[Public-List] Bilges and Hull Painting

[Jonathan Adams]

First of all thanks for all the comments on hull painting. I read them all. However,  no sooner had I started sanding the hull, and committed to a hull job, then I discovered a new feature of the old boat!

The engine is currently out, and I had cleaned the bilge to what I thought was the floor of the bilge. This involved about 2 inches of sludge and many pieces of hardware. However, it was not drying, so I dug further. I ripped up the board that (I now know) separates the ballast from the bilge. Beneath this board was another 2 + inches of oil drenched sludge. I kept digging, and was seriously concerned that I was going to just keep going. However, I got to a baton running fore and aft, and below that it seemed to be wet, but clean.

So ... put a fan on it, threw kitty litter down to soak up water, and put a 60w bulb down. It seems to be drying out. My question is - any advice for a) making it as dry as possible; and b) sealing this back up?

I had thought about putting a few plastic boards down there, and pouring resin with some filler around them to build the bilge back up to where it was. Then I thought about just making a sludge of kitty litter and resin - what have other folks done?


Looking forward to your comments.

Jonathan
Laughing Gull 197