paint for bilge

matt · Post by **matt** » Oct 21st, '08, 09:44

I remember a discussion about using Rustoleum two part epoxy paint for the bilge. Looking for the ref number i thought it was 9100?

John F. · Post by **John F.** » Oct 21st, '08, 12:37

I can check on the old cans of it I have at home. I used it for part of my bilge, and wouldn't use it again. It worked OK--not really any better than the 1-part bilgekote, and fumes made it too much of a hassle. The fumes from the Rustoleum were unbelievable. Work in open air, and get whatever kind of resperator they recommend. My recommendation would be for something else--bilgekote has worked fine for me.

scot · Post by **scot** » Oct 21st, '08, 14:09

Look for 2 part. emersion rated epoxy. You will be happy with that spec for bilge paint. Sherwin Williams has an industrial side to their business, try them. You may have to buy the paint in 5 gal quanities. If they ask you about your application, tell them internal fiberglass tank coating for salt water storage!

Lot's of mfg's make this type paint. The key is the "emersion" rating, and of course a clean suface. Try Devoe, International, etc. Good part is that it is typically cheap, compaired to the stuff sold to the pleasure boating crowd (us)

Buju · Post by **Buju** » Oct 21st, '08, 17:21

Scot is dead-on, immersion is the key factor. A good canidate would be Tank Clad High Solids Epoxy :
http://www.sherlink.com/sher-link/catal ... =640170726
It comes in a 5 gal. kit ( 4:1 mix ratio... four gallons of part A to 1 gallon of part B ) ..Probably be great for baitwell interiors as well. If I remember correctly, the kit should run a few hundred $.
They have a few other coatings that'd do the trick as well... But, I remember someone talking about using SW Tile Clad Epoxy ( a great product ) but not rated for immersion, eventually it'll fail in the low areas, which will open the door for the rest of it to come loose.
I know guy who is currently going through a lotta bilge pumps, because years ago he painted his whole bilge with awlgrip... now he's constantly got chips of awlgrip in his bilge, his pumps, etc.

DRIFTER31 · Post by **DRIFTER31** » Oct 22nd, '08, 09:04

Interlux Perfection is 2 part and dries hard as a rock and comes in any color. You can also buy a flatening agent for it to make it look exactly like gelcoat in the bilge. With the flatening agent you are still able to wipe up oil etc. 74.00 per qt. Without the flatening agent it shines as well as a new car. Very happy with the results.Troy

Rawleigh · Post by **Rawleigh** » Oct 22nd, '08, 10:22

I used this product in white. You will need two coats for thorough coverage over the factory grey.

luis · Post by **luis** » Oct 23rd, '08, 03:44

DRIFTER31 wrote:Interlux Perfection is 2 part and dries hard as a rock and comes in any color. You can also buy a flatening agent for it to make it look exactly like gelcoat in the bilge. With the flatening agent you are still able to wipe up oil etc. 74.00 per qt. Without the flatening agent it shines as well as a new car. Very happy with the results.Troy

Allo Troy, using that Interlux Perfection do I have to apply first a primer or it applies direct to the fiberglass? And when you say "flatening agent" what are you using?

Thanks

Buju · Post by **Buju** » Oct 23rd, '08, 06:09

Guys,
Perfection, Awlgrip, & Imron are all very similar products (2 part linear polyurethanes ) They all apply easily, are very durable, have great gloss retention, etc... But none of them are really suitable for immersion.

Troy, the bilge of your Tiara looks great done in the Perfection, I'm sure, and cleans up easily too. But eventually (years) the Perfection will begin to fail in the low lying areas that always have a little water present. After the intial paint film is compromised, it'll allow for moisture to get behind, and work it's way up the rest of the coating... If you stay on it though, it should never really become a huge issue.

Luis, the Perfection should go over an epoxy primer first. Interlux's is known now as Epoxy Primekote (used to be called Epoxy Barrierkote). The flattening agent for Interlux is YZM914 (should be sold on the shelf alongside the paint, hardeners, catalysts, reducers, etc)

luis · Post by **luis** » Oct 23rd, '08, 11:08

Thanks for the advise. You know the song "This is not America" ? really here is not America so products are not quite in a shelf but on several stores and several shelves. The guy that sell paint don't sell epoxy and so on. But with some advises from here I am building a paper project (already now 100 pages with notes and images and etc) at the same time that I am doing the real project and I hope the final result is a nice and pretty and functional result. Now I'm on the sanding !!! stage on the inside. ""terrible""!!!
Thanks

Tony Meola · Post by **Tony Meola** » Oct 23rd, '08, 21:29

Matt

I just finished mine so I am not sure how its going to hold up, but I put down 3 coats of Interprotect in white, then 3 coats of Bilge Coat. I am not sure how well the bilge coat will hold up, but I am sure the Interprotect will hold up underneath it just fine.

