turbos230

I am going to paint my outdrive what is the best paint.Long lasting durable etc.
Please respond with your experience.

Jonesyfxr

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Too Stroked

There are a number of very good paint products that will work well on a stern drive. I'll let some other folks chime in on what they favor. But I'll state that every one of them will be worthless if you don't pay very close attention to the pre-paint steps. Time and time again I've seen folks waste their time, effort and money with expensive (and sometimes inexpensive) paints only to watch them pretty much fall off. What did they do wrong? They sleazed out on the pre-paint steps such as proper sanding, cleaning, metal prep, sealing, primer and curing.

As for my personal favorite, I have Imron on the CLE gear case on my 1992 Mercury 2.5/200 outboard. I had the gear case professionally painted by a friend over 20 years ago. Other than a few light scratches and chips picked up from running almost 80 MPH over the years, it still looks damn near perfect. Needless to say, it was prepped correctly. Oh, and it wasn't cheap either.

DanWentworth

Couple of older posts with good information...

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/f...e-paint-4.html

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...outdrives.html

1MOSES1

Might sound funny but...the merc phantom black in a can comes out nice. Easy to apply, cheap, and is durable.

RollWithIt

Prep work is definately key... gotta get any old oxidation, chipping, flaking and corrosion cleaned up. I just repainted my drives this spring. Used Rustoleum gloss black in spray cans. It doesnt have the finish that a professional job would have, but it only cost me 10 bucks and a several hours worth of my time. It is good for a quick fix.

turbos230

I dont think I would use rustoleum or any paints I could buy at autozone or a cheap paint.I am getting some used #6 Merc drves and they need paint.I need something very good quality.So far my best idea from this is the merc phantom black

MullenTJ86

The Merc phantom black paint is inexpensive and great but like all others said, you'll need to prep properly. I sanded my drives down last year, cleaned them but ran out of time and just sprayed them. Needed the boat for a poker run....3 days on the water (80+) and half the paint was gone when I pulled her out. The next time I paint them, ill prime them properly. Powder coating is also another option, probably them most permanent and best but also the most expensive.

4mulafastech

Be sure to follow the Phantom Black with Mercury Leveler spray. It is a clear coat that gives it a glossy factory finish eliminating any orange peel or rough overspray. I've used it several times and it works great.

https://www.wholesalemarine.com/pain...FZO1wAodEQkC9Q

RollWithIt

I did some paint repairs a couple years back with the Merc paints. Sanded and prepped, then used Mercs primer, followed by black and then clear. What I noticed was that after sitting in the water for a little while, the painted areas had a grayish appearance to them compared to the original factory painted areas. This color difference would go away once the boat was back on the trailer and everything was dry. Wont know if the rustoleum paint will do the same until I get to put the boat in some nice clear water.