In article , Jürgen Spelter
wrote:
Hi boat builders,

Im not really building a boat, I`m rebuilding my old dutch channel boat...

Bilge below engine and drive was wet, so I did dry it. As I saw, there is
some of the bilge colour missing, I can see the steel shining through.

I took a look into manuals of bilge paint: bilge must be dry and free of
oil.....

I will be able to get the bilge dry, but never I can clean it from rests of
oil or diesel, that has been runned into the bilge the last years. A little
film of diesel and oil will stay.

Has anybody an idea, how to protect that bilge from corroding with paint or
other coating?

Pour a few bottles of detergent into the bilge and give it a scrub. Leave
it for a while, either allow the bilge to fill or pour in a little water
from time to time and let ordinary pitching and rolling complete the job.
After three or four days pump out - your harbour may have regulations
concerning how you dispose of the water.

Rinse with fresh, clean water. Get the bilge as dry as you can. Use either
alcohol or acetone to complete the cleaning of the worst patches - you
*must* ventilate the bilge as you work. Prepare and paint the exposed
metal. The rest of the detergent cleaned paint can be painted over without
further preparation, it won't be a good finish but enough will stick to last
until the next time.

Cheerio,

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