painting with Rustoleum

[MA1232]

Hi,

I'm planing to strip, prime and paint my Jon boat with Rustoleum product.  

What stripper did you used if you strip at all?

What primer?

What Rustoleum paint type?  

How is it holding up?

What do you used for the bottom and how is it holding up?

LBH used a truck liner paint for the bottom of his boat.  How is it holding up LBH?

Sorry, for so many questions. I just want to know the process you used and with what Rustoleum products.  

[Kansas Angler]

i just powed sanded my boat, and i used rustoleums primer and topside paint, the paint thats for surfaces that are above the water line (een though most of it will be underneath the water line) dont pay the extra money for the paint thats for the surfaces underneath the water line, its not worth it, just go with the normal paint and do a very detailed job of sanding and you should be happy with your result

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

DO NOT USE BEDLINER!!!

Terrible results, terrible drag coefficient, terrible weight added

I too am waiting to see the results of a few of these Rustoleum jobs.

We are stripped to shiny metal and waiting to see which route, the cost effective Rustoleum with unproven durability (chipping,etc) or the big $$ Interlux (which still eventually chips,....let's remember,...it's paint on a jon boat, they are made to be beat up) we will go with.

ANYONE WITH RUSTOLEUM---Please report in with your results and provide pics if possible.  THANKS!

[92 5 oh]

LBH,

interesting info about the bedliner material. All else aside, how did it hold up being constantly wet? did it ever 'peel' or come off?

Here's my experience with rattle can paints:

I started with cheap primer and paint on a steel wheel. i striped all the old stuff off, painted it with 2 or 3 coats of primer then 3 coats of white. i accidently left the wheel (after it was dry) outside by my trailer for 2 days when it was raining. after it stopped I could see rust coming through the white paint. So i put gas on the wheel and lit it on fire and burned everything off and the next time i used rustoleum primer and white rustoleum paint with about the same number of coats. I haven't seen a hint of rust or discoloration and it's rained a few times. Granted I haven't left it out for 2 days straigth yet.

As for aluminum, I started repainting some parts of an old john boat and used the same paint and primer. I started painting the inside bottom first, the paint dried thoughly. since then it's rained a lot and had about 4-5 inches of water in the bottom of the boat for 3 days straight. I had no issues at all. just my .02

when i get home i'll see if i can get the exact type of paint and striper. I used a few different stripers and found 1 from walmart for about $5.00 that  worked the best.  it was strong, but didnt' go as far as i hoped. on the otherhand, i found an 'aircraft striper' from an autoparts store which wasn't quite as strong but i could use it more sparingly.  both however did better than BIX Striper. I would not recommend that.  My friend told me that a local paint shop has an 'aircraft striper' that you brush on, it works in about 30 minutes and eats up everything. it's about $30 a gallon. I haven't personally used this, but he has.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Yes,...It eventually peeled.  Even before that I hated it though.  The drag, the weight,....

[smokepole]

Rustoleum aluminum primer is great stuck to the boat no problem,But the oil base paint is a diffrent story. I painted it and after 3 days of dring time I was going to two tone the boat as I was tape the boat I had to remove some tape and the paint peeled So I had to lightly sand the whole boat. I repainted the boat with valspar paint from tractor supply and it turned out great .Hope this helps.

[MA1232]

Thanks LBH!

Sorry to hear that the liner did not work out.  It was a good idea anyhow.  What do you think about a sticky for painting Aluminum boat?

DO NOT USE BEDLINER!!!

Terrible results, terrible drag coefficient, terrible weight added

I too am waiting to see the results of a few of these Rustoleum jobs.

We are stripped to shiny metal and waiting to see which route, the cost effective Rustoleum with unproven durability (chipping,etc) or the big $$ Interlux (which still eventually chips,....let's remember,...it's paint on a jon boat, they are made to be beat up) we will go with.

ANYONE WITH RUSTOLEUM---Please report in with your results and provide pics if possible.  THANKS!

[GooseBoots]

LBH makes a very good practical point "let's remember,...it's paint on a jon boat, they are made to be beat up".

I would not have painted with rustoleum if my factory paint job was a quality job. Hell, even the touch up paint didn't match. I'm more concerned with getting an adequate amount of paint protecting my hull instead of a micro thin coat of paint.

I bought my Jon Boat to double as a bass/duck boat. And if you think your Jon Bass boat will get banged up, you should see some of the Jon Duck boats I have seen.

Even still I want to keep my boat as Maintained, Clean and Comfortable as I possibly can to enhance my enjoyment. There is nothing wrong with wanting a highly polished manicured look like some higher end bass boats. But in that case, it demands higher skill and product quality etc.

