Questioni have a 14ft lowe flatbottom and was wanting to know how to get the boat cleaned up.paint is really faded it is suposed to be dark green. the paint is in good shape just faded do i need to pressure wash if so with what?
i fish for catfish here in missouri.
thanks
james mckee
AnswerJames; Before attempting to answer your question I searched several places on the web trying to find a site that might be better to answer your question including other places on this network. I found nothing which is a bit discouraging. I am not an expert on this subject but I have had several boats in my 73 years that I have painted. Maybe I can give you a bit of help.
If this is an aluminum boat. If that is the case what I would do is turn it over if possible and give the bottom a good sanding with a hand sander. Do not use a belt sander as this could cut through the metal. If you can not turn it over because of seats etc then prop it up on it's side. After sanding and making sure it is completely dry give it a coat of a good quality marine paint. Be careful, don't spend a lot of money on anti fouling paint unless the boat will be used in salt water.
Check with the paint dealer or marine store about the right kind of paint.
Actually on aluminum this is simply for looks the faded paint will not hurt the boat so I would not spend a great deal of effort or money on it.
If the boat is made of wood then a good coat of paint is important to keep the wood from soaking up water and eventually rotting. I would sand a wood boat bottom getting rid of as much of the old paint as possible and give it a couple of layers of a quality sealer allowing it to dry thoroughally between coats. A light sanding between coats and after the secone or if you have plenty of sealer more coats, although you might want to use some of it in other places on the boat such as inside the chines. After the sealer has dried and been sanded then give it a coat of the best bottom paint you can find. Again anti fouling isn't necessary unless you are in salt water.
If it is fiberglass you may need to give it a new coat of jell coat. See your boat dealer.
I hope this has been of some help. As I said I am not an expert on boats although I have owned over a dozen of them in my 73 years and have sanded and painted several of them.
When I first read your question my first thought was why is he asking me this question. I don't believe my profile has anything in it about boat repair. Then I searched for someone who might know more about it on several sites and could find no one so I guess I was sort of a last resort for you. That is ok though, thanks for calling on me and I hope my answer will be helpful.
I wish I could go catfishing on the Mississippi with you sometime but that river is a long way from where I live here in Georgia. I live on Lake Seminole which is fed by the Chatahoochee and Flint rivers both of which have good catfishing.
My problem is that I am getting too old and feeble to go even that far so I do most of my fishing on the lake. I don't think you said where you fish the Mississippi.
I would be interested in knowing if any of the suggestions I made about your boat were of any value. If you feel like it send me an e-mail.
I am Jack L. Gaither
Lake Seminole Georgia
[email protected]
