I just purchased a 1988 32 FB. It was sold as part of an estate sale. I did not get to test run the boat but did look it over. One engine needs to be replaced and there seems to be a leak in the hydraulic steering. The boat is in fair shape but does have a generator ice maker and reverse cycle ac. I paid $15,000.00 for the boat knowing its going to cost me 2,000 to replace the engine. I did find an older survey in the boat from 5 years ago. The one thing it mentioned was that it found pitting on the hull. Is that typical? What should the meter on the helm station read? I am in fresh water just south of Washington DC. on the Potomac River. The topside of the boat needs to be painted. Any recommendations on paint and primer to use. I will not be able to spray just roll or brush. Any other feedback would be great.

Hi Tony
Welcome to the site. Lots of good info on painting in the archives. Is the boat on the hard or in the water? Hydraluc steering is great. I intalled Hydraluc steering on both my Marinettes. 32' & 37'. Sure beats the old original cable system. It is always wise to get a suvey on any boat you buy. Sounds like its a done deal? Well it will be a great learning experiance. Just take your time and enjoy.
I have used INTERLUX paint and primers on my 37'. The roll and tip method, prep is 7/8 the job and I also had my 32' sprayed with AWLGRIP.$$$
Bill

Anthony welcome to the site, I just got my "M" this year, too, and you will find just about everything you need to know in the search function (archives) at the top of the page. It has sooooo much info and details, you will spend hours guarenteed just reading. If it isn't allready in there, most guys on this site will bust thier butts to give you the best info they can. Again welcome, you have one of the coolest customer blogs at your disposal! JAM

Anthony,
Welcome!!!

While pitting can and does occur, it's not something that you'll want to let go.

If you have a few minutes, this link will give you a good amount of detail on the "why's" of pitting:

http://marinetteboat.com...Galvanic-Corrosion.aspx

As soon as you can inspect the bottom you'll be able to see the amount of pitting present. I got a nasty surprise this fall when I pulled "Sunset Seeker" out - fair amount of old pitting (that'd been painted over).

http://marinetteboat.com...mic-means-to-do-so.aspx

(scroll down to get to links which show the pitting <allow a couple of seconds and the pics should reduce to a reasonible viewing size>)

My intent is to sand blast the pitted areas of the bottom, use an epoxy filler (possibly with an echant to ensure adhesion to the bare aluminum) to fill in the pitting, reblast the bottom to its entirety (as aluminum will quickly develop a "skin" of oxidation to protect itself, but which makes paint adhesion poor), prime with a couple of coats of non-copper based primer, and then a number of finish coats. There's a great link for the painting procedure that goes into great detail on the site. This is just one of the many posts concerning bottom painting. As I said, for topside painting, do a Search on painting and you'll get scads of posts....

http://marinetteboat.com...m--Need-advicehelp.aspx
(scroll down to jalbert's detailed listing).

I wasn't a Marinette owner before last spring and I have learned volumes from the folks on this site.



Bill

Welcome to the forum. A lot of what you need to know is in the forum archives. You are lucky to get a genset and air conditioning at that price. Do you have "fresh" (enclosed anti-freeze based) cooling or raw water cooling? You are pretty near brackish and salt water. I went through an engine replacement using a "long block" on my old 28' project boat. Nightmare - they actually put in the wrong rotation engine. Check to see if the engine you have can be rebuilt. Pitting may require a bottom job. This is a big deal. Fastjeff and others have posted a lot of info about this. Still, it will take a long time for the pits to get all the way through the hull. You need to make sure your zincs are in good shape and the propshaft is electrically isolated. This involves non-conductive strut bearing and tranny to prop shaft connections. Your CAPAC meter should work if the sender plate has not been painted over. You should use a paint for the topsides which can be sprayed, rolled, brushed or rolled and tipped. I got a spray or brush only paint. I sent the flybridge and side cowls out to a autopaint shop and got great results. There is still a lot of deck space left. I can't roll and tip and my brush technique is very bad. Spraying a deck can be done in minutes after days of sanding, taping and masking. You got the whole winter to plan. Get the engine running ASAP. Start enjoying your boat in the spring and take the rest one thing at a time.