As the end of the season approaches I find myself wanting to overhaul my thirty year old drift boat. I have a 1972 17ft. Alumaweld, I haven't had much luck finding aftermarket parts for this boat. Hopefully I am just looking in the wrong spot, maybe there is someone on this BB who has undertaken a task like this themselves and already posesses some knowledge that would help me in the completion of this task.

The first thing that needs to happen is the boat needs to be stripped of the aging glovet that currently coats the bottom. I would think this is the easy part, just strip off the old glovet and prep the surface. Is there a recommended method of surface preparation? My plan was to clean the surface with a non-residual solvent such as MEK, or brake cleaner. Would roughing up the surface a little help the glovet stick? Would it cause more harm than good to try to hammer out any dings dents etc. in the aluminum floorboard?

Then I need to decide which of the many suggested coatings to apply: I have heard everything from roofing tar to rhino coating, I am leaning toward the traditional glovet but I also would like to hear from other driftboat owners that have tried alternatives. I have tried without success at finding glovet in the store, can someone point me in the right direction? Are there any tricks to this application or is it a follow the directions on the can type of deal??

I'd like to put in a new front seat/storage compartment, how interchangeable are Alumaweld parts? Could I just go to an Alumaweld dealership and pick one up?

Lastly I need to paint the outside. What surface prep is necessary for painting aluminum with a coat that will last? What kind of paint/primer should I use? It currently has a thick coating of marine paint, is there a good product on the market for removing that stuff?

Finally, is there anything I am missing? What else should I be paying attention to while I have the boat turned over??

Thanks in advance

GREAT Post!!
I'm getting ready to do the same to my '82 Fish-Rite.I plan on painting the entire hull in a light grey before putting on the stripe because I don't think I'm going to get that new alum. look by buffing.
Any info on types of paint would be great.
If you want any decals(not product type) go to www.decalzone.com

To remove any unwanted decals,try a heat gun or hair dryer.Not too much heat though.They peel off fairly clean with a plastic putty knife. Solvent cleans up the left over adheasive. Now that the decals are off you really got to paint that boat!

Get a hold of me if you would like, I am a rep with Thorbuilt boats and we do alot of overhauls on all types of aluminum boats.
They do real nice work for a fair price.
Thanks Superfly

Thanks superfly, as an absolute last resort I might pay some one else to do it for me. What I am interested in primarily is doing the job myself.

Where the Heck do you find glovit??

BIGDOG2250
I have e-mailed several drift boat and boat manufacturers to find out what paint is used because I am also going to eventually paint a drift boat. They said CCI automotive paint is what they use its affordable and the quality is very good.

Cote it on the bottom. The only way to go!!

Fishhead5

I have a '97 Willie and I am thinking of removing the Gluvit and re-applying it. I once heard of some "stuff" that would basically dissove it like paint remover. If anyone knows, the info would be much appreciated. You can by Gluvit at marine supply/boating stores. West Marine has it. You can buy it by the quart or gallon. It is expensive and you have to mix it with catalyst to use it. It has a fair use time and as long as you keep the components uncontaminated and above freezing you would probably save money by buying a larger amount. That way you can touch it up as the season goes along. As you know you have to get the thickness right. A tip that may help anyone that uses Gluvit is to mix graphite powder in for a little extra slickness. Just be careful not to use so much you mess up the cure. I also block up the boat just off the trailer so I can do the whole bottom at one time.

Thanks DM, I hadn't thought of auto paint.

Riverdog try a heat gun and a scraper to get the old Glovit off. Then use Coat-It it already has the graphite in it and has kevlar fibers, a way better product than Glovit.

I stripped the old paint off my boat with one of those noxious gel type paint removers. Then I had an aquaintance, who happened to be an automotive painter at a dealership paint it.

I designed a geometric pattern, and he laid it out on the boat. He used auto paint. He used a primer underneath, and before that he used some other noxious stuff to remove all the gel stuff that I had used. It was an all day project and I bought the paint, supplies and beer and paid him with a steelhead-fishing trip. It's been about 15 years and the boat still looks sharp. Do it right, and you'll never do it again.


