Any tips for painting an aluminum canoe so it looks somewhat decent and doesn't flake off the first time it hits the water? I am hopefully picking up a Meyers Sportspal 12' canoe on Saturday that is currently painted red, but the paint isn't in great shape, and I'm thinking I'd like to paint a base coat of tan and paint on some marsh grass type camo.

Do I need to completely strip it down to bare aluminum, or will a good sanding to remove any loose paint followed by a self etching primer do the trick? My dad has a paint shop and a spray gun, would that work better than rolling/brushing it on? I'm going to do it in the paint shop regardless, that way it stays out of the elements between coats.

I say I'm hopefully picking it up Saturday because the last few short canoes I've tried to buy have been sold to someone else after I had an agreement with the seller. This one was priced to sell, but the seller said he can't meet me until Saturday since he's meeting me halfway to buy something else from someone else who lives halfway between us. I offered him a bottle of maple syrup to sweeten the deal and thank him for holding it for me until this weekend. Fingers crossed! I'm guessing he'll get more offers on it since he priced it kind of low, but he told me over the phone he wasnt going to reneg on the price.

It's in fair shape, but I figure since I'm laid off I might as well out some time into some repairs. From the pics it looks like it is missing a rib or two and could use a new set of sponsons. Once I pick it up and it's for sure mine, I'll post some pics and keep the thread going with progress pics if theres any interest.

Any suggestions on what paint to use? I kind of like the flat paint look, but I'm thinking a clear coat will protect the paint better.

Thanks Rem, never occurred to me to google it.

Any of those 2.25 million results you would reccomend?

Thanks again for the help! *eyeroll*

If the paint is failing, it all needs to come off. Paint stripper is the easiest way but makes a mess. Sanding is slow going. I don't own a sand blaster but it would be the easiest way.

To paint aluminum, you need to scuff the surface to remove the molecular layer of aluminum oxide that forms on bare aluminum - nothing sticks to it very well. I sand with an 80 grit sand paper, just a few strokes.

Even with bare aluminum ( with no oxidized layer) you need the right primer. Aluminum has "low surface energy" which means all of the molecular bonds that are available at the surface are already used up. Materials with low surface energy don't hold paint well. The best aluminum primer is zinc chromate. Some states don't allow it so it can be hard to find. An etching primer made for aluminum is second best and will work well. Paint with the primer soon after sanding or within a few days, you aluminum oxide layer will have formed again.

The paint with whatever you like. I prefer the old style rustoleum enamel paint and I add valspar enamel hardener. Rustoleum takes weeks to really dry. If you try to sand 3 week old rustoleum it will gum up your sand paper because it's not fully dry yet. The hardener solves this problem. I usually roll or brush it but I have sprayed it by using acetone as a paint thinner. I've also bought paint from Kush Paints online. They make a "dead flat" enamel that seems to be exactly like rustoleum except that it's "dead flat" instead of glossy and they have all of the camo colors available. I've also paid them $10 to mix custom colors for me before. I picked out a color from my local hardware store and gave them the color number and they matched it perfectly.

Not anything about looks, but there are paints that you can apply that really make your canoe glide much easier. As long as you are going through the process of cleaning, scrubbing and painting you may want to inquire about the paint that makes the canoe move easier. I know trappers who have used this paint but I don't know the name or the cost.

Bryce

Good point Bryce. I almost asked about the effect of the paint on how well it glides in my original post, but figured it couldn't make much difference. Guess I was wrong. My thought is it would help ok the bottom of the canoe, but sounds like it could be expensive, and that's the part of the canoe most likely to get scraped up. I'll look into it. Use that google thing rem suggested.

The Best Paint for Aluminum Boat for 2020

•TotalBoat Aluminum Boat Paint.
•Majic Paints Camouflage Paint.
•TUFF Coat Non-Skid Coating.
•SEA HAWK PAINTS Aluminum Boat Paint.
•TotalBoat Marine Topside Paint Primer.
•Rust-Oleum Marine Metal Primer.
•Hunters Specialties Liquid Paint.
•Kiwi Grip Non-Skid Deck System.

I would use paint they use on gravity boxes.

I used some type of etching liquid to prep the metal. It was a long time ago but I think It was some type of concrete cleaner.

Use zinc chlorate for your primer coat.

Kem-400 from Sherwin Williams .

Whatever you do make sure its marine grade primer and paint, use a good etching compound or rough sand it first just did this with my little14 foot boat last year turned out great also you might consider using a good marine sealer around any rivets worth the money in my opinion

This canoe in particular has a center keel where the two pieces of aluminum are joined with rivets. I do plan on sealing that area with something. I may get a quart kit of that Fasco epoxy to cover the keel and surrounding area just for added peace of mind.

