We decided to to have the tailboard and the rear cover sandblasted and powdercoated. We decided upon powdercoating, because it was not aluminum and it would hold up under foot traffic and weather. We had to remove the tailboard and rear cover anyway in order to remove the water. This is a case in point on working on three components at once.
We removed the tailboard and rear cover and then had it sandblasted. We then had both pieces powdercoated. Both pieces then went into storage for the next two years while the motor, water tank, paint and and body restoration took place. After two years we've gotten the tailboard and rear cover re-installed.