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Two Part Epoxy Bilge Paint and Barrier Coat Epoxy Paint

Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc.

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From the Nov. 2010 blog entry of Ellen and David Dawson

(http://www.greatbluemarine.com/blog.html)

two part epoxy Bilge Paint

COATING THE BILGE WITH EPOXY PAINT

Much, though not all, of the paint flaked off as we cleaned and degreased the bilge. Our goal is to have a bilge that is clean, as dry as possible, with the fiberglass protected from the effects of water.

After debating the merits of various paints and coatings, we decided on a two-part epoxy paint that bonds a hard, shiny, white shell onto the fiberglass.

We ordered a supply of WaterGard 300™, an "Immersion Grade Cycloaliphatic Epoxy," from Progressive Epoxy Polymers — two gallons of the Part A white pigmented base, plus 1 gallon of the Part B catalyst. Paul Oman has a very helpful website and communicated well via email while we were researching coatings. The WaterGard 300 is low in VOCs and was not unpleasant to work with — even in the cramped, unventilated confines behind the engine — but the Xylol we added to thin the WaterGard, even in the small amounts we used, was very irritating and required opening hatches to vent while working.

I began with the easiest part of the bilge — the salon portion — accessible, shallow. After the first day, I phoned home, complaining that it was the messiest, most difficult project I'd ever undertaken, and that I would never do it again. The stuff soaked through my clothes, coated my skin, every single tool, and all my carefully-taped drop cloths, with sticky white goo.

After removing and bagging all of the drop cloths, I changed clothes and carefully laid them out to dry. That night, I spent a sleepless hour mentally refining my technique and fretting about putting on the second coat.

Next day, I donned my paint outfit, which had "cured" overnight. I felt like the Tin Man. Things went much better — so much so that I finished the salon bilge, put down a first coat in the head bilge and the forepeak chain locker, and had enough energy left over to tackle some other smaller projects on the winter punch list.

This was mostly a one-person project except for the aft bilge. There, one person (me) wedged herself next to the engine with brush or roller in hand, while a second person (partner) mixed Part A and Part B and handed it in when needed.

We found that painting the upper part of the forepeak was also easier with two people, though it could be done alone, albeit less conveniently.

The quantity of WaterGard we ordered was just enough for two coats everywhere except the upper part of the forepeak. We used extra material on the aft bilge in an effort to make sure the less accessible surfaces were thoroughly coated. If not for this, we probably would have been able to get a second coat into the upper half of the forepeak.
Epoxy paint tools and techniques

The temperature inside the boat ranged from about 58° F to 68° F. I discovered that batches of 18 ounces total material were just about right for applying before it began to kick.

Because the ratio of Part A to Part B is two to one, I bought an 8-ounce measuring cup and a 4-ounce measuring cup, plus two spatulas, one wide and one narrow. I thought it would be important to have distinct measuring and scraping tools for Part A and Part B so they would never become mixed by mistake.

I used a tall 24-ounce plastic container to mix the components together. For each batch, I measured out 12 ounces of Part A (one and a half of the larger measuring cups) and scraped it into the mixing container. Then I measured out 6 ounces of Part B (one and a half of the smaller measuring cups) and scraped it into the mixing container. Finally I added 1 ounce of Xylol, to thin it just a bit. I used a VSR electric drill with a mixing bit to blend the ingredients. — — — Be careful, the mixture is very thick and the drill must be driven at a very slow speed, or a huge mess can result! I speak from experience, alas.

After each session was done, I discarded the mixing container; but I cleaned up the mixing cups and spatulas with Xylol.

Just as a certain collection of brushes was important to the success of the bilge cleaning chore, the right tools are essential to the success of painting with two-part epoxy.

First, I taped edges, hardware, and wiring with blue painter's tape. The engine, the mast in the salon and the bitts in the forepeak were completely covered and taped off with a drop cloth and plastic garbage bags.

I used the cheap, hairy, tan brushes sold at paint stores to "cut in" — if you can call the pushing-around of thickened goo "cutting in" — around edges, hoses, hardware, into corners, and so on, where rollers or paint pads would not be useful. The 4-inch and 2.5-inch widths were handy. Don't waste money on better brushes; you will throw them away after each painting session. In the aft bilge, I used duct tape to secure the brush onto a wooden handle, and was able to paint the narrow aft wall and all the inside-turning edges of the bilge; it was sloppy but effective.

Most broad expanses of the bilge were painted using a paint pad. Following advice gleaned on the Internet, I bought a red Shur-Line™ applicator and a supply of 9-inch paint pads. Supposedly, this brand stands up to the rigors of the thick epoxy paint. It did, though the paint pad tended to pop out of the applicator when I held it by the handle — I ended up getting a good grip on pad and applicator together, ignoring the handle, and it worked just fine. I'd pour a ribbon of epoxy paint onto the paint pad and then wipe it onto the bilge surface, then dragged it across and down several times to spread the paint. The material went on smoothly and evenly this way. Avoid going back and forth too many times, especially after you've moved on to another section, because you will create drag marks as the stuff begins to kick.

Finally, I used a roller, designated for use with epoxy, on a telescoping handle in the deep aft bilge. Here, I poured a ribbon of material right on the vertical bilge sides, then used the roller to push it around as evenly as possible. I wasn't able to see well the side nearest where I was wedged behind the engine, but on inspection later (with mirrors and crouching in the bilge forward of the engine), I found I hadn't done such a bad job covering everything.

In the end, I've become a fan of two-part epoxy paint. I would definitely use it again.

Vendor Comments (12/10):

Watergard 300 epoxy paint is our most common epoxy for barrier coat hull protection on fiberglass boat hulls (Our Corro Coat fc 2100A epoxy paint which is reinforced with kevlar (tm) microfibers and our flexible CM 15 epoxy paint are also popular barrier coat epoxies. The Watergard and the fc 2100 can actually be applied underwater). CLICK HERE to visit the epoxy paint section of our online marine catalog. We created this page to illustrate the use of these epoxies inside the bilge areas of boats instead of just as a barrier coat.

Watergard and fc2100 can be purchased at our second, really simple web site - EpoxyUSA.com

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