Rawleigh · Post by **Rawleigh** » Oct 24th, '08, 08:51

The Bilgekote did not work for me, but I have heard of other people having good luck with it. I think that high gloss paint cleans up much better and is more resistant to staining than flat paint, so I like it for bilges. As long as you don't have to walk on it it is great!

Raybo Marine NY · Post by **Raybo Marine NY** » Oct 28th, '08, 09:57

why not just use gelcoat?

Ironman · Post by **Ironman** » Oct 28th, '08, 10:49

Gelcoat... Good choice.
Wayne

Dug · Post by **Dug** » Oct 28th, '08, 11:36

I used bilgekote and it worked beyond my expectations, and they were high.

I had gelcoated, but it was not a gloss finish, and was susceptible to staining etc. very easily. It was a pain in the butt with the wax additive etc. and stunk to high heaven on application.

Make sure your substrate is clean and you will have no problem with bilgekote. It is one step and has been bulletproof for me.

Dug

Raybo Marine NY · Post by **Raybo Marine NY** » Oct 28th, '08, 11:39

and if your awlgripped or imron bilge is peeling it was not prepped properly, you can put either over raw glass and it will stick as long as you clean and scuff the glass, you can put either over gelcoat but the gelcoat must be scuffed and cleaned.

both will tolerate being submerged, it might get some very slight bubbling but it wont peel.

Painted bilges are popular for epoxy finished boats, we have repainted 5 skater bilges in the last year and none of them peeled and all of them have standing water in them.

For a polyester bilge I cant see why you would not just go with gelcoat?

Buju · Post by **Buju** » Oct 28th, '08, 20:12

and if your awlgripped or imron bilge is peeling it was not prepped properly

Simply not true. All three manufacturers (Azko, Interlux & Dupont) plainly state the products are not to be used on even frequently submerged substrate (unless there have beeen recent changes I'm not aware of) Not that a bilge is a hull bottom by any means... Also with any paint film failure, there are so many variables involved - to summerize it all up like that would be flawed reasoning.

you can put either over raw glass and it will stick as long as you clean and scuff the glass, you can put either over gelcoat but the gelcoat must be scuffed and cleaned.

This is a great example of the improper prep work you bring up. Sure they'll have sufficient adhesion to call the job finished, collect the $$, and move on to the next. But this kind of prep will not aid in longevity. I do think the main reason for the epoxy primers is to provide a easily fairable substrate for the high gloss finish, but I beleive there is a beneficial chemical bond created as well...

both will tolerate being submerged, it might get some very slight bubbling but it wont peel.
Painted bilges are popular for epoxy finished boats, we have repainted 5 skater bilges in the last year and none of them peeled and all of them have standing water in them.

Robbie, it'll peel like a banana. No, not every one of course- but the potential certainly does exist... I've seen it in several. Annnnnd I know you are aware of the outcome if one of them bubbles happen to get smaked with a wrench, boatbrush,etc. and the film is cracked...
A one year time span isn't an accurate measure of a success by any means. Five to ten years, sure... Check out one of them skaters in 2015- betcha there will be a whole lot more going on than slight bubbling.

For a polyester bilge I cant see why you would not just go with gelcoat?

Agreed.

matt · Post by **matt** » Oct 28th, '08, 20:29

I spoke with the help desk of both rustoleum and sherwin williams. both companies told me that they have nothing that has been "tested" or recommended for application to frp-only to metal hulls, ballast tanks etc. this doesnt mean it cant be done only that they can't recommend it. it seems like if its an epoxy it should bond well i dont know? thinking i may just thicken some epoxy and tint it white to apply it. will that work?

Tony Meola · Post by **Tony Meola** » Oct 28th, '08, 20:47

Matt

The interlux barrier coat is an epoxy and comes in white. Just not glossy. Mine is only on a couple of weeks so I can tell you how it will hold up. Only time will tell.

Buju · Post by **Buju** » Oct 28th, '08, 22:12

Matt,
As Capt. Patrick pointed out to me a few months back. White tinted epoxy will yellow out, and offers very little as to abrasion resistance.
Gelcoat would be a better choice, as Raybo suggested...

