Engine Room Paint

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J

joesubmariner

Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2013
Messages
7
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Amazing Grace
Vessel Make
(1983) 49' Grand Banks Heritage Classic
I am in the process of a major refit on the Amazing Grace, a 1983 '49 Grand Banks Heritage Classic with 120 Lehmans. The engines are out and being reworked and it seems a perfect time to repaint the engine room. It isn't pretty down there and I am working to make it pristine.

Are there suggestions for the types of paints that will hold up better in that environment and be bright and cleanable?
 
Don't want to sound cheap but I have had great luck with plain old rustoleum gloss white from hd. Four years and counting and easy to touch up.


JEP
 
I tend to agree Rust-Oleum Marine Topside Paint is designed to provide a durable, weather resistant finish on fiberglass, wood and metal boat surfaces.
 
If you want it pristine, bright, easy to clean and long lasting, nothing beats two part polys.

What ever you use, make sure you do a very thorough prep job. Nothing is worse than having paint that starts pealing off messing up your bilge and bilge pumps.
 
If it is bad in your bilges, rent a hot water pressure washer to steam clean all the paintable areas. It saved me a week worth of effort. You end up using a lot less water then you think. You just need to run a quick once over with a degrease like castrol Super clean and then you are good to paint. Wear a carbon filter non rebreather mask when you paint with fans on the fumes can be epic in your engine compartment. Just some thought for you.
 
While I agree with Capt. Bill that two part polys would be great, I'd want a remotely supplied air source to breath while applying it in such an enclosed space.

A really good second choice would be Interlux Bilge Coat. It's designed for use in engine room conditions.
 
Ditto with the Interlux Interprotect 2000 paint (gray). Works great and holds up well.
 
I primed my engine room with a 2 part epoxy primer then used a 2 part epoxy top coat over that. It's super durable and brite as I went white.
 
HopCar said:
While I agree with Capt. Bill that two part polys would be great, I'd want a remotely supplied air source to breath while applying it in such an enclosed space.

A really good second choice would be Interlux Bilge Coat. It's designed for use in engine room conditions.
Click to expand...

I was very pleased with the Interlux Bilge Coat for the forward bilge where it's dry 99% of the time. Bright white...easy to apply right out of the can. For the lower bilge in the engine room (where water does occasionally accumulate) I used 2 part epoxy. Bilge Coat for other areas in the engine room.
 
My vote after the steam cleaning is white bilge paint.
 
Interlux Bilge Coat. Bright white. I have 2 coats sanded in between with great results.
 
I used Interlux bilge paint as well. No wear and cleans up fine. But in grey as I am ex-Navy, I guess. Never even thought about using white.
 
Engine Room Paint - Heat issues?

The two concerns I'm having are 1. Heat and pealing of the paint due to the heat in the engine room (and the oils and fluids as well) and 2. Ability to stay adhered with oil and all of the nasty stuff in the engine room. I'm ex Navy too - Submarines - nothing wrong with Gray!

Thoughts?

Joe
 
Also consider gel coat or a pigmented epoxy.
 
This is what Interlux says about Bilgekote.


Bilgekote® is a fast drying, durable coating formulated for application to bilge and bulkhead areas. Helps prevent absorption of oil, gasoline or sludge into wood and
fiberglass.
* Chemical resistance to fumes, fuel and oil
* High opacity for excellent covering power
* Cleans easily for reduced maintenance
 
I think the comments on the bilge paint , interlux product are right on. As one post mentioned, it is all in the preparation. be sure to Scuff up the base with sand paper before the first coat and be sure to use something to remove any oil or film first and then a light sanding between coats. It will produce an eggshell type coating that is slick, glossy and resists oil, water and wears well. I have had no problems with the heat in my engine room causing any failure of the paint. I painted the floor boards covering the bilge in my engine room and they take a lot of abuse and still look good after several years.
 
Hi All. I will be doing a re-power on my boat this Spring. We will be cutting a big chunk of the Salon floor out to swap the engines. After that, I will spend a good deal of time on ER cleaning, painting, sound proofing and upgrading before the new engine is dropped in. After reading this thread, I started to check out the different paints everyone was using for the bilge and ER. I didn't see that anyone had used the Rustoleum 5300 Water Based Epoxy System and thought I would throw that one out there.

This is a two part system, 1 gallon of base and a pint of activator, that is fairly low VOC and can be applied over a slightly damp surface (mine will be dry). They claim it will stick to nearly everything including ferrous and non-ferrous metals and can be force cured up to 225 degrees. I don't plan on getting the ER that hot, but I can get well above 100 to get it set. It can be thinned with water and cleanup is with water. Here's the Technical Data sheet:

http://www.rustoleum.com/tds/5300 System_RO-52_2027990.pdf

Tell me what you think. Price isn't real bad. Gallon of paint and pint of activator is $75 on eBay/Zoro with free shipping.

Thanks.

Bob
 
Why spend an huge amount of money on special bilge paint? A good primer does it for pennies per foot from Home Cheap-O.
 
