I just sanded my boat down to the aluminum pretty much, I started spray painting and put on the first coat of paint and it seems "patchy" looking, uneven. Do I just need more coats to make it look even? Any suggestions would help! Thanks.  D.

You really can't paint anything in just one coat. If you get the paint on that heavy it will be full of runs. So just take your time and figure on 2-3 coats to get decent coverage. On the last coat pull the masking tape after the paint has been on long enough to be tack free, but not hard. The tape will part with the boat paint better and the boat paint will kind of roll over on the  edge  giving a nicer line.

Thanks! I'll take my time putting on the coats.

i dont think you can put enough paint on to take the waves out. are you saying that it was not wavey  before you started sanding. the only way you will get the waves out is to use primer on boat and then block sand it till the high and low spots are gone and then .if you dont get them out the firs time you prime sand and prime again in a alum boat you will not get all the waves out because of the rivets or welding

In order to get an even coat with a spray can, you'll need to make consistant full-length passes without stopping in the middle, continuing past the ends of the boat in both directions. Watch your overlap, try to maintain a consistant distance between the work surface and your can, and try to keep the can perpendicular to the surface.

Anybody can "spray bomb" a boat, but very few people can make it look good.

IMHO, you can get pretty good results using a roller as long as you're not looking for a "show-quality" paint job. I'd never do it on a car or motorcycle, but it would be fine for a boat.

I'm gonna try putting a few more coats on using your end to end method, if it still looks splotchy or uneven-forget it, its getting rolled! I just want to get the wiring, lights, decking and carpet done, so I can finally get on the lake!   Thanks for the tip bro!    D.