I grew up painting every ugly bike, chairs, chainlink fences and every piece of sh@t metal known to a teenager with Rusto, so again I looked to Rustloeum. Hey, so If I have to repaint or resurrect my Jon Boat after X number of years, so be it.

And one thing we can't loose sight of is the number of neglected aluminum Jons we've seen brought back from the dead. So I were to ever screw it up or neglect it, I can strip back to the brght and shiney.

Thanks,

Bruce

[MA1232]

Exactly, I'm looking for a painting process that is easy repair and work well ( no peeling or crack  in a few week).  I'm sure that other would like to know what have work and what not.  

Bruce, can you quick list the process you took to paint you boat?

Thanks

[MA1232]

Thanks 92 5 oh!

Please correct me if I get this wrong.

1 - strip with 'aircraft striper' or Wal-Mart striper

2 - Sand

3 - prime (2 - 3 coats)

4 - paint (2 - 3 coats)

Can you tell which Rustoleum product you used to prime and paint your aluminum boat?  They have so many line of products.

Thanks

LBH,

interesting info about the bedliner material. All else aside, how did it hold up being constantly wet?  did it ever 'peel' or come off?  

Here's my experience with rattle can paints:

I started with cheap primer and paint on a steel wheel.  i striped all the old stuff off, painted it with 2 or 3 coats of primer then 3 coats of white.  i accidently left the wheel (after it was dry) outside by my trailer for 2 days when it was raining. after it stopped I could see rust coming through the white paint.  So i put gas on the wheel and lit it on fire and burned everything off and the next time i used rustoleum primer and white rustoleum paint with about the same number of coats.  I haven't seen a hint of rust or discoloration and it's rained a few times.  Granted I haven't left it out for 2 days straigth yet.  

As for aluminum, I started repainting some parts of an old john boat and used the same paint and primer.  I started painting the inside bottom first, the paint dried thoughly. since then it's rained a lot and had about 4-5 inches of water in the bottom of the boat for 3 days straight.  I had no issues at all.  just my .02

when i get home i'll see if i can get the exact type of paint and striper. I used a few different stripers and found 1 from walmart for about $5.00 that  worked the best.  it was strong, but didnt' go as far as i hoped. on the otherhand, i found an 'aircraft striper' from an autoparts store which wasn't quite as strong but i could use it more sparingly.  both however did better than BIX Striper. I would not recommend that.  My friend told me that a local paint shop has an 'aircraft striper' that you brush on, it works in about 30 minutes and eats up everything. it's about $30 a gallon. I haven't personally used this, but he has.

[ArcticCat500]

I noticed you mentioned a Valspar paint from TS...I stopped by my LTS 2da and they only had oil based tractor and impliment paint...is this what you used?

Thanks

Rustoleum aluminum primer is great stuck to the boat no problem,But the oil base paint is a diffrent story. I painted it and after 3 days of dring time I was going to two tone the boat as I was tape the boat I had to remove some tape and the paint peeled So I had to lightly sand the whole boat. I repainted the boat with valspar paint from tractor supply and it turned out great .Hope this helps.

[92 5 oh]

I've been so busy lately, i'm sorry i haven't got back to you about it. Im at work right now for a little longer then i'll be able to tell you exactly what products it was.  I didn't sand anything, but i used a wirebrush, in some spots I used a paint striping wheel that was about $7 and works real well if you have a high speed drill or angle grinder. I forgot to mention about the paint striper, it burns a bit if you get it on your skin. wear a long sleeve shirt lol.

Thanks 92 5 oh!

Please correct me if I get this wrong.

1 - strip with 'aircraft striper' or Wal-Mart striper

2 - Sand

3 - prime (2 - 3 coats)

4 - paint (2 - 3 coats)

Can you tell which Rustoleum product you used to prime and paint your aluminum boat?  They have so many line of products.

Thanks

LBH,

interesting info about the bedliner material. All else aside, how did it hold up being constantly wet?  did it ever 'peel' or come off?  

Here's my experience with rattle can paints:

I started with cheap primer and paint on a steel wheel.  i striped all the old stuff off, painted it with 2 or 3 coats of primer then 3 coats of white.  i accidently left the wheel (after it was dry) outside by my trailer for 2 days when it was raining. after it stopped I could see rust coming through the white paint.  So i put gas on the wheel and lit it on fire and burned everything off and the next time i used rustoleum primer and white rustoleum paint with about the same number of coats.  I haven't seen a hint of rust or discoloration and it's rained a few times.  Granted I haven't left it out for 2 days straigth yet.  