Get Gluv-It at marine stores, as previously stated. I can't imagine trying to remove old Gluv-It, and I'm watching to see what comes up regarding it. Personally, I'm not convinced that Gluv-It is the best thing currently available, but it's been so long since I recoated my boat bottom that I can't speak as an expert. Rhino-Lining looks good to me, but I don't have any experience with it.

My $2 worth.
diana
diana

From what I have heard Rhino lining gets 'hairy' after repeated abuse, and fairly quickly, which causes undesirable drag.

Everything I have read, posted and inquired about over the phone seems to point at Coat-it as being the superior product...

One of the local/non-guide types on my Hohme river uses roofing tar and swears by it...

I'd never put that crap on my boat personally but I throw it out there as an example of the variety of opinions I have heard on this subject

Rhino lining is bulletproof but sticks like glue to the rocks, It could be disasterous in certain situations in tricky water. It will hang up and spin you around instead of sliding off. The coat it has graphite to make it slick. The 300 bucks you would spend on the rhino will buy you six gallons of coat it. Just My .02

Hi Stlhd,

I have a 1992 Alumaweld and replaced all the gluvit this past spring. I first tried the chemical approach and found it very caustic and nasty. I then got my hands on a large weed burning torch, this is the ticket. A small torch just won't cut it, I tried. Buy or borrow a weed torch with a propane tank. Run the torch on the bottom for a few seconds and then scrape it off with a paint scraper, should be able to do the entire boat down to the aluminum in less than a couple hours. You next want to clean the bottom as best you can, I simply used comet cleanser and then rinsed several times. Next I put on the coat it, so far it's been great, lots of scrapes but still fully intact. Give it a try you won't be disappointed. Sorry can't help ya with the paint. Good luck!!

RM

Riverman - How much coatit did it take to cover the bottom of your boat and what sort of shape was the bottom in?

Thanks for the tip on the torch....

Any tips on removing the paint from the outside of the boat?? Hate to use a nasty solvent if I can avoid it...

I have heard of some marine products you can apply that will bubble the paint off. Anyone know what this stuff is??

Stlhdh20,

Sorry I didn't respond to your question regarding the amount of coat-it some time ago, missed the question. I used two cans, they were like the pint size. It covered it well enough and after a winter of beating the bottom to death all still looks well. I am much happier with this product than the gluvit, no comparison. Use a large weed torch to remove it, comes off like butter. I would contact a automotive painter and ask them how best to deal with the paint on the exterior. Good luck to you.

RM

I did this same research a year ago. The best for my use was Coat it, for the reasons above + you can spot repair later on without having to remove the old stuff. If you prep good, it will apply over itself and last a long time.

For first time application get the large bucket (~gallon Can - actually by weight but looks like a paint can). You can use the pint size for reapplication in later years once you have a base.

- Get a high quality roller, thin Nap - or a large 'Squeege type' applicator. I mistakenly use a cheap paint roller and ended up with fuzzys on the bottom of my boat. a very artistic art deco touch, but not what i was looking fro
- Pay attention to prep. the bottom needs to very clean and slightly roughed up. I used 80 or 100 grit sandpaper. a rotary sander makes it go faster. I just used soap and alchohol to clean, but ive heard of others using acid baths or other prep with better results
- Pay attention to temperature. Best to do in the summer with temparature >70 degrees. Applies faster and more even, also cures faster.

Prep will make all the difference with Coat it. my first time i made some mistakes and it it chipped in spots where it didnt adhere well.

good luck,

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the importance of temperature when you're doing this. I was considering doing a similar job on an old barge I owned and that was the main thing most folks told me to watch out for when putting on the new coating (gluvit or coat it). You gotta have consistent warm temps (50s-60s?) when applying the new coating or it won't "stick" as well.

Good luck,
B

i have a 1986 fishrite and had the same problem. i had a hard time getting the old gluvit off too. i had the bottom done with line-x and love it. it has 4 seasons on it and is doing well. i dont know what the guy was talking about it sticking on rocks, mine is just the oppisite. i slide over rocks, that i have seen others hang up on. as far as the coating with graphite in it, i have heard of it causing electrolisis (spelling) on the aluminum, expessially in tidal salt water. my boat exterior was repainted with regular automotive paint. sometimes you need to etch the aluminum to get a better adhesion. hope this helps