Bilge paint and application

[Tawney1]

Okay, bilge gurus..., what is the best paint to use for bilges, and what is the best way to apply it?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Boatsb]

Awlgrip is great. Remove everything from the bilge and paint away.

 

[Tawney1]

This may be a stupid question, but it does it may any difference what application method..., brush, roller, spray?

 

[67hat34c]

You were reading my mind, I was working on bilge paint on saturday. Previousely degreased, cleaned with Tide then power washed it. i went in with DA with 60g and gave it a quick sanding, vacuum then cleaned down with Laquer Thinner. brushed and rolled Interlux Bilge Kote. no idea how it will hold up but looks good. directions say 2-3 coats but i was only able to put in one very heavy one. found it easier to just pour the paint in and use bilge as roller tray.

 

[Boatsb]

Tell the truth Steve. You poured it in the bilge then ran the boat and the paint sloshed around while you enjoyed the day on the water.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

If you want a simple way to touch up the bilge, use Interlux Bilgecoat. It is the exact match for the original grey paint that Hatt used. Just clean with MEK and lightly sand, then bruch on. You wouldn't know it wasn't factory. I don't think it will hold up like any of the two part paints, but it is quick and easy and it looks good.

 

[Starman]

The bilge(s) of Boss lady........

What can I say, 33 years of sludge and grime from one end to the other. We probably used every cleaning agent known to man, LOL and then pressure washed it with a 3700psi unit.

We painted the bilge with a two part epoxy paint that also is a barrier coat type paint made by Ameron.

We brushed it on thick. We have gotton water, dirt, grease on this paint during the refurb, and it cleans up like it was just applied and no signs of comming loose anywhere.

I suppose the main thought here would be to use a decent paint but first make sure the surface is free of oils and grime.

 

[mtadamek]

I used an International product on my boat when we pulled the engines and cleaned the bilges. It was a 2 part epoxy. The fiberglass was actually saturated in oil in several places and all I could do was to paint over them. To my surprise, a month later when I went back, I was expecting to wipe the dried paint off and still see oil.....The paint stuck and the oil was standing on top of the paint in a puddle. I wiped it up and the paint is still sticking. This was the first time the bilge was painted since 1965 in most places. Amazing stuff. It took about 2 gallons to do the bilges at 55 bucks a gallon. We rolled and brushed it on and it worked great.

 

[(Nobody You Know)]

Just clean with MEK.

Help me with this one Sky.

PS: Steve, if you are going to wipe the bilge with a solvent I have found denatured alcohol to be much less toxic than laquer thinner.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

You could use any solvent. Methyl Ethyl Ketone was just what came to mind. You just need to get any oils off so the paint will stick.

 

[67hat34c]

Alcohol works but lacquer thiner activates the surface and helps with bonding. used respirator and used blowers acitone would have been better but is too strong. to work with in closed space.

 

[Boss Lady]

Be careful with any solvent, make darn sure that any spark source is turned off. Be careful if working in confined spaces and have someone monitor from outside. You don't want to do an impression of Richard Pryor! I would look at alternative cleaning materials.

 

[mike]

Used 2 coats of Ameron 235, two-part epoxy. Cleaned the bilge with a wire brush attachment on a hand grinder, followed with regular paint thinner. Looks great and is tough and easy to clean. The Ameron is very forgiving; it has a self-etching property that provides excellent adhesion on less than ideal surfaces. The specs are on their web-site if you are interested.

 

[surfdancer45]

Properly applied Interlux Bilgecote holds up very well. It is easy to apply and touch up if needed. The two part paints may give a tougher surface but are more difficult to apply properly and more expensive. My 2 cents. Bob

 

[wraysimpson]

I just finished my 36 Express and we took every bit of paint off of the surface. We were concerned about the other painting that had been done before us. In addition to our fear it was good to know what was under the paint. After numerous wash downs and vacuums etc.. we acetoned the surface and came across it with a product made by FASCO. It is a water based 2 part epoxy that didn't make much sense at first, but when we applied it we were surprised to see that it dried hard as a rock. One gallon of fasco makes 3 gallons of epoxy paint. Because it is water soluble, it worked well in our hard to dry areas. We just pooled the paint in that area and it reacted as if it were dry. We both rolled and brushed this on. The owner of the company is very helpful and will discuss the benefits of his product with you at length. www.fascoepoxies.com Great product. The motors go in this week and with all of the trafic in that bilge we are happy with the outcome...

 

[George]

Here's what I did last season. 1st applied simple green and let sit then scrubbed, then Power washed with simple green, and rinsed, dried. I used Awlgrip and brushed on heavy. Don't use to much activator and don't use the hardener if you have time to let the paint set for a week. make sure you have plenty of ventilation and to the other guys comment, let people know where you are and what your doing. By a professional respirator before applying, a Tyvec suit with hat, gloves, safety glasses. This is not for the faint of heart, Awlgrip is serious stuff but works great.

 

[Boatsb]

Nice job George. The bridge looked real nice.

 

[Boss Lady]

Used 2 coats of Ameron 235, two-part epoxy. Cleaned the bilge with a wire brush attachment on a hand grinder, followed with regular paint thinner. Looks great and is tough and easy to clean. The Ameron is very forgiving; it has a self-etching property that provides excellent adhesion on less than ideal surfaces. The specs are on their web-site if you are interested.

Mike, I am a believer in Ameron epoxy and their ABC3 bottom paint (5 year bottom paint, used by the navy and commercial shipping fleets, and now mega yachts) They hold up much better than the stuff sold to the recreational user. How did you find out about them? I have known about them for years. They actually bought the bottom paint formula from Devoe Paints, Devoe used to sell it for $38 a gallon, but it is $80 since Ameron acquired it.

 

[Akyla]

I have used a variety of the paints in various boat bilges and have found it hard to beat the bilge coat product. It really is very easy to apply as it is a one part product and it can be put on even with a toss away chip brush and comes out looking great. No real need for special resperators and it has relatively low odor issues. The result is a very easy to clean and maintain surface with the benefit of being extremely easy to apply a touch up or second coat if you gouge things up while working on the engines. Priced against paints like Awlgrip, there is no question it is a better bang for your buck in the engine room and other bilge spaces.

 

[luckydave215]

If you're not going to use a two part paint (imron, awlgrip, whatever) go to hemeless despot and buy rustoleum industrial oil based enamel. Because it's oil based, it sticks to oily surfaces, and I defy you to tell the difference between it and bilgecoat, except for the big difference in price.
I've used on a couple of boats, and the results were just fine.