Bilge Paint

[redshift721]

I am going to paint the bilge in my Vagabond 47 (fiberglass) and was wondering if anybody would recommend a paint other than the bilge paints offered by Petit and Interlux.

[ccx2]

I am going to paint the bilge in my Vagabond 47 (fiberglass) and was wondering if anybody would recommend a paint other than the bilge paints offered by Petit and Interlux.
Redshift thats a good question and one im eager to hear answered. Im painting the interior of my Garvey with Brightsides but in the stern where rainwater and such will likely sit for a while i was wondering if i should use Bildgecoat or a bottom paint.
Why do you not want to or want to use something other than bilge paint?

[ccx2]

And why paint the bilge in a fiberglass boat? Is it Epoxy resin your painting over ?

[wizbang 13]

interlux 404/414 ,epoxe primer

[Breakaway]

CCX--painting the bilge makes drips and leaks(from equipment,engines) easier to spot and makes its easier to keep the bilge clean; white will also make for brighter bilge spaces, an asset when performing maintenance.

[Emma56]

How about a high quality house paint ? Like say a porch paint Would it hold up

[kulas44]

My personal favorite is Ameron 400 two part epoxy, mostly because I had about 20 gallons given to me by a friend in the offshore oil industry. After using up most of that I tried Rustoleum's solvent based epoxy floor coating, a two part epoxy for garage floors. It works just as good. DO NOT use a plain old enamel or latex house paint, it will peel of in chunks that will clogg limber holes and bilge pumps, causing all kinds of future problems. Most people think that since the bilge won't be seen it can be painted with cheap stuff, nothing could be more incorrect.

[Lew Barrett]

How about a high quality house paint ? Like say a porch paint Would it hold up

It will. IN an open boat, I'd say you'd want to use a good quality marine offering of the type that would match your exterior hull paint.

But in, for example, the ER of an enclosed vessel, a good light colored
latex (acrylic) enamel will hold up quite well and is a perfectly acceptable choice on a wooden boat.

I eschew the use of inferior products at almost every point along the way, and usually don't participate in the sort of threads that ask "what is the cheapest possible glue I can use on my boat?" But when it comes to painting bilges, all that is required is a decent quality acrylic enamel in the color of your choice: light gray or white would be mine.

[kulas44]

WRONG, if you have ever tried to remove that crap from the bilge because it's peeling in sheets and clogging your drainage and sticking your pump switches you would never use it again. Been there done that. Use epoxy or P.U.

[Bill Griffin]

Interesting and informative thread. I will be trying to remove the bigger part of some grey enamel from my engine spaces. Sounds like I should be looking to replace it with a lighter (white) epoxy. K44, what's P.U.?

[kulas44]

PolyUrethane, usually over an epoxy primer, go figure.

[Lew Barrett]

WRONG, if you have ever tried to remove that crap from the bilge because it's peeling in sheets and clogging your drainage and sticking your pump switches you would never use it again. Been there done that. Use epoxy or P.U.

That hasn't been my experience, which is all I have to go by. Maybe in this case you painted in a wet or greasy bilge?? I don't paint below the "scum" line; there's no need. The stuff sticks to houses, and it rains out there too, so falling off in sheets is not a quality I'd expect inside the boat. Perhaps the boat, the technique/application or the situation is at fault? I suppose you could have gotten some bad paint as well, but if it was decent paint applied over a decent substrate, the paint itself wasn't the reason for the failure. Any paint can fail if the conditions are right...or wrong. There's no inherent reason acrylic won't stay put in or out of the boat. I am not advocating cheap house paint for any number of applications on a boat, but for a bilge (which to me is a lot more than just the bottom of the boat) a decent grade of acrylic pant can be useful if good application techniques are employed. But far be it for me to advocate against the use of good marine products in the marine environment; it's not a position I would take very often! It's just that my experience tells me something else is going on.

[wizbang 13]

404/414 IS an epoxe primer. You gotta clean the oil and goo before any painting,, but latex or what not will become a bilge pump killer( when it fluffs off) ,not a bllge paint.

[kulas44]

Yes, the application was more than likely at fault, and my experiences have mostly been with fiberglass bilges, usually painted with the engines still in the boat, so not the best circumstances. And Latex should stick just fine to clean wood, but anything less than clean is asking for trouble. Epoxy doesn't seam to mind so much, especially the solvent based stuff, it just gobbles up the oil sticks.

[Emma56]

So my next question . Floors being in the bilge area ! would you guys use marine grade paint On wood floors ?

[Lew Barrett]

The thing about latex (acrylic) is that it can fill voids and cracks which is or can be a very useful quality in the ER.
If you are painting bilge in an ER, you must de-grease first. If you don't do that whatever you put on will fail eventually. I stand in opposition to the notion that acrylic is a bad choice out of hand. If you take shortcuts in prep when painting, nothing comes out well, and the poor workman gets to blame his tools. SO many wooden boats on this coast have been treated exactly as I suggest as to be their own proof of what I am advocating.

You can use latex anywhere on the boat. It won't flow nearly as well as a decent marine enamel, which won't flow as well as a good polyurethane. It will slough off over time, never gives very good gloss, and in general is the cheap way to go with that as it's main quality. There is exactly one place I would use latex on a yacht: painting the ER or other areas of the bilge above the level any water usually comes to in the boat.

Some people will also tell you that you can use it on canvas when significantly thinned, but I have not used it there. Any good sloughing enamel works for that application; I almost always use oil based paints there though. Otherwise, I prefer marine grade paints for everything. I don't prime with epoxy; I prime with the system primer for the paint I am using. If you don't have good adhesion and are having massive failure with an otherwise reliable product, you made a mistake in the prep or the application. It's really quite simple.

[kulas44]

The original question was in regards to the bilge area of a fiberglass boat. Latex would be the worst possible choice there, spotlessly cleaned or otherwise it just won't stick for any length of time. Oil base is not much better. Epoxy is the best product for the application.

[Lew Barrett]

Roger....after all this noise, some by me, you make a solid point. I offer an exception though in that in my very first post I say "in a wooden boat" and continue to do so throughout...no advice from for glass boats I'm afraid, as my answer was to the second question in the thread.

[boattruck]

Red shift, Can you give us a clue why you are reluctant to use bilge paint for your bilge? I have used both brands and have been happy, they tend to 'burn' in well, and are their own primer, I personally would stick with one of them if I could, the job is all about the prep, clean, clean and clean again, taking care to see to the degreasing, Happy painting! Cheers, BT

[redshift721]

I priced bilge paint locally and they want about $90/gallon. I have a friend who suggested an industrial epoxy-based floor paint (he can get it for less than half of the local bilge paint price) and I am seriously considering going that route. From the thread, it sounds like it would be just fine.

A big THANK YOU to everyone!