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my buddy and i have come across a 12 ft v hull boat that we are gonna camo and use as a duck boat. i am wondering what kind of paint to use to camo it and what prep we have to do to the aluminum. Any tips gladly welcomed.
camo paint for v hull
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generally....scrape and sand, clean with soap/water and then again with acetone....you may wish to prime with one of those chemical sketching primers but I did not the first time...they are expensive and I am not convinced they make a real difference...I like to use oil base paint!......I like to use Pettit paints....a quart will probably be all you need for a two coat job on a 12 footer (inside and out)....they no longer make duck boat brown but there are three shades of drab green/tan.....dead dull grass is one I think of off hand....a quart runs approx $18
there are some new oil base paints out by Krylon too....I want to try it because I really like the camo spray colors they have. I tried HS paints once and was not too pleased with the color of mud brown so I've not even tried their other colors.
I strongly recommend Pettit, but there are other great paints....Lou Tish at LockStock&Barrel has FME paints that are highly touted as excellent for both aluminum and fiberglass boats....Lou is a terrific mentor and will talk you through any questions you might have --- he's also a great boatbuilder and decoy maker! Check his site.
there are some new oil base paints out by Krylon too....I want to try it because I really like the camo spray colors they have. I tried HS paints once and was not too pleased with the color of mud brown so I've not even tried their other colors.
I strongly recommend Pettit, but there are other great paints....Lou Tish at LockStock&Barrel has FME paints that are highly touted as excellent for both aluminum and fiberglass boats....Lou is a terrific mentor and will talk you through any questions you might have --- he's also a great boatbuilder and decoy maker! Check his site.
There is a big difference if factory painted VS alum colored. The Alum colored boats have a plastic film that prevents the paint from bonding--thus it flakes off. 
issed: (the film is to prevent oxidation-which leads to the break down of the alum, which leads to weak or holes in alum over time). So as mentioned try acetone if alum/plastic coated, or try Duosol which is what I used. - both are of the products VERY flamable - It is a major chore to remove the plastic film. I spent a whole day doing it 25+ years ago. Arghhh! Lots of paper towels and rags are needed.
As for the amount of paint, I do not agree at all that 1 qt will cover a 12' boat. It took 5 qts to do my 14' for 2 coats sprayed on. I'd say close to 4 qts. Buy an oil based Aluminum primer paint, tint it tan and apply before the regular paint to increase the bond (paint store has it). Parkers oil paint is decent and about $28 a gal. Cabelas has it it in the stores. If you want to get fancy with multicolors--parkers has a 6 or 8 packs of spray can paint you can paint over the base paint. Being this is oil paint - it'll take awhile for it to achieve full hardness-like 2 weeks with 70 degree temps. Meaning a 3 weeks summer project to do it right so no piant is peeling/flaking off.
If you want to do it on the cheap, forgo the prep and justspray paint it, but you'll be always touching up the paint. Go to Wally World and buy the Krylon Camo spray cans paint--about $2.50 a can, buy more than what you think you'll need (you can always return unused cans later). Even going the cheap method--it is good to powerwash it thouroughly and remove any motor oil from the boat (dawn dish washing liq).
Good luck.
issed: (the film is to prevent oxidation-which leads to the break down of the alum, which leads to weak or holes in alum over time). So as mentioned try acetone if alum/plastic coated, or try Duosol which is what I used. - both are of the products VERY flamable - It is a major chore to remove the plastic film. I spent a whole day doing it 25+ years ago. Arghhh! Lots of paper towels and rags are needed.As for the amount of paint, I do not agree at all that 1 qt will cover a 12' boat. It took 5 qts to do my 14' for 2 coats sprayed on. I'd say close to 4 qts. Buy an oil based Aluminum primer paint, tint it tan and apply before the regular paint to increase the bond (paint store has it). Parkers oil paint is decent and about $28 a gal. Cabelas has it it in the stores. If you want to get fancy with multicolors--parkers has a 6 or 8 packs of spray can paint you can paint over the base paint. Being this is oil paint - it'll take awhile for it to achieve full hardness-like 2 weeks with 70 degree temps. Meaning a 3 weeks summer project to do it right so no piant is peeling/flaking off.
If you want to do it on the cheap, forgo the prep and justspray paint it, but you'll be always touching up the paint. Go to Wally World and buy the Krylon Camo spray cans paint--about $2.50 a can, buy more than what you think you'll need (you can always return unused cans later). Even going the cheap method--it is good to powerwash it thouroughly and remove any motor oil from the boat (dawn dish washing liq).
Good luck.
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The easiest thing to do is make you some stincels. Go to Wal-Mart and get you some spray paint. They make some camo paint but the main thing is is that you get flat and not gloss. if you take it through some brush or something an it scratches when you get home get you paint and touch it up. If you want to brush paint they make a paint called Direct To Metal (DTM) and you can not get it off of anything especially your hands
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