{"id":836,"date":"2014-10-14T10:47:26","date_gmt":"2014-10-14T14:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/?p=836"},"modified":"2026-02-10T11:49:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:49:37","slug":"painting-aluminum-hull-antifouling-paint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/aluminum-application\/painting-aluminum-hull-antifouling-paint\/","title":{"rendered":"Painting an Aluminum Hull with Non Antifouling Paint"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"post-updated\"><strong>Last Updated: February 9, 2026<\/strong><!--?php echo get_the_modified_date('F j, Y'); ?--><\/p>\n<p><!-- Quick Recommendation Box: Painting an Aluminum Hull with Non-Antifouling Paint --><\/p>\n<div class=\"bps-quick-reco\" style=\"border: 1px solid #e5e5e5; border-left: 6px solid #0a6fb5; background: #f8fbff; padding: 16px 18px; margin: 14px 0 22px; border-radius: 8px;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 8px; font-size: 13px; letter-spacing: .06em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #0a6fb5; font-weight: bold;\">Quick Recommendation<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"margin: 0 0 10px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.25;\">Painting an Aluminum Hull with Non-Antifouling Paint<\/h2>\n<ul style=\"margin: 0; padding-left: 18px; line-height: 1.6;\">\n<li><strong>Use non-antifouling paint<\/strong> if the boat is <strong>trailered or stored dry<\/strong> and doesn\u2019t remain in the water long enough to foul.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prep aluminum correctly:<\/strong> Degrease, remove oxidation, and lightly abrade; apply an <strong>etching or epoxy primer made for aluminum<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Choose aluminum-compatible coatings:<\/strong> Use <strong>topside or industrial marine paints<\/strong> approved for aluminum\u2014avoid copper-containing products.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bottom line:<\/strong> Non-antifouling paint works on aluminum hulls when paired with the <strong>proper aluminum primer and dry-storage use<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin: 12px 0 0; color: #555; line-height: 1.5;\"><strong>Tip:<\/strong> If the boat will stay in the water for extended periods, switch to a <strong>copper-free antifouling system<\/strong> designed for aluminum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>When painting a boat used for hunting\/fishing, such as a Jon Boat, typically a flat finish is desired so you\u2019ll want to use one of our camouflage paints. A primer coat is used to help the paint adhere to the aluminum surface and provides an extra layer of protection from corrosion. You may also use\u00a0 <strong><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/aluma-hawk-boat-paint-by-sea-hawk-paints-p-28288.html\">Aluma Hawk,<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0which is a paint and primer in one.<\/p>\n<p>The <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Aluminum Boat Paint <\/strong><\/span>or\u00a0<strong><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/aluma-hawk-boat-paint-by-sea-hawk-paints-p-28288.html\">Aluma Hawk<\/a><\/span><\/strong> (available in Black, Jon Boat Green, Blue, Sand, White or Aluminum Grey)<strong>,<\/strong> will serve as paint and primer in one so no need to purchase a primer! Aluma Hawk is one of the easiest and most popular paints for your aluminum boat, and available in (white, blue, Jon boat green, black, aluminum grey, and sand). These are both a paint\/primer in one that can be applied to most surfaces with little preparation needed. For more application details see our \u2018<span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/how-to\/paint-jon-boat\/\">how to paint an aluminum Jon Boat\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/span> article.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you paint Aluma Hawk on a boat?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can use a brush, roller, or spray gun. Most applications will need 2 coats of Aluma Hawk following the proper dry time requirements. No sanding is necessary between coats of Aluma Hawk if less than 48 hours between applying coats. If needed, MEK (Methyl Ethly Ketone) can be used for thinning, as well as clean up.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2277 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mega-Gloss-500x539-1-278x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"139\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mega-Gloss-500x539-1-278x300.jpg 278w, https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mega-Gloss-500x539-1.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 139px) 100vw, 139px\" \/>If you desire a gloss finish, look to the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blue-water-marine-mega-gloss-polyurethane-gallon-p-33296.html?search=mega%20gloss&amp;description=true&amp;sort=relevance&amp;order=DESC\"><strong> <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">Mega Gloss by Blue Water<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, available in quarts and gallons, is affordable, easy to apply, and only recommended for above the waterline. This topside paint works best in very thin coats and can be used on fiberglass, wood, aluminum, and steel; see the prep recommendations found on the product page on the \u201chow to use\u201d tab. The <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blue-water-marine-mega-gloss-polyurethane-primer-p-33297.html\">Mega Gloss Primer<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>is recommended when applied to bare metal, if you have concerns about sealing your aluminum, see the <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blue-water-marine-bottom-protect-primer-p-33285.html?search=bottom%20protect&amp;description=true&amp;sort=relevance&amp;order=DESC\">Bottom Protect by Blue Water<\/a> <\/strong><span style=\"color: #333333;\">for a barrier coat. See <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/topside-paint-how-to\/application-topside-paint-mega-gloss-gold-mega-gloss-blue-water\/\">here<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>for more application tips.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>You have many options when painting aluminum. Your use of the boat, the allotted budget, and the amount of time you want to spend on the project may help determine the right paint for you. For more information see our <strong><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/how-to\/topside-paint-how-to\/topside-boat-paint-options\/\">&#8216;topside boat paint options&#8217;<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"http:\/\/w.sharethis.com\/widget\/?wp=6.9.7\"><\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated: February 9, 2026 Quick Recommendation Painting an Aluminum Hull with Non-Antifouling Paint Use non-antifouling paint if the boat is trailered or stored dry and doesn\u2019t remain in the water long enough to foul. Prep aluminum correctly: Degrease, remove oxidation, and lightly abrade; apply an etching or epoxy primer made for aluminum. Choose aluminum-compatible [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,118],"tags":[173,233,232],"class_list":["post-836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aluminum-application","category-topside-paint-how-to","tag-aluminum-boat-paint","tag-camo-paints","tag-paint-aluminum-boat"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=836"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4170,"href":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836\/revisions\/4170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bottompaintstore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}