Cleaning inside of bilge/transom

[crwood]

My boat's bilge has gotten pretty nasty. Not sure if it's from moisture build up, but the inside has gotten black in some areas. I've cleaned it out several times, but there are many hard to reach areas due to the way basscat designs their boats. Had to pull off the vent on the right rear side to run a new transducer cable, which is a PITA on a basscat, and my arm was covered in black soot, grime, mildew, whatever the heck that stuff is. I shined a light down in there and noticed how terrible it looked.

The transom on the inside has turned this same blackish color and I've been unable to scrub it off. I have been able to clean the side of the fuel tanks and area under the pumps, but it is the other areas I'm having a hard time with.

Is there any product out there that does a good job removing this stuff?

[paulrodbender]

You can use a strong spray cleaner to get in there and then rinse or put the plug in the transom and add strong cleaner and a little bit of water and take boat for a ride or a bar of Lava soap in the bilge works good too. Any strong cleaner should work.

[bassboat1]

You might have some mildew going in there. Hit it with chlorine bleach (laundry strength, not the pool stuff), you should see a difference in a minute.

[Aruss1984]

The options above are good suggestions. I cleaned out my Cougar hull last summer that sounds like was in similar condition to yours, with a pressure washer. I took out the oil tank and batteries and got rid of all the black gunk that had been in there far longer than it should have been.

[crwood]

...add strong cleaner and a little bit of water and take boat for a ride...

Don't think I used a strong cleaner, but I tried this once with some mean green and drove around only to find out when I braked that whatever was in my bilge would end up in my rod boxes and storage compartments up front.

Basscat is cool and uses this stupid foam block in a clear bag to try and stop water from running up the center of the hull. But guess what? It doesn't work!

I ended up with green fluid in every compartment. Talk about a pain to clean out. Luckily I didn't have anything in my compartments at the time.

[crwood]

You might have some mildew going in there. Hit it with chlorine bleach (laundry strength, not the pool stuff), you should see a difference in a minute.

Thanks. I'll give that a try this week.

[jcyoung517]

Simple green

[WisconsinF]

A lot that grime is oil based. Get some aerosol cans of "FOAMING ENGINE CLEANER"
The foam gives it lots of cling time and should do a pretty good job.

[crwood]

A lot that grime is oil based. Get some aerosol cans of "FOAMING ENGINE CLEANER"
The foam gives it lots of cling time and should do a pretty good job.

I assume that is safe for electrical wiring?

[Tidewater Bass]

You can use a toilet brush to help clean in those hard to get to spots...

[KCLOST]

I used to take my boat to the car wash and spray the inside on the High Pressure Wash setting. Then switch to rinse.. Worked great. Watch out for anything that might not react to well to high pressure... But most hand wash car washes keep the pressure at a safe level to not harm anything.

[06 SB]

I use Mean Green or some other enviro-frendly degreaser. Spray it on/into all the corners you can get to, let it set for a spell but do not let it dry, then use your hose on the power stream setting. Most of the gunk will come free and wash out through the drain. If you can bilge dive, then use a brush to get into the cracks. Next I put the plug in, pour about a cup of degreaser then a few gallons of water. Go for a drive to slosh it around then drain. Rinse again with fresh water.

[Scott S.]

I like Tide, if it gets grease out of your clothes, it will get that nasty junk out of the bilge. I just used it on an old piece of shiat ranger that was sitting with the drain plug in it, for YEARS. And a power washer. Car washes work great if you don't have a power washer.

[WisconsinF]

Yes...safe for under a car hood....safe for boat.

I assume that is safe for electrical wiring?

[turfy49431]

Simple green and put some water in hull and then go on a long drive to a lake. When u get to ramp, pull the plug, let all the crap drain out. Put plug back in and go fishing. The stop and go motion with the simple green in the hull will slosh around and clean it out pretty well

[Generator]

After you get it cleaned take a bar of lava soap and put down there. This will slosh around and keep it clean.

[Oliver65]

Every month I throw a bar of lava or Irish spring in my bilge area

[crank68]

Bars of soap work until they get caught under the auto bilge switch...just squirt some Dawn back there occasionally.

[bcreek]

Get 1/2 gallon of AWESOME at dollar store. Use spray bottle to drench everything in bilge. Wait an hour, hose out. It works.

[Seppic]

I took hours cleaning out my bilge and transom area after I picked my boat up. I find it best to follow what everyone else here is saying once you get it clean. Put some soap in there whether it be some soap shavings or some dawn to keep it nice and clean.