Alright guys, so about 5 years ago I purchased a big swamp buggy, and I had finished the basic construction of the boat with very few problems. Anyhow, I have made no more progress after that. I now want to get this thing finished, and I want to do it right. The main thing that I am confused about is which type of glass/paint/filler/sanding etc etc to Use on the wood of the boat in order to have a great water seal, plus a very smooth and shiny look. In the past I had laid a coat of finishing resin all over the boat to seal all of the seams and the wood, but in some places there are still some gaps that need to be filled, and in some areas where I have sanded, the wood grain is exposed. The paint in the picture is some krylon paint that I put on it a long time ago, and I was thinking it would be best for me to sand all the way down to the resin/wood and do this the right way. So if anyone has any suggestions at all on what i should do to 1)remove the current paint, 2) fill all of the gaps and waterproof the entire boat, and 3)paint the boat two tone with a nice enamel finish- Then please feel free to offer some help. This is my first Airboat and I am pretty confused about the glass/sanding/filler/paint/etc process. Thanks

1)use paint remover 2)use micro balloons mixed with epoxy 3)painting 2 tone hmmmm?
polyester resin or fiber glass resin will give you a nice fiberglass finish or finishing epoxy with fiberglass tape or cloth

Which paint remover product would be best for this Krylon paint? I dont want something that will eat up the glue and wood.

im not sure??? you may want to go to a local hardware store and ask them if they have a product(paint remover) to remove krylon paind with out removing the glue, im not to sure but i think acetone removes paint but it may remove the glue also. surely some one else will no of a paint remover selph-inflicted will surely be able to help you hopefully with in the next 24 hrs good luck he builds mostly wood i build foam but i have built 2 wooden hulls before

If you have cracks and gaps you can use micro balloons or simply add some saw dust to your epoxy. To fill big gaps I would use a quick setting epoxy in that area only , then sand, then apply the sealing coat. With wood you can use epoxy or polyester resins.

I would just sand the paint down as much as possible then just primer. Use an enamel paint, enamel is fuel proof. To protect the finish either coat it with a clear enamel or just lay a coat of epoxy over the paint.

For a two tone. Paint your lightest color first. Allow to cure. Tape off area that you don't want painted with a low tack painters tape. Then spray the other color.

Hope this helps.


Speedmonkey...I have actually made more foam hulls than I have wood. I am in the process of converting my foam designs over to wood so I can produce them faster plus alot of people are wanting kits so they can put together themselves.

Should I try to get most of the paint off before I put epoxy+microbaloons all over? or will the epoxy bond pretty well with some of the red paint I alredy have on there? As far as epoxy goes, which brand would you guys suggest? I think I used SIG finishing resin + Top Flite microbaloons the last time that I did it.

Would some type of Bondo lightweight filler be fine for me to round some of the edges after i have the boat coated with epoxy? If so which type?

BOY THIS PIC LOOKS FAMILIAR,,,IVE PAINTED SIX SWAMP BUGGYS, ALL OF THEM I USE AUTO BODY FILLER. THEN I USE AUTO BODY PRIMER. IT WORKS GREAT. SEE THE PICS ATTACHED. GOOD LUCK!

HERE IS JUST A FEW MORE PICS

so instead of re-sealing with epoxy+baloon should I go straight to auto body filler? which brand/type should I use if so? Thanks
-Andrew

"bondo" is what I used. but I sealed any cracks with 30 min (2) part epoxy first. Once I sprayed primer, with at least two layers I light sanded it down to smooth.
With this method I used oil base paints with a heavy coat of poly. (note: the poly takes a good 3 weeks to dry inside and out.)