Interior Rust - first post

[n00b_boater]

Hello

 

This is my first post. After years of dreaming, I have finally been able to buy myself a 66ft Springer.

 

She's completely empty inside, being a project boat. She has some loose planks for a floor, so I am going to put flooring in.

 

My question is about rust though. In the bottom of the boat (inside), where the ballast lies, the former owner started putting new rust treatment in. But it is only a small part of the whole boat.

 

How necessary is this? There's a LOT to do on her before I move in. I spent my day scraping and brushing up the rust "dust". The rust is all bone dry, really more like years of dust. But do I REALLY need to scrape and paint the inside of the hull?

 

Will it really eat up my boat? How critical is this?

 

*I realise this is a dumb question and I should know more - but this is my first boat, on a shoestring budget, so please try not be too harsh*

[luggsy]

Ferntan rust killer

[dmr]

Dry rusty dust is so much easier and nicer to deal with than wet rust.

So, is the steel nice and solid with a coating of dusty rust, or are there "sheets" of rusty metal that you can lift up with a hammer and chisel?

If its good solid metal then lightly sand and hoover up the dust and paint with some sort of primer. This will pay dividends and make your boat last much longer, it will get wet at some stage and you won't have such good access to it as you do now, so do it now.

 

But if you really cant sort it out now then no, it most likely ain't gonna eat your boat.

 

.............Dave

[MtB]

Hello

 

This is my first post. After years of dreaming, I have finally been able to buy myself a 66ft Springer.

 

She's completely empty inside, being a project boat. She has some loose planks for a floor, so I am going to put flooring in.

 

My question is about rust though. In the bottom of the boat (inside), where the ballast lies, the former owner started putting new rust treatment in. But it is only a small part of the whole boat.

 

How necessary is this? There's a LOT to do on her before I move in. I spent my day scraping and brushing up the rust "dust". The rust is all bone dry, really more like years of dust. But do I REALLY need to scrape and paint the inside of the hull?

 

Will it really eat up my boat? How critical is this?

 

*I realise this is a dumb question and I should know more - but this is my first boat, on a shoestring budget, so please try not be too harsh*

 

 

Firstly, please don't feel it is a dumb question. It strikes me as a perfectly reasonable one. (The only 'dumb' questions people here sometimes get irritated by are the really basic 'hot button' questions that have been debated here endlessly and illustrate the poster hasn't done any basic research or used the search facility. A good example would be "CRT say I have to move my boat every two weeks or get a mooring. Why are they victimising me like this?")

 

Anyway back to the subject. How long do you need this boat to float for? If you are planning to live on it for a lifetime then cleaning up and painting the bilge is a Good Idea. I'd suggest using 'Danboline' bilge paint by International Paints. Brilliant coverage and sticks to anything. You can ignore all the guff on the tin about surface prepping, just paint it straight on the rust after scrapping off the loose stuff. Very simple.

 

On the other hand if you see yourself selling up and getting a different/better boat after a year or three then I wouldn't bother. Just get it fitted out as quick as you can. Plenty of boats out there still floating after 25 years of paintless bilge. Yours is perhaps a good illustration!

[Bee]

Sensible question. My basic rule of thumb is 'If it gets wet, paint it'.

[n00b_boater]

Thank you all for your constructive replies. Much appreciated.

 

Luckily I have residential mooring. Still 20 miles to go before I get there, lots to do still.

 

So basically, if I want to keep my boat for a while, I need to just stick to it and paint her?

 

Guess it's part of boat ownership, wonderful, tranquil lifestyle, coupled with back breaking work

[WotEver]

A boat is, after all, nothing more than a hole in the water into which you throw money...

[MtB]

Sensible question. My basic rule of thumb is 'If it gets wet, paint it'.

 

 

This doesn't get us very far.

 

A bilge isn't supposed to get wet.

 

But sometimes they do.

 

And sometimes they don't.

 

Over to you!

[BruceinSanity]

Thank you all for your constructive replies. Much appreciated.

Luckily I have residential mooring. Still 20 miles to go before I get there, lots to do still.

So basically, if I want to keep my boat for a while, I need to just stick to it and paint her?

Guess it's part of boat ownership, wonderful, tranquil lifestyle, coupled with back breaking work

You've grasped the basics, but have still to discover battery charging panic, fuel supply panic, leaking pipework panic...

 

[WotEver]

You've grasped the basics, but have still to discover battery charging panic, fuel supply panic, leaking pipework panic...

 

And with many Vetus engines 'engine cut out as you're approaching another boat because the stupid little fuel filter is blocked panic'

 

[cuthound]

A boat is, after all, nothing more than a hole in the water into which you throw money...

And a marina is nothing more than a hole in the water into which others throw money

[Tony Brooks]

Dry rusty dust is so much easier and nicer to deal with than wet rust.

So, is the steel nice and solid with a coating of dusty rust, or are there "sheets" of rusty metal that you can lift up with a hammer and chisel?

If its good solid metal then lightly sand and hoover up the dust and paint with some sort of primer. This will pay dividends and make your boat last much longer, it will get wet at some stage and you won't have such good access to it as you do now, so do it now.

