Hey guys, while my engine is out and I'm doing all the new rigging I decided to paint my bilge. At some point the boat has been gone through and someone painted it light grey... Which hides dirt and grime very nicely. Now my question is should I go all out and paint it white? Leaving me to be forever cleaning it and seeing every drop of oil or stain that accompanies white. Or should I repaint it light grey again and just deal with it and spend more time cleaning the rest of the boat?

Also what would be the best to paint it with? The bilgekote stuff or I've heard good things about rustoleum with some Hardner mixed in..?

As always thank you for your wisdom and saving me from doing things 2-3 times!

Don't know about rustoleum, I painted my bilge with the bilgecoat white & it turned out really nice. I have worked on cruisers with grey painted bilges & they seemed kind of dingy to me JMO. With a fresh smooth paint job I don't think it will stain easily, I have been able to just spray mine out. Randy

I've used bilgecoat on my Donzi, never again!!!

Try aSherwin Williams 2part high solids epoxy. Better 1 coat coverage easier application and a whole lot tougher!!!!!

Bilgecoat takes several coats to cover and does stain over time

Mario L.

I used bilgecoat white on 3 boats and I have not had any issues.

There are several old threads on OSO I read through them before painting, a lot of them came back with people using Rustoleum & hardener. I took a chance & used it. I had great results!! Paint & hardener was cheap, coveren good with just one coat, dried fast, so far has been a very durable finish. I brushed it on so its a nice thick coat dried nice, even & very shiny. IMO well worth taking a chance its only a $30 investment.

Another member just posted a great idea im going to try tomorrow, use tin foil instead of tape to trim around all the wiring, hoses, ect.....



Best of luck to you either way you decide to go.

Thanks guys for all the responses. Looks like I'm gonna go with white now, it will look better with the accent lighting in there anyways.

Yes the grey did/does look kinda dingy but with the base 330 and stock manifolds in there it wasn't much to look at anyways. The new stuff should be much prettier. Ill take some pictures when it's all finished up.

One last question, how did you guys start? Paint the transom first then the floor/stringers? Or do the floor first let it dry then stand there and do the transom? I'm sure when I'm done more will be on me then the boat lol.

Hard to say we have very different setups. If I had a vee bottom I would probably start on the transom & sides then do the floor & stringers last. I dripped a lot in the bottom of the bilge painting the back & sides. I just brushed them lightly so there wasnt any large drops or uneven areas. Be sure to take your time & do the cleanup & prep work 100%. Even the best paint or epoxy wont stick to oil for long, might look good for a while but it wont last as long as it will if you do the prep work! Best of luck.

+1

[QUOTE=GTOKILLER;3883298]There are several old threads on OSO I read through them before painting, a lot of them came back with people using Rustoleum & hardener. I took a chance & used it. I had great results!! Paint & hardener was cheap, coveren good with just one coat, dried fast, so far has been a very durable finish. I brushed it on so its a nice thick coat dried nice, even & very shiny. IMO well worth taking a chance its only a $30 investment.

Another member just posted a great idea im going to try tomorrow, use tin foil instead of tape to trim around all the wiring, hoses, ect.....



tin foil ??? why not just unscrew some cushion clamps and pull a few bolts much nicer finished job.

Fix your leaks and paint it white.
Painted my cruisers bilge top to bottom when it was gutted. So much better now

I used white Bilgecoat. It is hard as nails and doesn't stain from oil drips from oil changes. No idea on long term oil standing staining. Looked bright white when done. Did a couple wiring changes the next yr and touched up the old screw holes that got filled. Surprised it had yellowed a bit in 2 yrs. Didn't know it until I touched up those spots. But they have since yellowed to match if you can call it yellowed. Not disappointed in it, but probably use something else if I where to do it again