Paint the bilge ... or not?

[FredV]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me what the real benefits to painting the bilge are besides making it look nice? While restoring my 37-C, I wake up every morning telling myself I will, then look at it and say, "Not today!" Now that it's been scrubbed clean, the bilge really looks fine and, as you can imagine, I'm getting really sick and tired of sanding, painting, and varnishing!

Thanks!

 

[Benny17441]

I hear you.

 

[Jim Legere]

Most of my bilge is white gel coat, except for the section under the grating at the bottom of the companionway, which is painted flat black (I assume this was done to camouflage any dirt that fell through the grating?)

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

I'm getting really sick and tired of sanding, painting, and varnishing!

Instead of varnishing your bilge (and I'm assuming your a bit OCD like myself) consider coating your bilge with System Three Silver Tip epoxy. Hard as nails, smooth as glass, and never have to coat again. Downside is about $75.00 for three pints.

 

[braol]

Probably the desire to have everything "just right" motivates us to do a bilge paint. Also, smoothing out the finish of the bilge and making it glossy smooth makes cleaning it up a snap. I have enjoyed seeing pictures of Bilgekoted engine rooms on this forum...never thought an engine room could look so good!

 

[hewebb]

Some where along my boats life the bilge got painted. I spent several hours cleaning up the paint. It started when I found some paint loose in the bilge. My guess the area was not properly prepared prior to painting, or, wrong pant used.

 

[FredV]

Great! Since the main benefit seems to be to make the bilge look nice, and I can't imagine ever wanting to show it off to friends, I've decided to move on to other projects. Thanks!

 

[Shan]

Come on... you know it is going to bug you if you don't paint them.....

 

[braol]

You can use the Bilgekote paint to make your engine room look REALLY nice..........

 

[Maine Sail]

You could not pay me to paint a bilge. The paint WILL eventually lift, peel and flake off only to plug up your bilge pump and make a mess of everything.

The only products I use anywhere near a bilge.

*Gelcoat- Must be waxed type

*Barrier Coat - Interlux 2000E or another Epoxy such as the Silvertip suggested above...

Even LPU paints are not recommended for continuous submersion.

 

[sandpiper10471]

My entire bilge is flat black. I assume gelcoat, as none has ever peeled. It never looks dirty, or perhaps it always looks dirty. Could never look clean like a white one but never look as bad as an oily white one. Besides, except for servicing, it stays covered.

 

[Dalliance]

You could not pay me to paint a bilge. The paint WILL eventually lift, peel and flake off only to plug up your bilge pump and make a mess of everything. The only products I use anywhere near a bilge. *Gelcoat- Must be waxed type *Barrier Coat - Interlux 2000E or another Epoxy such as the Silvertip suggested above... Even LPU paints are not recommended for continuous submersion.

Thank you MaineSail. I can now have good reason to delete that long delayed project from my list. The white gel coat is just fine, even if it is a little stained at the lowest area of the bilge.

 

[Maine Sail]

Thank you MaineSail. I can now have good reason to delete that long delayed project from my list. The white gel coat is just fine, even if it is a little stained at the lowest area of the bilge.

The nice thing about gelcoat is that it is very easy to get clean again, with the right products... Those same products can ruin paint...