Need suggestions for painting drive
 

This spring had some corrosion mostly around prop to drive area. So I removed corrosion and feathered back before using chromate primer and Mercury paint. Didn't put in water for 3-4 weeks. Pulled boat with 4 months in fresh water and same thing. Also the Mercury black turned dull alone looks like it wore off to expose primer. Did I do anything wrong or is this just life?

thanks

No rattle can paint is going to hold up being in the water for 4 months and its doubtful any automotive paints would hold up either for 4 months in the water. The factory merc paint is some secret recipe.

I messed up the lower on my boat when the anchor I was using didn't hold and the lower hit the sandy bottom. I just used Rust-oleum and that was 3 years ago and it still looks great.

Yeah, but was it left in the water for 4 months straight???

I have used a metal prep, metal etching primer, and polyurethane paint (Imron) and it's held up well, but I didn't leave it in the water either. Merc coatings are some kind of magic stuff!

magic stuff, guess that's not in the rattle can they sell(LOL)? Talked to local boat shop and he's had good luck with blasting old off then epoxy primer and Imron. Usually gets 2 seasons. Last year I ordered MarPro zinc chromate primer which was about 50% more than Moeller brand sold locally, but didn't get it on time(backordered). Pro had more ingredients according to MSDS. So I'll give the pro a try for next season and see if there's a difference?

I use https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rust-Oleum-...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

and

https://www.acehardware.com/departme...-purpose/17072

I've had descent luck on the gimbal rings and bell housing. Paint looks good/new even after 3 seasons.

the drive it's self seems to be more difficult to keep black. the good news is, I just throw on another coat this fall. long as the metal isn't rusting away I think it's the best of what I can do at home. Mercury works with brand new clean aluminum, then go through 20 cleaning steps, then powder coat the thing, then bake it in an oven at 1000 degrees for a few hours... something I just can't do at home...

the merc stuff in a can is more difficult to work with, and doesn't seem any better than this black.

I'd love to know about any home paint jobs that hold up better.

Happens alot around here. People redoing there drives every few years but not their ‘zincs’. I’m on a really fresh water lake in which most boats I work on stay at a dock for 3-4 -5 months.

Few older boats that owners let me replace them (zincs) every 3-4-5 years have drives that look pretty damn good. Drives with stsinless props eat anodes quicker.

If you have a auto paint store near you see if they have a 2 part paint they can put in a rattle can. It has a button on the bottom of the can that release the hardner. Someplaces can also mix different colors for you.

Best luck I had getting paint to stay on my lower was put automotive clear over the black. Holding up so far.

will try that. thx

if you can test it before you do your drive - do that. I had tried to do clear over my black one year and it ruined the paint.... some aren't compatible.

I believe mercury makes a clear?

I've tried most all of the above recipes, and have not been successful with a boat that is moored full time in salt or fresh water. As said above the OEM
finish is magic!
Finally bit the bullet, and purchased a hydrohoist!

Drives look great!

Slightly off topic but has anyone had issues with hard water stains not coming off the drives? I re-painted my XRs with Merc rattle can black and clear last year. I float the boat for 10 days a year on Bull Shoals which has hard water and it leaves a white haze on them every time. Bio Kleen gets some of the black to come back but never to full shine, any ideas how to prevent this?

The outdrives are powder coated at the factory and unless you can do the same, the same results aren't possible.
When I bought my 252 Islander last year, the skeg had some missing paint. I scuffed it good with some 1600 grit paper, then wiped it down with prep solvent, then applied a couple of coats of zinc chromate primer, then...get this...used Krylon FUSION gloss black. To date it has held up great, no flaking or peeling.

interesting, I may have to keep that an option.

Use an epoxy primer and urethane paint. I used single stage PPG. (not acrylic urethane, or urethane enamel)
The first pic is 2010 last pic was 2020. Only paint missing is where it wore off the skegs from beaching. No chipping or peeling
Post 10 will show what I started with. Pitts were filled with Dynatron Dyna-Delite.
https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/...-progress.html
2010
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...63312ac9de.jpg
2020
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f0eb8dadad.jpg

I used to race high performance radio controlled boats, running 60% nitromethane fuel that would simply dissolve most paints, so I always used IMRON primers and paints, and yeah...NOTHING would touch that stuff, for sure.

I have painted many drives, what usually works for me is to sandblast the unit first, then use a good metal prep made for aluminum. Prime the units with either a good epoxy or chromate primer. I usually use a good single stage automotive black. As others suggested also make sure your anodes are correct for the type of water your boat sits in. Salt and fresh have different ones. As Craney suggested they do make a two part spray in a can, you can order it through Eastwick with other two part primers and clear if you do not have access to spray equipment. It also never hurts to keep them clean by wiping them down from time to time when you are at the beach. Good luck, hope it helps.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c1b323f414.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...7cbf517d3b.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...118e514ae1.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...db50e87d36.jpg
This bottom one was taken right after it was out of storage for winter so they look dusty.

The Merc drives are not powdercoated. It is special primer, special paint and oven curing process.
I have seen a video from the factory that shows the process.

Thanks, Griff...I had read an article about the use of powder coating at the former Stillwater, OK plant (now closed) as opposed to the painting that had been standard practice in Fond du Lac, but that was a few years ago. Obviously they've come up with a better solution now.

Old thread with Merc specs for repainting https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/...ive-paint.html

I used to glass shot my TRS drives and K-planes, wash with aluminum prep, wipe, zinc chromate and then 3 coats of black Imron. boat sat in salt water 4 months a year and had very little issue
Merc mercathode system really helped
Sammy J