Since I have the time and my dad has the equipment, I'm thinking I'll go ahead and sand it down to bare metal. He has a sand blaster too, but I would use up quite a bit of sand by blasting the whole canoe and it's a pain to try and set up a recovery system outside. Some good elbow grease and an orbital sander should do the trick. I dont think I want to mess with paint stripper.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I bought a set of marsh grass stencils from Acid Tactical. I like the idea of "dead flat" paint, so I may do a base coat of Kush Paint in olive drab, then layer on some lighter tan and green grass and cattail patterns, after a good primer of course. I'll have to check out that zinc chlorate, but I know the rustoleum self etching primer is pretty easy to find. My dad paints restored snowmobile parts with his sprayer, so he can help me out with thinning the paint as necessary, unless I decide to roll it on.

I picked up the canoe today. After a little back and forth with the seller the last few days, we agreed on a price and I only had to drive 2 hours to pick it up. On the way back I even scored a great deal on a Frabill Ice Shuttle that's in pretty good shape for the shape she's in.

I expected the paint on the canoe to be in worse shape than it was, but now I'm thinking I'll be better off hitting the original paint job with a light sanding and just painting over it rather than taking it all the way down to bare aluminum. It will save time and expense, and I don't know that it would produce a much better final product if i sand it all the way down vs just painting over it.

I think I'll be picking up a quart of the Kush paints dead flat olive drab paint for the base layer and painting the details on with some rattle can Rustoleum flat camo paint. I am also ordering a new set of sponsons for the side since the ones it came with are in pretty rough shape. I'm excited to see how it turns out, and I'm really happy I finally have one of these canoes. I've been looking for something like this for a few years now.

They make a metal eching primer to help paint stick to aluminum.

I've seen that, I think Fleet Farm sells some. But I'm thinking I won't need to prime it if I'm painting over the original paint as long as I scuff up the original paint a but and wipe it down good before I put the new paint on.

Any input on painting over the original paint job? If it was one of the more neutral colors I'd probably just leave it, but I just don't care for the red.

Nice.Way to go.

Just scuff up the surface with some 220 grit.....wipe it down with some pre sol....to get the surface clean and ready for paint. I’d use a foam roller and tip it with a sponge brush....2 coats...just follow directions on the paint can

In the event that in your prep you sand through to base metal in a few spots, Rustoleum makes spray cans of self etching primer for use on aluminum.

A company called SEM ...also has a spray bomb ,that’s self etching primer....But read the directions...most self etching primers are NOT to be painted over. Most recommend.....spray a coat of self etching primer to bare Alu/steel....then the etch primer has to be top coated with a fill primer...also available in spray can through SEM. Once dry....sand with 400 ...clean ...and paint.

Good point, Ed. There are a few spots where the original paint has been compromised. Rather than buying a quart of the primer, a spray can is a good idea.

Anybody painted a 12' canoe remember how much paint it took? I thought about getting a quart of the Flexsteel for the bottom and a quart of paint for the sides, but with shipping I'd have close to $125 into just paint, and I still need to pick up a pair of sponsons which run around $100. I'm wondering if I can get by with a quart of the Kush paint. I may have to contact them and see what they say as far as coverage. The site doesn't mention it.

I used Rustoleum Sefl Etching Primer and Parker duck boat paint from Cabelas and havent had any problems with the paint peeling off my canoe.

Clint

Here she is. I've ordered some new sponsons already, and I'm going to sandblast the hardware and repaint it black.

Like I said the paint is in decent shape, just don't care for the color. I'll call the folks at Kush Paints on Monday and see what they suggest for prep. Maybe a scotch brite pad will be enough. I'd rather not sand through the original paint if I can avoid it.

It's missing a few ribs, but I'm not too worried about those.

I'm jealous!!

I have been trying to score something like this for 3 or 4 years now. I've been close to getting other sportspals, golden hawks and even an old town pack canoe. But someone else always beat me to it. I am going to christen it this coming weekend on a short river float to set a few beaver traps. Then I'll get to painting it.

My previous canoe was a 14.5' royalex whitewater canoe without a keel. Not exactly a top performer for what I was using it for, but I was able to sell it for the same amount I paid for the sportspal the same morning I went to pick it up.

Just scuff it with a maroon pad and some sanding paste....wet of course

I'm happy for ya tiguy. Those are great canoes, I've been looking a long time for one. Looking forward to the pics when ya get her done. Gonna name it???

I'm not usually name my stuff (except my daughter) but since I've waited so long for this canoe and it already has a special place in my heart, I'm thinking it will get a name.

