# Bedliner on boat trailer -- what do you think?



## Twenty five ought six (May 19, 2010)

I read somewhere about someone putting bedliner on a boat trailer.

I have your basic jon boat trailer that needs to be dressed up some.  I've never had good luck painting a boat trailer --seems like there is always some flaking around the welds, then rust, then bad news.

I noticed that Tractor Supply has bedliner in rattle cans.  I'm thinking about taking the wire brush on the grinder, and cleaning up the trailer, and then painting it with bedliner with attention to the bad spots.

I know there are "better" ways, but I'm interested in "good enough" for this project.

Thoughts?


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## Troutman3000 (May 19, 2010)

If you prep the surface right you can paint them no problem.  Typically you need to sandblast it or wire wheel it real good.  I have no comment on the bedliner stuff but I would assume that the same flaking would occur.  Go to www.tinboats.net and look at the trailor section, tons of info there.

J


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## mgn2 (May 19, 2010)

Both my kayak trailers are finished in the Dupli-color bed liner, however I used the roll on for most of it, spray on in the corners.  I had a LineX guy tell me they used the exact same stuff to touch up truck bed liners they had sprayed on, so I figured it must be pretty good stuff.  After I built my sliders and light bar for my 2010 Tacoma, I finished them with the stuff as well.  You can get a gallon kit off eBay for like $50 shipped, includes everything you need.  Prep is EXTREMELY important, and sand blasting is the only thing I recommend, then wipe it down w/ alcohol.


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## pbmang (May 19, 2010)

A lot of major companies are doing it now (Ranger, Skeeter, Etc.).  I plan on doing mine sometime in the next year.  I have a ton of paint chips from going down the highway and having small rocks hit it.  I think it would stand up to that kind of stuff better than paint/powder coat.


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## Rich M (May 19, 2010)

I don't understand why they make painted trailers, period.  Galvanizing isn't difficult but I guess if they can save $5 and sell more trailers...  

My background is mostly salt water and galvanized or aluminum trailers (SS hardware on aluminum or you'll have dissimilar metals and corrosion) are the only ways to go.

On to the topic - the modern spray on bedliner material is some awesome stuff - very tough.  As with others - prep seems to be KEY.  Roll-on liners have good reputations.


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## Bill Brown (May 19, 2010)

The surface prep. is the key. A wire wheel on a drill will burnish (polish) the surface, if applied too hard. The tooth (profile) patern, on the surface is what the paints attach to. If it is too smooth, the paint will not stick for long.


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## Troutman3000 (May 19, 2010)

Bill Brown said:


> The surface prep. is the key. A wire wheel on a drill will burnish (polish) the surface, if applied too hard. The tooth (profile) patern, on the surface is what the paints attach to. If it is too smooth, the paint will not stick for long.



Yeah you need a heavy duty wheel that does more than polish, I used one on my alluminum boat and it turned out good.


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## Brine (May 19, 2010)

I put Herculiner on my trailer and love it. 1 gallon easily did every square inch of it. Ace Hardware had it for less than anybody I could find $75 got the gallon kit.


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