What paint and primer for aluminum 68 Crestliner

[utfyrfytr]

Always a new trial and questions. Did a water test this AM and for the most part that went well except for two little problems. I found what appear to be stress cracks in the transom metal. I'll try to upload a couple of pictures with this post. They are about an inch below the bottom of the transom wood and I can only get to the outside unless I pull the splash well and transom. The largest one is about 1 1/4" across and the small one is about 3/8". The largest one kind of looks like it might have been struck by something but it was under the plywood where the motor mounts. Look at the pictures and tell me what you think.

 

[utfyrfytr]

Always a new trial and questions. Did a water test this AM and for the most part that went well except for two little problems. I found what appear to be stress cracks in the transom metal. I'll try to upload a couple of pictures with this post. They are about an inch below the bottom of the transom wood and I can only get to the outside unless I pull the splash well and transom. The largest one is about 1 1/4" across and the small one is about 3/8". The largest one kind of looks like it might have been struck by something but it was under the plywood where the motor mounts. Look at the pictures and tell me what you think.

 

[utfyrfytr]

Sorry I don't know how it got on here twice.

 

[Woodonglass]

The proper prep is this Wash the boat with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. Dry it off. Prime any bare aluminum with a light coat of SE Primer. Let it dry for 3-4 Hours. Prime over the light coat of SE Primer with 2 coats of Bare Metal Primer with a Light sanding between coats. You're ready for the Color Coats.:joyous:

 

[utfyrfytr]

OK getting back to work on the old boat. Sealed a seam on the top of the gunwales today and hope to get the primer on in a couple of days. When I had it media blasted I forgot to remove the snaps that slide in the channel on the gunwales to attach an enclosure to. Does anyone know where I can purchase those? They are the type that just snap in place and can be slid to fit the snaps on the enclosure.

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

Like these for windshield frames or ones that actually slide in a rail?

 

[utfyrfytr]

Those are exactly what I need but wow I didn't realize they were made from gold. I removed 34 after the fact that had been glass blasted that I don't think will hold anymore. I think I will wait until I get the new top and see how many I actually need. Thanks for showing me where to find them, I really struggle finding things on this site.

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

Wow I ddn't realize they were made of gold

Worse they're made of stainless steel.

 

[utfyrfytr]

Getting close to primer and paint and have been thinking about a make shift paint tent. On the local classifieds I found a 12X20 enclosed tarp type carport for $25. It has one large tear on a seam that I can just tape closed and should be good to go. Question is how should I set up a couple of fans to help move the air a little? I was thinking about keeping the sides 6-12" off the ground and then suspend a fan or two from the top. What do you think. I know nothing about painting so if this is a bad idea let me know. Thanks for all of the ideas and help so far.

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

I've only once years ago helped paint a car with my uncle so I'm far from an expert but here's the best description I have of a DIY paint booth.

I'm assuming you're talking about spraying this so ideally you want a vented sealed box to paint in to avoid contamination. Set it up on a tarp/sheeting on the ground, on one end a box fan pushing air in through a pleated furnace filter to provide a positive pressure of clean air inside, and on the other end a vent sealed with filters to catch paint over spray from the air as it exits.

 

[Watermann]

You will want to have the fan on the ground to pull the atomized paint over spray down and out so you don't get it settling on the freshly applied paint. TDF gave a pretty good example of what most of us home painters do.

 

[Woodonglass]

I "Plastisized" My Garage walls and then raised the door high enuf for two box fans to sit under. Tape AC filter to the back of em and let er rip!!! I worked GREAT!!! Soo on your portable garage what TDF said is "Spot On"

 

[utfyrfytr]

Thanks for the explanation guys. One question, do I want the vent at ground level also and do I need a fan on the vent to draw the air out?

 

[Woodonglass]

yes to both!!!

 

[utfyrfytr]

Do I need to thin the Rustoleum clean metal primer before spraying?

 

[Watermann]

I've not reduced primer but the can should say if it's recommended or not. Normally paints are reduced 1 to 8 and primers are applied without reducing.

 

[Woodonglass]

I agree, Don't usually thin primer. You should use a 1.8-2.0mm tip on your gun

 

[utfyrfytr]

OK, Thanks

 

[utfyrfytr]

Sprayed primer today and was disappointed with the results. My primer seemed to go on very dry, it was dry to the touch in less than 30 min. I had a good fan pattern but it seemed as though there was not enough paint being sprayed. I adjusted the fluid valve out trying to increase the amount of paint it was laying down so far that it came all the way unscrewed. I was spraying at 40psi at the gun and 30 with the trigger pulled. I sprayed Rust-Oleum clean metal primer. It said on the can that it could be thinned with up to 2 pints of acetone. I thought it seemed pretty fluid so didn't think about going back and thinning it until after I finished and looked at the results. It is very rough and I know it has to be sanded but it just seems excessive. In trying to figure out the problem I have two ideas. One it was to thick and I should have thinned it. I did actually talk with Rust-Oleum customer support before spraying and they said I should be fine spraying with a 1.4 tip although they probably thought I would be smart enough to realize if it needed thinning or not. The other thought I had is I'm using 150' of air hose. Could that be a problem? My compressor seems to keep up just fine. It is a 6.5hp with a 60 gal tank. I have read and watched videos on using a HVLP gun and I think I have it set up close to what it should be but again I just don't seem to be getting enough paint on the boat. Oh one last thing it took a full gal of primer for 2 coats for a 17' boat. Does that sound excessive? It also seemed to have a fair amount of over spray. I changed my vent filters after the first coat. Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.

 

[Watermann]

I shot my 18' boat with about 2 x 20 oz hoppers (1.5 qts) of primer unthinned, so yeah a gallon seems excessive to me but I didn't shoot the bottom so that would add onto it. Primer is rough to the touch, it doesn't lay down like paint and it dries very rapidly as it gasses off super fast.

A pic or 3 of your results would be nice but I think maybe you were expecting paint like results from the primer.