Other than filling the mounting holes for the pad putting on a replacement serves no purpose other than to keep the motor mounts off the transom skin. For some reason back in the day they thought it was a good idea to have that plywood motor pad but they haven't been used in decades now and for good reason, they all get wet, rot and create a place for corrosion to form. I too replaced my wood motor pad with AL back buttered with 5200.

 

[utfyrfytr]

Thanks for the info guys. WOG, does it need to be marine ply?
Waterman, I read on one of the marine HDPE websites that boat owners used plywood and HDPE because it and plywood could take a little compression so the motor would not have a tendency to slide on the transom. Have you seen any evidence of that happening? Also what thickness did you use? My pad is 48" X 13", 1/2" would cost more than the boat. :lol:

 

[Watermann]

Not sure why the pad would need to be so large. I used .125 thickness AL, it doesn't have to be 1/2" thick. Thousands of boats are made every year without a ply or cutting board pad attached and the 4 x 1/2" dia bolts seem to hold the motor on just fine without something being between the mount and transom to smash down.

The only reason I put one back on was there were non BIA standard mounting holes from an old Chrysler dorm fridge that was hanging on it from the factory and I needed a way to cover them up.

 

[utfyrfytr]

Good info, Thanks. On these old Crestliners the transom board is basically the size of a 2X6 so probably anything I can do to make the transom more rigid would not hurt. After having it media blasted I found two cracks in the transom that I had welded and it appeared they may have been due to movement or flexing in the transom. In your picture your motor pad is quite small while mine is basically the same size as the entire splash well. I just figured I would put it back the same as original. Thanks for hanging with me on this project. Looks like most of the others have given up.

 

[Watermann]

Oh they come by and check things out but when guys are giving the right info they don't have much to add

Post up a pic of your progress and the transom.

Smaller transom wood probably wasn't why the AL cracked, most likely because the wood was compromised from age related delamination weakening and or plain old rot. Be sure to use the best ply you can find in you area for the new one.If you have to use regular exterior grade ply cherry pick the heck out of it!

 

[oldhaven]

We're here following along. I have subscribed to your thread, but for some reason the number of subscriptions is not indicated in any of the threads on this forum, even though there is a place for it under the avatar in poster's personal data page. Maybe that could be fixed so the number following will show you are not talking into empty cyberspace.

My link below shows what I did in a similar situation. You are doing fine.

Ron

 

[utfyrfytr]

OK, Son finally got the graphic for the stripe on the hull laid out so should be finishing the painting next week. The masking will be like a vinyl stencil that will stick to the hull. Question, how long after painting before I remove the vinyl and other masking? I know I keep promising pictures but I have to figure out this smart phone thing. To bad I am not as smart as the phone. Thanks for hanging in there with me, I think there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[gm280]

OK, Son finally got the graphic for the stripe on the hull laid out so should be finishing the painting next week. The masking will be like a vinyl stencil that will stick to the hull. Question, how long after painting before I remove the vinyl and other masking? I know I keep promising pictures but I have to figure out this smart phone thing. To bad I am not as smart as the phone. Thanks for hanging in there with me, I think there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

utfyrfytr, removal of the vinyl stencil really depends on the paint you use. I use paint that actually states when you can tape and paint other colors on top of it and the time before sanding and things like that. Maybe you should try a sample area to see when and how to remove the stencil to be sure to not damage your boat finish. Put a vinyl piece on a surface and shoot a little paint and then wait for a time and try removing it to see what will happen. Could be an eye opener and save you lots of time and headaches. JMHO

 

[Watermann]

I usually remove the frog tape at about 2 hours after I shot the paint, you don't want it to dry too much and have the paint lift off. Not sure about fancy vinyl and such.

 

[Woodonglass]

I recommend peeling the vinyl or tape off in about 30 minutes or less.

 

[gm280]

Being how vinyl isn't applied with an actual glue, I don't think there would be much problems with peeling the paint off underneath. But I could be wrong. I am known to be wrong quite often...I think. :noidea:

 

[Patfromny]

The problem isn't with the paint underneath, it is with the paint you just sprayed. It can cure onto the tape and then peel off with the tape or vinyl. At least that is what happens when using tape on house paint. As soon as the paint is tacky, pull the tape. Crisp lines that way. With house paint, I peel as soon as I'm done cutting the section. House paint isn't as thin though and stays put. If you leave the tape on until cured, you'll have to cut along the tape line to get a crisp line. No fun.

 

[utfyrfytr]

Ok, sorry for being gone so long. Had some wife health problems and changing seasons and all of that stuff going on here for a while. Anyway I am going to try to post a link with some pictures. Don't know how this is going to work but here goes. https://goo.gl/photos/utYSLCiALE2aDq6k7

 

[utfyrfytr]

Looks like it may have worked. They are not in any particular order, I'll have to work on that in the future. The burgandy is the boat when I bought it after she had been sitting outside for 15 yrs. Then just random pictures of what I used for my paint booth, primer stages, body work, and final outcome. It is a long ways from being perfect but it is better than when I started. Still have a long ways to go to get her back together but she is on her way. Thanks to everyone for all of your ideas and help. I never would have got this far on my own. I'll keep posting as I go, but with winter here I will be working inside on the house and not the boat for a few months. By the way the deer are my year round neighbors. Actually my favorite neighbors.:smile-new: