Do I need a hardner and primer

[Terry]

I am painting over previous paint on my aluminum boat. Is it necessary to add hardner to the paint (Rust Oleum Paint or Majic Paint from Tractor Supply)? I will be painting over a paint that feels like a 800 grit or finer sandpaper. I am not interested in restoring the boat to its original finish. I am thinking this 14 1/2 ft fishing boat does not need to be sanded for aesthetic purposes. Also, do I need to use a primer over the existing paint?

Thanks for any suggestions,

Terry

 

[nccatfisher]

Yes, it will last much longer if you are using the Tractor Supply brand to use the hardner.

 

[Ringo Steele]

I used the Valspar tractor and implement paint Tractor Supply used to sell, and it definitely would have benefited from the hardener, as ti took about 2 weeks to even start getting hard enough to use the boat. I did not use the hardener, and did not even know about it until I had already applied the paint. It still is not very durable, but I'm sure not going through that again any time soon #-o . Just keep some on hand for touch-ups if scratches and scrapes bother you.

The tractor and implement paint that Tractor Supply sells now is made by Majik paints.

I did use the Majik brand camo (khaki) paint on the interior the year before. It dried quickly, and got quite hard. Hard enough that if it gets a good rap, it will crack and even pop off if the hit is strong enough. I have not tried their tractor paint formulation though.