How to Paint Camouflage on a Canoe

Adding camouflage patterns to a canoe makes it a silent and stealthy craft for hunting waterfowl and shore-based wildlife stalking. How to paint the canoe depends solely on the material used to construct the canoe. In most cases, a roto-molded or plastic canoe does not take paint unless it is designed specifically for plastic use. Aluminum canoes require expensive anodizing processes that use highly caustic chemicals, or for the home hobbyist, sand-blasting or scratching the aluminum surface first to make the metal more porous for the paint.

Things You'll Need

  • Work horses
  • Drop cloths
  • Plastic-specific spray paint (for roto-molded canoes)
  • Sand blaster or several steel wool pads
  • Gloves, eye goggles, smock and mask
  • Cardboard sheets and utility knife
  • Painter's tape
  • Aluminum primer paint (for metal canoes)
  • Metal-based spray paint (for metal canoes)
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Instructions

  1. Roto-Molded Canoes

    • 1

      Set up the work horses with a drop cloth under them and far enough apart to rest the canoe upon. Wash the canoe surface so all grit, grime and residue are gone. Let the canoe dry.

    • 2

      Cut out a series of random shapes and patterns in the cardboard sheets and tape the sheets, not the cut-outs, to the sides and hull of the canoe with the painter's tape.

    • 3

      Shake the spray paint designed to adhere to plastic surfaces thoroughly. Apply color, making sure to use the lightest color first, to the canoe cardboard stencils. Let the paint dry then remove the stencils and reposition them on the canoe hull.

    • 4

      Add your next, darker color to the stencils. Move the cardboard patterns with each successive color, making sure to finish the painting with the darkest color.

    • 5

      Flip the canoe over and paint the combing (the edges along the side of the canoe) to the camo pattern colors. Let it dry and use as needed.

    Aluminum Canoes

    • 6

      Set the canoes onto the work horses with the drop cloth underneath. Put on the mask, goggles, smock and gloves. Sandblast the canoe hull so the aluminum is marred and scratched. If you do not have a sandblaster, hand-scratch the metal with steel-wool pads.

    • 7

      Spray a coating of the metal primer paint to the scratched and marred aluminum surface. This helps set the next layer of paint. Let the primer dry.

    • 8

      Cut out a series of random shapes and patterns in the cardboard sheets and tape the sheets, not the cut-outs, to the sides and hull of the canoe with the painter's tape.

    • 9

      Shake the spray paint cans. Using your lightest color first, apply the paint to the canoe. Remove the stencils, reposition and spray until all colors are used, moving the stencils each time and finishing with the darkest color. Let all the paint dry.

    • 10

      Turn the canoe over and paint the edges and thwarts with the spray paints. Thwarts are the bars that run between the sides of the canoe. If the seats are bright and reflect sun, paint them as well. With an aluminum canoe, sunlight and glare cause animals to be frightened, negating the effects of the camo.

    • 11

      Let the canoe dry and then use.