So 10 years ago when my father-in-law gave me his old 1974 Duracraft with a 1976 Johnson 15hp, my wife thought it would look nice to paint it blue and put a palmetto moon on it. You know, a floating SC flag. Well, the motor died about 2 years ago and it sat with a cover on it ever since.
I’ve finally mustered up the will to restore it make a duck hunting boat out of it yet. I scraped all the loose paint, used a wire wheel to loosen the stuff I couldn’t see, and sanded it more than I probably should have. Automotive primer, 2 coats with steel wool buffing between each coat; 2 layers of olive drab (krylon camo spray paint is sweet). The floor is U-Pol Raptor tintable bed liner, sprayed in myself. I told the paint store i wanted OD green and I got mashed pea green. Oh well. It is a nice durable coating and I can add color with spray paint… haven’t decided yet.
I’ll be adding khaki marsh grass stripes on the sides (both inside and out. Camo seats, rod holders and wires for lights and the boat will be done.
Will put a new 15hp electric start tiller on it this fall (after we save up).
Before - the floor turned to crap because of the carpet that was in it held water.
Go to tinboats.net for great ideas and how to’s on painting
Fishing on the bottom is like having sex with the lights turned off. It feels good… but I wanna see it.
Lights On!
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of dust with a rod in one hand and a beer in the other,
thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming…
Chris, I wanted it all OD green to create a solid background prior to the camouflaging. Since the initial post, I covered the pea green bedliner with with OD green and it looks better. Just as durable too.
Camo is actually going to be 3 layers on the walls:
black vertical lines (simulate grass shadows)
brown cattail pattern that I cut into a sheet of poster board
khaki marsh grass (to simulate foreground)
I studied the Advantage Max-4 camo (seat coverings) and came to this formula for camo. Will post pics in a week or two.