The bilge in one of my boats was very dirty, oily and dark. I used Extreme Simple Green diluted 1:1 and then brushed it and rinsed times two. The Extreme Simple Green is awesome but somewhat hard to find. I then painted 2 coats of Interlux Bilge Coat in white. Love it. Cleans up easily and has a medium shine. Easy to see any leaks and do work since it is so bright.
 
Plain old oil base paint works great and looks good...until it starts peeling off and clogs your bilge pumps. I prefer a good 2 part epoxy. I especially liked the Ameron stuff but cant get it as cheaply as I used to. I have used the Rustoleum garage floor two part epoxy, water based, as a surface primer under 2 part poly urethane with good results. I much prefer the solvent based epoxies for engine rooms, it seems to adhere to less than clean surfaces better. One drawback is that its intended for a floor so it does tend to sag and run easily on less than level areas. Just add a little Cabosil to help with that. It also helps when brushing or rolling it on, it tends to lay out fairly good and brush marks lay out well. I like flat colors, high gloss tends to create to much glare. When I go to all the trouble of removing engines I dont scrimp on the bilge painting.
 
Hi Tom. It's not just the bilge, I'm also repainting the engine room. My ER has a fiberglass liner that create a floor, then up the sides to covers the fuel tanks. The floor has several wood hatches to access the bilge area. Getting into all these tight areas and other hard to reach spots with a brush will be pretty tough. So with the engine out, I am going to mask everything I don't want painted. With an airless sprayer, narrow tip and lower pressure, I'll shoot the bilge I can reach from the ER and work my way out spraying the ER, floors and walls.

In retirement, I restore cars as a hobby and have a paint booth. Masking is tedious, but I'm use to it. I have never used this product and am hoping that someone out there has. If it does everything the tech sheet says, two gallons will cover it, be tough and look good. This is the one good opportunity to undo 35 years of neglect and ugly.

Cheers.

Bob
 
Comodave said:
The bilge in one of my boats was very dirty, oily and dark. I used Extreme Simple Green diluted 1:1 and then brushed it and rinsed times two. The Extreme Simple Green is awesome but somewhat hard to find. I then painted 2 coats of Interlux Bilge Coat in white. Love it. Cleans up easily and has a medium shine. Easy to see any leaks and do work since it is so bright.
Click to expand...

I've not seen the Extreme Simple Green, but have degreasers that work pretty good to re-emulsify old hard grime. I also have a diesel fired pressure washer that will go to boat yard to get as much of the old oil and other nasty's out before paint.
 
kulas44 said:
Plain old oil base paint works great and looks good...until it starts peeling off and clogs your bilge pumps. I prefer a good 2 part epoxy. I especially liked the Ameron stuff but cant get it as cheaply as I used to. I have used the Rustoleum garage floor two part epoxy, water based, as a surface primer under 2 part poly urethane with good results. I much prefer the solvent based epoxies for engine rooms, it seems to adhere to less than clean surfaces better. One drawback is that its intended for a floor so it does tend to sag and run easily on less than level areas. Just add a little Cabosil to help with that. It also helps when brushing or rolling it on, it tends to lay out fairly good and brush marks lay out well. I like flat colors, high gloss tends to create to much glare. When I go to all the trouble of removing engines I dont scrimp on the bilge painting.
Click to expand...

I'm with you on not scrimping if it sticks. I have another boat with a fish hold that the PO painted and it's falling off. The dead fish don't mind and I just glad it's not under the engine cover plugging the bilge pump. I'm use to the cost of good car paint, so this epoxy paint is really pretty inexpensive if it works. It is probably akin to the water base garage floor paint you have used before, both are Polyamine epoxies but different VOC's.

Bob
 
remwines said:
Hi All. I will be doing a re-power on my boat this Spring. We will be cutting a big chunk of the Salon floor out to swap the engines. After that, I will spend a good deal of time on ER cleaning, painting, sound proofing and upgrading before the new engine is dropped in. After reading this thread, I started to check out the different paints everyone was using for the bilge and ER. I didn't see that anyone had used the Rustoleum 5300 Water Based Epoxy System and thought I would throw that one out there.

This is a two part system, 1 gallon of base and a pint of activator, that is fairly low VOC and can be applied over a slightly damp surface (mine will be dry). They claim it will stick to nearly everything including ferrous and non-ferrous metals and can be force cured up to 225 degrees. I don't plan on getting the ER that hot, but I can get well above 100 to get it set. It can be thinned with water and cleanup is with water. Here's the Technical Data sheet:

http://www.rustoleum.com/tds/5300 System_RO-52_2027990.pdf

Tell me what you think. Price isn't real bad. Gallon of paint and pint of activator is $75 on eBay/Zoro with free shipping.

Thanks.

Bob
Click to expand...

Well it's worth a shot I guess.

But if I was going to all that trouble and wanted the best job with a tried and true product, the only paint I'd use is a brite white high gloss two part poly like Awlgrip.
 
All fresh paint looks nice , but some may have extra features.

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Lightly sand, wipe down with acetone, and then 3 coats of gel coat. Not hard to do, durable and easy to clean.

DSCN0992.jpg

Ted
 
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