 

But if you really cant sort it out now then no, it most likely ain't gonna eat your boat.

 

.............Dave

 

 

I know exactly what you mean and basically agree but are you sure its a good idea to link an old Springer's botom plate with a hammer and chisel applied to the inside - presumably while afloat. ............

 

 

 

[madcat]

Wire brush . Hoover up the resulting mess , there will be lots . Rust treat , prime and paint . Make sure to get a couple of gloss coats on to seal it .

[Neil Smith]

I used 2 coats of waxoil on mine under the ballast as its meant to be self healing if you scratch it.

 

Neil

[Joe the plumber]

If you want to move into the 21st Century instead of the 1960s (Waxoyl), this (British) firm will provide everything you need:

 

http://www.bilthamber.com/corrosion-protection-and-rust-treatments

[Neil Smith]

If you want to move into the 21st Century instead of the 1960s (Waxoyl), this (British) firm will provide everything you need:

 

http://www.bilthamber.com/corrosion-protection-and-rust-treatments

 

I used waxoil on a mk2 jag I restored 25 years ago on inner cills and chassis inside and out and floor pans and I still own it with no rust showing anywhere, so I swear by it as sometimes the old and trusted ways are still the best, but everyone to there own opinion.

 

Neil

[Chertsey]

 

I used waxoil on a mk2 jag I restored 25 years ago on inner cills and chassis inside and out and floor pans and I still own it with no rust showing anywhere, so I swear by it as sometimes the old and trusted ways are still the best, but everyone to there own opinion.

 

Neil

 

Likewise I'd rather stick with the tried and tested than the latest whizzy (and likely far more profitable) product. I've got Waxoyl between my original baseplate and its overplating so your post is very heartening!

[the barnacle]

a good anti rust paint then a coat of thick grease - never rust again

[Joe the plumber]

I tried Waxoyl over many years on several cars from the early 1980s onwards. In each case, after about a year, it had cracked and water got underneath it, leading to more rusting. The problem is it hardens as the solvent evaporates and it can't cope with expansion and contraction, so it cracks.

 

It's also not user-friendly to apply, especially if it's cold, and will either need heating up or lots more thinners adding to it to get it to flow. Thinners make it less dense and so it offers less protective film thickness. And if you heat it up instead, once it hits a cold surface, it still won't flow. This is why I looked for a better alternative to it.

 

I always think if Waxoyl was as good as people say it is, the roads would still be filled with cars from the 1960s - 1990s that were 'protected' with it, but they have nearly all rotted away, so clearly it's not.

 

I've used various of Bilt Hamber's products since I first discovered them in 2005 and wouldn't dream of going back to Waxoyl now, but it's obviously better than nothing if you're on a tight budget.

[DHutch]

Most reasonably well looked after boats, rust from the inside out.

Domestic water leaks, condensation, etc, and the fact you cannot paint the area.

 

Certainly I wish our boat was better painted inside. You cant ever paint it again once fitted out!

I have not costed doing a whole boat, but find 'Vactan' rust coverter very good for reasonably large areas.

 

 

Daniel

[MtB]

a good anti rust paint then a coat of thick grease - never rust again

 

 

I'd suggest the coat of thick grease alone will suffice...

[Will Donati]

Hello

 

This is my first post. After years of dreaming, I have finally been able to buy myself a 66ft Springer.

 

She's completely empty inside, being a project boat. She has some loose planks for a floor, so I am going to put flooring in.

 

My question is about rust though. In the bottom of the boat (inside), where the ballast lies, the former owner started putting new rust treatment in. But it is only a small part of the whole boat.

 

How necessary is this? There's a LOT to do on her before I move in. I spent my day scraping and brushing up the rust "dust". The rust is all bone dry, really more like years of dust. But do I REALLY need to scrape and paint the inside of the hull?

 

Will it really eat up my boat? How critical is this?

 

*I realise this is a dumb question and I should know more - but this is my first boat, on a shoestring budget, so please try not be too harsh*

if you are planning to paint use non-skid or add silica to opaque polyurethane deck paint. Use adeck cleaner and dewaxing agent to decontaminate the surfaces you are planning to paint. Sanding the surface would be good.Vacuum Clean before paintig

[Tony Brooks]

if you are planning to paint use non-skid or add silica to opaque polyurethane deck paint. Use adeck cleaner and dewaxing agent to decontaminate the surfaces you are planning to paint. Sanding the surface would be good.Vacuum Clean before paintig

 

Why on earth would one want anti-slip BILGE paint? The problem asked about is not about decks.

 

If you had advised putting the ballast back on something like tile spacers so it did not damage the paint and also to allow water to drain back it woudl be good advice.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Tony Brooks

[WotEver]

 

Why on earth would one want anti-slip BILGE paint? The problem asked about is not about decks.

And why would you want to sand it? Just get rid of anything loose and flaky, paint it with Vactan, then follow up with Danboline.

 

Or use a coating of grease - but I suspect that might be more expensive and smelly.

[n00b_boater]

Some really excellent advice here. Thank you to everyone who contributed