Engine Room Paint

Have a 97 Hatteras 50 Sportdeck with DD 6V92. Looking to clean up engine room and do some painting of engines. Any recommendations on what paint to use? Engines are currently white and want to use same color.

I have never used rattle can paint but some do. I use a typical automotive process for metal. Scrap-sand-remove as much rust as possible. First coat is self etch zinc primer, used to be zinc chromate but thanks epa. It’s meant to be sprayed and immediately recoated with a primer but it can be brushed in small areas like engine parts. Be generous with the zinc self etch- a few coats. Next brush on the catalyzed primer- no sand primer preferably but that’s more money. All catalyzed primer is no sand within its open time so to speak but true no sand allows many hours to recoat. Then apply catalyzed top coat. It will be the most durable coating and it won’t yellow like single part paint. For engine room sole and hull sides I wash with spray nine really well, wipe down generously with acetone and while the acetone still has the previous coating soft, I recoat with Fixall brand Everlife Urethane enamel. It’s an industrial alkyd paint that’s been sold under a bunch of names starting with Larcoloid and then California paints purchased the line and have changed the name a couple times. Very durable and can be used in bilges where it will be fully submerged. 1/3 price of Pettit bilge coat and for all intents and purposes same paint

One of the members here taped & wrapped up his Detroit mains, stripped the old paint off and re-painted all. Wow, now looks as works of art. 8 years later, I fear his ship is on the market.

https://www.samsmarine.com/forums/sh...b-Advice/page5

While I don't think I'll ever have the level of quality as on RClarksons boat I paid a company to clean and paint ER. They took it to where we discussed and I got what I paid for.

I took over from there making improvements and touching up every time the boat has any work done. I made protective mats to put down to avoid (as much as you can, things will get dropped) damage. This is the best improvement I made to the boat (wife doesn't think so). Everything is bright and white. I have white pads under the engines to catch leaks. Whether on those or in another spot where I see a telltale stain I can easily trace back to the point of origin. Great example is I see an orange stain from the top of the pan in front of engine pan leading down to bilge pump. Get in there and I follow the trail to a small plug on raw water side of a HX pipe. Never would notice this in a dirty old ER. After the fix I clean and paint the stained areas to start over. Also the mechanic had a newer guy change my tranny filters. He made a bit of a mess. Cleanup was easy. As was a diesel fuel spill (racor bowl had a crack) in the center dry pan.

I highly reccomend going down this road. If you farm out like I did expect some collateral damage from someone who is not a mechanic crawling all over everything for quite a while. I did expect and issues were minor and I took care of those.

I have used POR15 and Awlgrip. Whatever you do please, please cover everything and don't paint your hoses and wiring, etc. Aluminum foil works good to wrap things. I like to brush mine as it is easier to keep it off those items and you don't have fog drifting everywhere

Wear a good respirator and get some air flow thru the room

Rustoleum Canvas White was the perfect color match for my engine rooms.

Using Aluminum Foil to mask hoses and other odds and ends is great advice! Make sure you shut batteries off to alternator before wrapping. I remember taking rbruckner (sp?) up on that advice 15 years ago when I painted my Cummins 903 with rattle can Rust-Oleum 'High Performance" paint. Rob gave me so much great advice back in the day. Paint is still holding up pretty darn well, actually touching up a few spots these season. At time, I only degreased and hosed down entire engines and put paint straight on. Like all things, the more prep you do the better the results and the longer it will last. For gray engine room plywood floor, I used an exterior epoxy paint you find at hardware store that has also held up great.

Attachment 73580

Go flat black with purple trim and big black lights with a Jimi Hendrix poster on the wall. Attachment 73706

The Yachtsmawilly Experience! Paint "Thing 1" one one and "Thing 2" on other and really get far out. I miss blacklight posters, model airplanes, and comic books. These were the early markings of the first man-caves.