Tony,
The epoxy barrierkote should have no problems with adhesion. But it is a primer (in esssence) and meant to be topcoated. The cured film is really quite soft, not so sure about it's petro-chem. resistance either.

What about some of the hard bottom paints? Not antifouling bottom paints of course- but the teflon-infused slick stuff they put on the racing sailboats that aren't kept in the water? Interlux has one I beleive:
VC Performance Epoxy.
A possibity...I'm just wondering out loud on this... kicking around ideas.

Raybo Marine NY · Post by **Raybo Marine NY** » Oct 29th, '08, 09:10

If I give advice, I give it knowing that it is solid advice.
You can take the advice or leave it, thats up to you, and I always like to think that someone asking questions gathers the advice of a few people and comes to thier own conclusion.

As for the skaters- I work on them from the late 80s, no peeling bilges there. I have brushed imron and awlgrip on plenty of raw glass bilges, maybe I have just been lucky that they are not peeling.
Even boats I have painted the bottoms of and they were left in the water they might bubble a little, but they still dont peel. I have quite a few people who did not want bottom paint on the sides of thier hulls so they have submerged imron in saltwater from April-Oct-nov-dec, even after 10 years a handfull of dime sized bubbles but not peeling.

Im a advocate for gelcoated bilges, if you want it to stay shiny brush it with no wax and spray PVA on it, or try adding some high gloss additive to the last coat, but I think the semi or flat gloss of gelcoat with TFA added to it is a great bilge coating.

On several 50+ mph jet skis I have painted right over raw epoxy or epoxy primer, no peeling there either. Body shops have made repairing jetskis a cut throat thing these days, some people when presented with saving themselves $150 for no primer go for it knowing it may not be ideal.

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » Oct 29th, '08, 09:46

Here's what I've found, have jsut cleaned and painted my bilge during my repower last year. All were done with brush and roller or a combination, I don't have or know how to use a sprayer.

Bilgekote - used ontop of a board above my water tank where the batteries sit, previously it had sand added to it. The bilgekote didn't hold more than a few months(probalby due to the sand).

Brightsides (Interlux)- used it around my rudder shelves 3-4 years ago. Held up very well. There was some bubbling in the very bottom of the bilge where water sets. The application was bare fg and previously painted, the area was sanded and PreKote primer used. Just as a note, I checked Interlux's website and paint guides and their Perfection product was not reccomended for bilge areas, Birghtsides was (it contains teflon).

POR15 Hardnose white - This is a 2 part and I used it in the engine are (I have a B35). Initially I was very pleased and it looked great. By the time my install was done, it showed wear from the install. Now this was fall time and I'm not sure if proper setup time was given prior to installing the motors, some things you don't have a choice in. Also I intially didn't use primer since that area was still original fg. In later stages I did an area with primer and then paint, it to many coats of white to cover the blue primer. For prep I used Marine Clean from POR15, the best stuff in the world.

So what's all this mean to me?
- For anything to work surface prep, cleaning and priming, is the most important.

- POR15's Marine Clean is by far the best cleaner I've come across (may need additional wipe down depending on paint used), it cuts the gunk!

- I like the Interlux Brightsides/PreKote combination. I've found it wears about as well as any 2-part, but it's a 1-part (cheap and easy).

- For the way I work 2-part paints are a pain. I can't always pick the weather or have alot of time/help when I work. If I can't get almost the same results from a 1-part paint then that's the way I'll go.

br,
JohnD

Tony Meola · Post by **Tony Meola** » Oct 29th, '08, 21:20

Buju

Actully I put Bilge Coat over the interprotect. I got the idea from DYI magazine but the only used interprotect. They claim the interprotect blocks oils etc. Plus I figure it protects the hull from absorbing water that lays in the bilge.

DRIFTER31 · Post by **DRIFTER31** » Oct 29th, '08, 21:41

Asking what is best to paint in a bilge is like asking what is the best product to refinish interior wood. Oil or Varnish? Both are Ok if you are the one doing the maintenance. In a bilge ANY good two part will work great if it is CLEAN and i mean CLEAN. I have painted more than one 80+ MPH boat with Imoron and no primer on the bottom or sides and it held up perfectly but i also sanded rougher than usual 180grit for it to grab. i have seen the best auto painter screw up a bass boat by sanding the gelcoat with 360grit.like a car only to find it peel from being too smoothe to grip on.

bertram31.com

paint for bilge

paint for bilge

paint for bilge

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