I'm thinking I'll call it Adam-12. Adam because it's missing a rib (or three) and 12 because it's a 12 footer, plus I always loved the show Adam-12.

I talked with a guy at Kush paints today and he confirmed their dead flat marine enamel paint should adhere to the original paint job just fine with a little light sanding to prep the surface. So I ordered a quart which he said should cover about 70 sq ft, so I should be able to do about 2 coats.

Doing some canoe facelift work too

In the words of Cousin Eddy, "She's a beaut, Clark!" What kind of canoe is that? Looks real nice.

My paint is arriving today, so I hope to be painting next week. Got her loaded in my truck right now for some beaver trapping this weekend.

It’s a wood/ canvas ..1960 Old Town OCTA 16 foot. Ribs are white cedar....planking is red cedar...inner gunwale is spruce...outer gunwale is Mahogany. Weight is 75 lbs. I have some Easy Poxy red for it.

That's gonna be a beauty Ness.

Tlguy, looking forward to seeing the results.

Call your nearest Coast Guard Station and ask for advice. They will know what primer and paint to use.

I'll post some pictures after I get it painted, and hopefully a catch pic on Sunday. For as much hate as those sportspals get on canoe forums, it paddled like buttah upstream today setting some traps. I was a bit worried it would be as bad as some said, but nothing like paddling a bathtub as I heard.

Got 2 coats of base on today, olive drab from Kush paints. It already looks a hundred times better. No idea why they would even offer that canoe in red...

It looks a little shiny because I took the picture right after finishing the 2nd coat. It was drying very flat, which I love. I'll update again in a couple days when i get the stencils painted on and get the new sponsons installed and can get it outside for some better pictures.

That looks nice. Looking forward to seeing the final results.

Looking good !....Going to wet sand and buff it...lol

If by wet sand and buff you mean let it dry, spray on some camo and call it good enough... YUP!

I'm going for something that settles somewhere between rattlecan spray job on a windy day outside and sanded, primed, painted, sanded and painted again.

It's a user, I don't want to be afraid to beach it or toss it in the back of my truck. The more time I spend on it, the more I feel I might cry if I bump into something or wear off some paint pulling traps over the side.

Wet sand and buff...is lingo us Autobody guys say....to get that “see your face in it “ finish... and a canoe doesn’t fall into that category....lol

Especially since I used dead flat paint!

I'm curious to see if that foam will hold paint. The dark gray sponsons along the side would really detract from the camo look. I may need to do a test spot on the side that goes against the canoe to see how it holds up.

Maybe instead of painting the sponsons I'll wrap some camo fabric around them before I bolt them on. Probably more durable than trying to paint the foam. I just think those dark gray/black horizontal sponsons will be a dead giveaway if i ever wanted to tuck it in the cattails and hunt out of it.

I'm still giddy with excitement now that I've finally got this canoe. I just want to take it on so many adventures!

Here it is, all finished up. I need to knock some of the extra length off some of the bolts holding on the sponsons, but for now it will work.

Before


After





Not perfect, but way way way better than the red it was before.

What did you use to apply the paint? Sprayer?

Like New !

Dang tiguy, that looks awesome. You did a great job on it, your gonna love it out on the water!!

Very nice!

Yes it was applied with a sprayer. My dad does some antique snowmobile restoration so he had an entire section of his shop set up for painting, plus all the tools.

Thanks guys, I'm happy with how it turned out. I don't think I'm going to do anything else to the sponsons to try and camouflage them. I did add an extra eye bolt on both sides in what will end up being the front of the boat to help strap stuff down if need be.

I'm going to leave the motor mount off for now, but I'm going to repaint that camo as well in case I decide to put a trolling motor on it. I just don't feel like investing another $100 into it for the motor and registration right now.

Better than new aesthetically speaking, I don't believe they offered it with a camo pattern like this. I'm sure yours will turn out nice as well, can't wait to see pics of that one.

Only other thing I might do is add a seat. I may go with something that is mounted to the gunwales, or go more temporary and build a seat that just sits on the floor. Need some more paddle time in it before I decide on that.

How did you do the pattern tiguy?

I bought one of these..hand made here in NH. I use it in the wooden canoe and my Hudson Bay Freighter canoe

I used spray paint and some stencils from a company called Acid Tactical. They worked ok. I could have taken my time a bit more and probably got a cleaner result, but I was in a bit of a rush to get it done. What i found was the stencils would get so much paint on then it would be dripping off and eventually get on the back of the stencil, so there would be paint where I didn't want it. Then I hit the gunwales and thwart with spots and stripes of the various spray paint to break up the edge.

That's a beauty of a seat, but it's missing a cupholder!