...since I posted over on this side, I know. Truthfully, fishing just doesn't seem all that important given the current state of world affairs. Plus I fished less this year than any year in the previous ten so I just haven't had much to say.

For awhile an injury was keeping me down...then...

Haven't you ever felt like just taking a break from fishing altogether for awhile? Call me crazy but I started to feel as though I was letting my fishing itch consume me to some degree so I've taken a step back. The boat hasn't been wet in a year, Memorial Day weekend.

Not cold turkey of course... luckily some of my good friends make it easy and fun for me to get out from time to time.

Anyway....this spring/summer I'm gettin' serious again. The neck's feeling better so I'm reconditioning the old Alumaweld beastie and plan on hitting the Hoh like a pimp.

I'm gonna try my hand at a 'how to paint your driftboat without making the same mistakes as I did thread' so stay tuned. If anyone wants to put in their .02 on the subject feel free, here is the general plan:

1. Using aircraft stripper remove old paint to bare aluminum.

2. Wash with degreaaser until all traces of solvent are removed.

3. Treat with two step chemical etching process.

4. Spray on epoxy primer.

5. Paint it black, at least from the gunnel down.

Where I could use some suggestions is on the inside....what's a good color for the inside of the boat? My thinking is any color that doesnt reflect the sunlight too much because whatever color it was before was way too bright.

A matte gray of some kind, maybe with a black and white spatter for the inside?

Your boat painting experiences here......

Sounds like you pretty have it figured out.

Black is a pretty good looking color but it sure does show the scratches and scraps. I would give that color a second thought.

The inside I went with gray Zolotone and it is a good color. Not to hard on the eyes when the sun shines and OK to clean. I would go with a few coats of clear there. Sure makes it easier for cleanup.

Have fun with the job and if you were thinking about doing a bottom coat of either Gluv-it or Coat-it I would do that part first.

fp

Kind of Ironic Huh Eric?

Live in the city and drive your butt off to go fish all the time. Move to Forks and drop it cold.

Let me know when youhave an opening in that boat bro.

If the paint you're stripping is a polyurethane, make sure the stripper you get is methyl-chloride based........and don't use methyl-chloride in the sun, it's photo-reactive and will start bubbling all over. Kleen-Strip 'Aircraft Remover' is a very effective stripper.

When doing the etching, the second step is an Alodine (chromic acid) treatment. Chromic acid contains chromium, a very toxic heavy metal. Wear protective gloves and clothing.

Both the epoxy primer and the urethane finishes you'll probably apply to the boat use cyanide-based catalysts. If you can't get your hands on a supplied-air respirator, use the best quality organic filter mask you can and keep your work area well-ventilated. Leave your work area immediately after you spray, while the finish gases off. These finishes can really harsh you out if you're not careful.


Before you shoot your boat, get your hands on a piece of aluminum and paint it. A little practice with the products you buy goes a long way towards getting a quality result. If the pice of aluminum looks like crap, your boat will look like crap, only bigger. Some guys don't want to "waste" paint and primer practicing. Well, going at it blind with primer and paint that cost $150+/gallon isn't a good way to save money.

Don't use a crappy, dirty gun. And get dual water traps if you're using compressed air, or better yet get an HVLP spray system........you can rent them in bigger towns. HVLP's deliver more product with less overspray, but can be tricky to use with polyurethane finishes because the turbines they use heat the air that supplies the gun, which can lead to orange peel.

It's a load of work, but if you do a good prep job and follow the mixing/reduction/application instructions for the finishes you buy, you can save a load of dough doing it yourself.

My boat's bare aluminum on the outside.

I've thought about leaving it bare metal on the outside...shouldn't it have some kind of protective coating on it though?

The boat is wicked old, any paint job will be an improvement, even a botched rookie effort. I am hoping to learn a thing or two on the boat, its my practice metal really, and apply those lessons to my 63 chevy pickup.

..and yeah, Riley the irony certainly isn't lost on me. Earlier this year I found myself waking up at four in the morning to drive five hours to Cathlamet. On the way I crossed nearly ever river on the OP while the fishing was quite good.

Maybe I just like to drive, eh?

You sound like a painter Dan....explains alot!

I retired, and then found I didn't want to fish so much. Not that I wanted to quit, but I found that fishing isn't life.

Gotta figure out what is next.

Don't let it sit for long or you'll have a hard time getting the new paint to adhere properly.

Also don't touch the bare aluminum with your bare hands. The acids that are in the oil in your hands will accelerate the oxidation process. Some people have a higher acid percentage. You could tell what parts were handled by certain guys at work because the next day you could see hand prints on them.

h2o,

What the acid etch/Alodine treatment does is it puts a uniform oxidation layer over the entire pice of aluminum. It's a hard, ceramic-like layer, so in essence just the acid etch/alodine treatment protects the aluminum from further wear/pitting.

I etch and alodine my boat about every 5-6 years and it looks just like it did in 20 years ago. Put some wax on it and it will be much easier to clean, though.

I sell aircraft parts.....one of our lines being an aircraft covering/painting system. We teach classes on how to cover and paint your airplane, so I'm pretty familiar with primers/paints/prep chemicals.

Hey Silver Hilton,

How 'bout becoming a political activist!

You might want to forgo the etch and alodyne step if you are going to shoot an epoxy primer. Aircraft aluminum is clad with an alloy that is harder than the base metal alloy while marine aluminum is just plain aluminum the entire thickness of the sheet. The harder alloys are more suseptable to oxidation therfore require the etch and conversion treatment prior to paint so the primer layer has tooth to adhere to.
At least thats how I remember it from my Navy corrosion control school.
G