We have a '72 Drifter that needs a paint job on the decks. There are lots of spots that rust bumps are showing, so we figure that we need to sand down to bare metal, but what then? Do we need to prime it, and if so with what kind of primer? As for the paint itself, is it recommended to use Rustoleum? Or if we use Rustoleum, do we need to prime the decks? Is there another kind of paint that we should be looking at?

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Dazed and confused on Lake Lanier

This is one of the most uncomfortable,labor intensive, jobs I've ever undertook (on our last boat, a 1978 steel) requires a brain approx. the size of a peanut! First, to keep corps off your @ss, you'll have to hang plastic from rails and tape bottom to keep debris out of water(shop vac handy and used often). Boat dock neighobors may be fine folks, but someone's gonna get bent out of shape if you let all the trash loose! Best bet for a sander is a 12,or preferably a 14inch belt sander with the coarsest grit you can find, usually 80,occasionally you can find 60. Not really necessary to go to bare metal where present finish is still solid, blisters should be completely gone over with chipping tool and hammer. Chipping tool may well be small punch,HEAVY DUTY gasket scraper suitable for rapping with a hammer,or a cole chisel.

Rustoleum manufactures a "rust converter" product that comes in small squeeze bottles,looks (and smells) like watered down elmers glue. When applied it turns a transparent black and seems to be good for the duration. This product I'd only apply to pitted areas after removing all the crud possible. On one catwalk we used a marine grade zinc-chromate primer, when the other was ready to prime, I couldn't FIND the primer can and all that was available locally was Rustoleum primer for metal (didn't say what it's active ingredient was). With great trepidation we used this product. We then painted with a industrial paint actually sold for concrete loading docks,etc. Two years later when we sold boat both catwalks had tiny areas(dime size maybe 6 on each 30'walk) beginning to bubble, but all in all they held up well. Couldn't tell any difference in primer service. Would use the dock paint again. It was shiny,smooth, and TOTALLY slip resistant.

Bob

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I carry a gun because it's too tiring carrying a cop.

There's a commercial product called "Ospho" that does the same thing, comes in quarts and gallons (and probably drums), that does the same thing. It's been around a lot longer than the Rust Oleum product but does the same thing. To be honest I think the Rust Oleum stuff is a consumer-grade copy.

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Willie
She's a tired old barge but she's paid for! http://s71.photobucket.com/alb...p;current=ef324993.pbw