Newbie Questions

[bassin assassin]

I recently purchased a 12 foot jon boat and have some questions. Any help is most appreciated.
1. Will Rustoleum Aluminum Primer from HD be ok to use to prime the boat. Is a self-etching primer necessary? What is the difference?
2. I have an 80s Mercury 9.8 long shaft and had read other posts about raising the motor up for better performance. How far do I raise it and what equipment would I need too install to make this happen?
3. I have seen pics of where guys cut out areas to allow for the ribs to come through when mounting a floor. Is that better for the boat structurally? Also, I had read of adding two inches of wood to the front and back of the floor to raise it above the ribs. Is that the best way to do a floor?
4. Also, when trailered, is the back end of the boat supposed to be even with the runners and not hang off the back at all?
5. Is there anybody on here from Tampa that could recommend a good boat electrician to hook up my lights, trolling motor and depth finder to make it look more professional and funtional?

Thanks for your help.

 

[CRAPPIE_SLAYER]

Would be under the assumption that if the primer is made specially for aluminum that it would work fine especially if you are just painting over the old paint. If you do decided to go for the self etching, walmart carries some made by rustoleum that is about $4.50/can. Took me a little under 4 cans to do my 14ft. As far as the motor, if its a long shaft I would imagine it will need raised up. May want to look up a thread in the boat modifications called "home made jack plate" that I believe has some pretty good info concerning this. On the trailer, the entire back end of the boat should be supported, or it may develop a hook on the bottom of the boat. Hope this helps!