Bottom painting the "Stainless Marine" engine bracket

[SBH2OMan]

I know that the lower unit of the outboard must be painted with a non-copper based bottom paint in order to avoid galvanic corrosion. According to Stainless Marine, engine brackets used on Parkers are powder-coated aluminum and they say NOT to use metallic bottom paint. It appears that the PO painted it with the exact same ablative paint as on the hull, and we just laid down a touch up coat yesterday (after roughing up the old paint with 100 grit paper and wiping down with acetone). Last night while laying in bed I had the horrifying realization that we also went right over the bracket, covering the existing bottom paint. According to the label, the paint is "21% copper based metallic".

Now it looks like I'll need to strip it off and re-paint with a non-metallic bottom paint. Does anyone know of those chemical strippers are safe on powder coated finishes??

PS, I will say that even just lightly prepping and repainting the bottom paint is one of the nastiest jobs I have ever done, but the local yard wanted $1,500 PLUS prep time at $100 an hour....

Brent

 

[miky2884]

It definitely needs to come off. I am going to be prepping my bracket for paint next weekend. I am going to barrier coat it and then paint it with interlux trilux 33. There is another thread going about someone that had a problem due to copper paint being used on there bracket.

 

[SBH2OMan]

Thanks Mike. Kinda what I figured. Now the trick is that I hope the chemical stripper doesn't eat away the powder coat and turn this into a HUGE project. It has already been a big enough PITA to begin with.

I'm trying to get the boat slipped this week cause I got an offer from a friend with an empty slip, but he's in a hurry to get a boat in the water so he doesn't have an empty slip for too long (which apparently raises some sort of alarm bell with the harbor master...)

It started off with the removal of the original swim step. When we pulled it, water came dribbling out of a couple of the holes. Yikes.

We spent the day yesterday drilling out the holes until we found dry wood (up to about 11/32 diameter) then filling with West Systems epoxy (using a syringe and taping over the holes). It took three separate applications of the epoxy (I guess a lot soaked into the wood) then I made a semi-cured paste of West Systems + micro balloon filler and topped the holes off. Believe it or not, the screw holes were not finished with ANY sealing material! There was also an open hole that had just been filled with bottom paint but no sealer.

I'm having a custom anodized aluminum swim step designed right now that will go from about 2" inboard of the port side corner (to clear the trailer straps) all the way to the bracket (where it will be through-bolted) and back to about 4" from the rear edge of the bracket. The deck will be aluminum "grate" so that water will wash through it rather than scoop when backing up.

 

[Brent]

Maybe Armstrong tech support can help

Lawrence McNulty

Technical Support

Armstrong Nautical Products

www.armstrongnautical.com

(772) 286-7204

 

[SBH2OMan]

Maybe Armstrong tech support can help

Lawrence McNulty

Technical Support

Armstrong Nautical Products

http://www.armstrongnautical.com

(772) 286-7204

The older brackets (like mine) are made by Stainless Marine (and are in fact Aluminum, not stainless, BTW).

I talked to them this morning and they told me NO COPPER PAINT!

 

[Brent]

ok thanks

Did they offer paint removal ideas?

Can you blast with baking soda or walnut shells?

 

[SBH2OMan]

ok thanks

Did they offer paint removal ideas?

Can you blast with baking soda or walnut shells?

nope. We're gonna try gel coat safe stripper and see what happens. I'm not set up for blasting, and I'll bet any shop around here would charge $500 or more. Services like that are ridiculously expensive here in Santa Barbara. Heck, just running your car through an automated car wash costs $20! (I'm sure it is all the "environmental fees" - i. e. taxes).

 

[Brent]

ok

post some pics

 

[gw204]

I've heard that Easy Off oven clean (the stuff in the blue can) will take off bottom paint. You supposedly spray it on, let it sit and then hit it with a power washer. I've never tried it though.

 

[windy]

Dealer painted my Armstrong bracket with regular bottom paint when I bought my Parker new. When I hauled the boat in the fall it already showed signs of electrolosis damage. I sanded it down to bare metal and applied the primer and Trilux coating as recomended by Interlux. Thats the only way to go.