re: Painting vs. Polishing aluminum boat

Personally, I would just paint the thing. It'll probably be a pain in the arse stripping all the paint. On top of that, i'm sure it's full of dings and scratches. Those will all show up if you strip it, while they will be hidden if you paint it. If you strip it, you have to spray it with acid to keep it looking new, just another thing to do. I'm not sure you would get the look of those shiny new boats, even if you were to strip it.

I think painted aluminum boats look pretty good, fwiw.