I am re-painting the bottom half of a 2002 225 ho johnson outboard. The reason is because the factory paint is pealing off. the motors been sitting in a barn for 4 years until I bought it from a friend last year. Anyhow I'm looking for some expertise on what i need to do and what materials are best to use. I've already sanded down to aluminum.
I worked 20+ yrs at an Air Force Depot Level Repair Facility and we ALWAYS primed with Zinc Chromate on Aluminum! There is evidently something about aluminum chemically that keeps paint from holding without the proper primer. I am going to finish painting my outboard once our weather cools off and I am going to use Sherwin Williams Opex L61 Production Laquer in Gloss White. I am thinning it down with laquer thinner (medium fast) per directions on the can. The cowl cover turned out excellent and so far has held on very well.
As a test (and to cover up some repair work), I painted the skeg area with Krylon Interior/Exterior laquer paint in a spray bomb and the nice thing is that so far it has held on VERY well. I may actually end up painting the entire motor with that as I don't have to clean up spray guns
Your local Dupli-Color outlet also has a new line of laquer paints at $19/qt. Several colors to choose from and it's a base coat/clear coat combo. Because I am painting white, I may end up going that way as I want to bury the decals I end up putting on the cowl in the clear.
Your local BRP dealer has the color matched paint available in spray bombs and I believe Quarts if you have spray equipment. In your case with such a new motor, that may be the way to go....
Make sure you mask EVERYTHING off! I actually "wrap" my boat with clear plastic and tape it down also as over spray will get EVERYWHERE. Biggest tip I can give you is take your time, work carefully and if you make a mistake (run etc) don't panic! Let it dry, sand it out and re-coat. DONT try and paint it in one coat but instead lightly cover it with several coats. If painting with laquer, let it flash off (about 10-15 mins) and then hit it again. You can do this as many times as you want (which is why I like laquer) building up a DEEP gloss. You can (and should) sand between several coats with 800# wet-dry paper using a little water/soap to lubricate. DRY everything well, wipe down with paint prep and hit er again.
Post pics once you get it done so we can all see what you did. Hell, take pics along the process and post them and you'll be helping those coming behind you with the same type question! That's what BBC is all about!
BTW, WELCOME to the BBC. Keep a close hand on your man card should you venture into the Lounge....don't take ANYTHING seriously and ENJOY! You are now a member of the largest selection of bass boat nuts in the world!
I used the factory paint code and matched up some single stage paint at a local automotive paint store with the help of a friend and his spray gun painted my mid section. I used etching primer on then spayed the color over it and have had no problems. I first tried the spray cans from my local BRP dealer and it turned out good. All the paint turned green on my after bout three weeks. Dunno why. Thats when I sandblasted it all off and then painted jus the mid-section and left the foot bare aluminum. Looks cool!
any problems with the bare aluminum ?
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