Rust control/management

Hello all,
I have a 77 Mainship with the original Perkins still in place running fine. My question is about rust. Everywhere I look. Where should I start? Paint? CRC? I know some of you old salts out there have secrets to tell.
Thanks

Depending on how bad the rust is. If it is surface rust then you can use a rust converter first then paint. If it is thick and scaling then you will need to scrape the rust off prior to using a converter. There are a bunch of rust converters out there.

We’ve had two Perkins. For rust it was wire brush, Por 15, prime and paint. The first time I didn’t use much paper to protect the surrounding white painted/gel-coated surfaces. It was amazing how far that blue paint over spray traveled.

When painting a great trick is to use aluminum foil as masking for areas that you don’t want painted. Much easier than tape. Simply crush it around what you want to mask and it will stay in place. When you are done painting it comes off easily, much easier than tape. Of course some places will need taping but I use aluminum foil in about 90% of the areas I want to mask.

The rust converter I use is Extend. You can get it in a spray can or in a bottle for brushing.

Greetings,
Mr. GB. Many years ago I had very good results with https://neutrarust.net/why-neutrarust/. Apparently it is only available in the UK now-go figure, but I second the suggestion of a rust converter. Good thing about a converter is you can overpaint with pretty well any good paint so you can pick your custom color.


That being said I've also had very good results with POR15. One advantage of the POR is one only has to remove the heavy scale then paint right over. One potential disadvantage is the colors are limited and it is a more involved process to overpaint with a non POR product/color.


Take note: Do NOT get any POR on you or anything you don't want painted. It is almost impossible to remove when cured. Smells bad as well.

The Extend that I use can be painted with most any paint or you can leave it without any paint. I haven’t used the POR15 but lots of people like it. I didn’t realize that it couldn’t just be overcoated with paint.

Greetings,
Mr. C. From what I understand it can be overpainted with other paints BUT you have to apply a POR "primer" first. Seems counter intuitive to put a primer over your finish coat but I think the primer has more "tooth" to accept non POR products.


From the FAQ, POR15 site: "CAN I PAINT OVER POR-15 WITH OTHER PAINTS?
Absolutely. POR-15 will accept all paints, including lacquer-based paints. POR-15 Tie-Coat Primer is the best prime coat to use before topcoating POR-15. Be sure to read thoroughly our directions and tip sheets regarding topcoating before using POR-15.


Perhaps I'm misreading it.


https://www.por15.com/

Once everything is painted, put a plastic cover over your stuffing box. Spinning shaft can generate a lot of salt spray.

Having owned a steel boat for years, we became self-proclaimed experts on dealing with rust. Our favorite product is Corroseal. Follow the directions and it works well.

SoWhat said:

Once everything is painted, put a plastic cover over your stuffing box. Spinning shaft can generate a lot of salt spray.

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I'll second that.

Even the best shaft seals throw a FINE spray which can travel far and wide causing rust. Cover the seal area where the shaft enters and that spray will be caught to then drip into the bilge.

THe spray is truly fine and with a well done box won't be easily visible but hold or secure a paper towel next to it for a while and the towel will be wetted.

I use an old beaten to death small fender cut up to do the job. I secure it lightly with a clamp which can be slid out of the way easily for adjustment.