As for aluminum, I started repainting some parts of an old john boat and used the same paint and primer.  I started painting the inside bottom first, the paint dried thoughly. since then it's rained a lot and had about 4-5 inches of water in the bottom of the boat for 3 days straight.  I had no issues at all.  just my .02

when i get home i'll see if i can get the exact type of paint and striper. I used a few different stripers and found 1 from walmart for about $5.00 that  worked the best.  it was strong, but didnt' go as far as i hoped. on the otherhand, i found an 'aircraft striper' from an autoparts store which wasn't quite as strong but i could use it more sparingly.  both however did better than BIX Striper. I would not recommend that.  My friend told me that a local paint shop has an 'aircraft striper' that you brush on, it works in about 30 minutes and eats up everything. it's about $30 a gallon. I haven't personally used this, but he has.

[GooseBoots]

MA1232 and friends, I called Rustoleum Tech Support about my issue with the Factory Paint. What happened is I did a 2'X2' area as a test using the Rustoleum Topside paint. It didn't turn out well, at first I thought it was because I didn't prep very well. In fact, I only power washed the factory paint. Since it was flat green I thought it was a primer. The Rustoleum Topside didn't stick well. Rather it did or didn't stick.

During my second call to Rustoleum, we both agreed I probably should have taken my boat to bare aluminum. So the steps I'm listing is exactly how Rustleum instructed me.

1) I stripped with Kleen-Strip (?) from home Depot. It's the liquid with the spray bottle. At first I stripped with a plastic puddy knife. Next,I used my power washer with the lowest pressure nozzle it has.

Then I stripped a second time using a scotch-brite pad. Again I power washed.

2) I spent a couple hours cleaning around crevices and rivets with an old window putty tool a scotch-brite pad and another quick wash.

3) I was supposed to do a paint thinner wash to remove stripper residue but it wasn't needed. The power washer did a great job.

4) Next you sand to roughen the surface. However, I had found some extremely rough scoth-brite pads at my local hardware store. They really saved me alot of time and elbow grease.

5) I did a quick rinse with the garden hose to get rid of the knats and scotch-brite particles. At this point I looking at a shiney new hull because in fact it is a new boat.

6) The final step before paint was to do a denatured alcohol wash. According to Rustoleum, your rags have to come off extremely clean with no black residue. Luckily I got away with one white T-Shirt with almost no gray residue.

7) I used my air compressor and blew out the hull.

8) Using a premium sash brush and those new fangled foam rollers my paint guy sold me, I put on 2 coats, 1qt. each of Rusoleum Topside Primer. I'm not sure if it was just sales or I really needed it, but Rustoleum Tech Support was adamant that I used it.

9) After a couple days of drying, and I mean between each coat also, I painted with my Rustoleum Topside Paint.

Now I realize it sounds like alot of extra work with all the power washing, but without it I would have struggled with the stripped paint debris while painting. I am glad I did so because I didn't have any dirt to contend with. Although, I did have a knat swarm ticking me off to no end, and a couple missed paint drips which wet sanded off. And of course I could skip the paint thinner wash...Yeah.

How well is this paint going to hold up? I don't know. So far I've been installing all my pre-built decking, banging tools around and climbing in and out of my boat without damage to the paint.

It took me 2qt. Topside Primer 1 per coat, and the same for the Topside Paint for a total of 4qts. @ $12.49 per qt. = $49.96, 2gal stripper @ $22.00 per gal. = $44.00 about $25.00 brushes and supplies for a total of $118.96. This in for the interior of my boat only.

My boat is a Tracker Topper 1436 LW.

Good Luck,

Bruce

[92 5 oh]

i used Kleen Strip in an arisole can. it was about $5.50 from walmart.  for the Paint, I used just a regular rustoleum.  Gray primer, with semi gloss white. nothing special for that.

[smokepole]

Arctic cat, that is what I used on my boat. I put 3 coats on and its looks great. I didn't buy real expensive paint because I know it will get scrached up and tractor paint will be easy to find when I need more for touch up.

[FishingBuds]

Hot paint stripper from walmart

ecthing primer from walmart

Marine olive green paint from Army Surplus.  

So far so good

[ArcticCat500]

this may sound funny but....roll or spray....I never painted a alu boat before.

[gatorblazer]

I used Rustoleum, granted it was on my glass boat.  Stuck nice in places where I prepped properly.  Its been on there over a year with monthly use.  I camo'd the thing so it would be easy to touch up.

[jontobass]

im painting my boat right now with rustolem and its turning out fine