removing paint off of alminum boat ??

[BASSKING]

Anyone know of a safe product to remove paint off of a aluminum boat ?? Thanks

[Embrey]

paint stripper

[avidbasser]

You may also want to call a few body shops close to you and see if they have a blasting room; they can sand/media blast it. I have heard of prices ranging from 10-20 a foot and some more expensive are around 30 a foot. This doesn't include labor though.

[kydonky]

How much do you want/need to remove? If you are going to repaint (best option) I would not remove all of it. A light sanding and a wash with denatured alcohol will remove oxidation and be a good prep for the new paint. Otherwise a chemical stripper will work, but you are going to be scrapping and scrubbing a very long time. Tight places around trim are going to be extremely tough and will require steel wool and small almost dental type tools. New paint goes a long way, protects aluminum from pitting, antifouling bottom paint helps performance. I would just do a good prep and repaint.

[BASSKING]

really just wanting to remove all the original flaky green paint and leave it bare. ive already painted the inside and putting in a new floor, carpet and seats. before i did all of that i was just going to strip all the paint off and clean the aluminum up.

also to answer the first response from the poster above , not all paint stripper is safe for aluminum baots, i found that out this morning at lowes when i bought some plywood and some other harware. they have a jelly type stuff that is safe for aluminum.

i think thats what i will end up doing before i put it all back together

[onemorecast56]

really just wanting to remove all the original flaky green paint and leave it bare. ive already painted the inside and putting in a new floor, carpet and seats. before i did all of that i was just going to strip all the paint off and clean the aluminum up.

also to answer the first response from the poster above , not all paint stripper is safe for aluminum baots, i found that out this morning at lowes when i bought some plywood and some other harware. they have a jelly type stuff that is safe for aluminum.

i think thats what i will end up doing before i put it all back together

Use aircraft paint remover,,,it`s pricey but it`ll take any paint down to bare metal in minutes,,and take a putty knive and scrape it off then wash itit`ll be down to shiney alum...

[Embrey]

i dont get what wouldnt be safe about it. strip it,wash it clean. once you wash it off, i dont see it hurting anything

[BASSKING]

i dont get what wouldnt be safe about it. strip it,wash it clean. once you wash it off, i dont see it hurting anything

there are actually several paint stripping products i looked at today that advise to not use on aluminum.

[kydonky]

really just wanting to remove all the original flaky green paint and leave it bare. ive already painted the inside and putting in a new floor, carpet and seats. before i did all of that i was just going to strip all the paint off and clean the aluminum up.

also to answer the first response from the poster above , not all paint stripper is safe for aluminum baots, i found that out this morning at lowes when i bought some plywood and some other harware. they have a jelly type stuff that is safe for aluminum.

i think thats what i will end up doing before i put it all back together

You will find that bare aluminum will oxidize very quickly, stain, grow algee (if docked) and corode with pitting. Sacrificial anode will help with pitting (outboard motors have sacraficial anodes to protect them). I would still consider repainting even if you are able to strip it bare. Even with stripper getting "all" of that old paint off is going to be a real chore. Previous exp. with pontoons I know that aluminum will stain, oxidize and foul. Using a metal polish on aluminum will help, but is a lot of work. A pontoon boat can loose 10 mile per hour with oxidized, dirty pontoons. Its so much easier to clean a painted surface and stays cleanner longer.

[BASSKING]

i got this boat for next to nothing. its a big v-bottom with a 20hp on it. when i say next to nothing thats exactly what i talking about LOL. cost me a 75 dollar prop.

the paint thats on it is a nasty greenish color and at least 60% is flaking off. i wondering if i could just sand it and use a couple coats of primer and repaint. or would that just make it fllake off again ??

[kydonky]

i got this boat for next to nothing. its a big v-bottom with a 20hp on it. when i say next to nothing thats exactly what i talking about LOL. cost me a 75 dollar prop.

the paint thats on it is a nasty greenish color and at least 60% is flaking off. i wondering if i could just sand it and use a couple coats of primer and repaint. or would that just make it fllake off again ??

Sorry with the late response. The best protection for flaking/chipping paint is going to be a goop preperation. The sanding will be a good start. I would wash it down with denatured alcohol. This will remove any contaminates such as grease, old wax, ect. After the wash down with alcohol then another light sanding. You may need to mask off trim parts.

If you just want to protect the hull and have it look decent, you may be able to brush or roll on the new paint. I know you said you do not have a lot invested in this boat so even a brushed or rolled on paint job will probably be an inprovement. If you apply light coats with multiple coats lightly sand in between coats and wipe down with the alcohol again to remove dust. A profesional spray paint job will probably cost more that you paid for the boat.