another painting question

Yea, another painting question. 1648 Fisher Marine project. I cleaned boat with Aluminum Brightner, decided to try and buff out to get some kind of shine. I used 3m rubbing compound, and a rag. Boat looks o k, but I am all tuckered out . Pretty much finished one side, but I'm thinking of just painting now. I also know once it's "shiny", I will have to continue to shine it, I know now I do not want to do that. With the stage it is in now, what do I have to do to get ready for paint? On one side you can see where Brightner was applied, the other is where I "polished", so to speak. Do I need to go over the the entire boat with sandpaper or what before painting ?

oh well, only time and labor is lost.

Now, you must remove all that shine !!! LOL you have to rough it all back up
and remove ALL the oily residue you pressed into the metal with the buffer.
Green scratch pad will work well for the abrasion process.
Heavy duty degreaser
chemical prep such as Ospho or some kind of self etching primer.

What ever prep, primer and paint you decide to use, is looking for a ROUGH
and VERY CLEAN surface to cling to.

good luck !!

Thanks barefoot. Since I haven't "rubbed" on this boat enough, I went ahead and went over the whole boat with Green scratch pad. When I get ready to paint, can I use just a top-coat paint? Do I really need a bottom paint? The boat will go to the lake, I will fish, and boat will be re trailered all the time. I had to remove old transom wood, and went ahead and filled with water, I had one small leak at the bow. Thanks Samtech/AMS2/US Navy.

oh no, you do not have to use bottom or anti-fouling paint . . .
there are MANY - MANY good tips on painting raw aluminum.... just use the SEARCH button
and read and use whatever you think fits your situation the best.

wait - you say you are an AMS2 ??? Isn't that an Aviation Metal Smith ??
shouldn't this aluminum and painting fall into your job description ?
What They Do: The duties performed by AMSs include: removing, repairing and replacing aircraft fuselage,
wings, fixed and movable surfaces, airfoils, regular seats, wheels and tires, controls and mechanisms;
removing, installing and rigging aircraft flight control surfaces; fabricating and assembling metal components
and making minor repairs to aircraft skin; installing rivets and metal fasteners; painting aircraft; fabricating
repairs for composite components;

Just treat your boat's metal surfaces the same as you would an aircraft..... LOL
you just don't have to be so "particular" . . . don't over think it and you will be fine.

The 1648 bass boat I just bought a few months ago is the same.
never been painted. But since I have used so much Bondo and other
repairs, it needs to be painted.

The number one PRIORITY is to remove ALL contaminants that will interfere
with your first primer coat's adhesion.
If your first primer bond fails, you can rest assured the following topcoats will fail too.

and THANK YOU for your service !!!

Johnny (USN-RET) '87

LOL. Thanks Barefoot. I didn't retire from USN, and to be honest with you, in the Navy I was trained more to launch and recover aircraft . I do remember painting a number or two on an aircraft, but in a very small way. I think you are right, over thinking will wear you out. While I've got you here, take a look at my drain holes(2). Notice how "thinned walled" they are, and kind of missing part of them. I tried a plug, and it goes into them, but not very secure.(tight). Any suggestions? I'll open another thread, but you seem do know a lot about what's going on with these boats.