The bilge pump supports are glassed in and the resin has fully cured, it is now time to clean up the locker and make it look presentable!
It is amazing what a bit of paint can do! I used Interlux Bilgekote after lightly sanding the layer of blushing off the surface of the glassed in supports. Bilgekote is very forgiving and results in a slick finish with minimal preparation work. There is no need to prime the surfaces with primer, all you need to do is lightly sand the surface and then start painting.
The massive bilge pump hose is 2 inches (inside diameter) which will flow many gallons with while keeping back pressure to a minimum. The only problem with running a hose this size is the hole it needs to pass through a bulkhead. The hose narrowly fits through a 2.5 inch hole, and fitting a 2.5 inch hole saw in some of the areas was tricky. In the end, the bilge hose was run with as few turns as possible to minimize resistance in the passage of water.
The bilge hose was run through the bulkheads and down into the bilge with the excess spilling into the locker while I painted. Once the paint cures, I will trim the hose to size and attach the bilge pump to the supports. At that point, all will be finished with the project; save drilling a giant hole in the side of the hull for the discharge through hull fitting.
