re-wiring and cleaning bilge on th E-35-2

Bottom is painted, putting off cleaning and waxing the sides. So I started my bilge cleanup from last years oil leak disaster when the boat filled up with water. The spot on the sole where the mount for the shift cable was attached was so wet that when you stepped on it dirty water can up from the bolt holes. So i decided to cut that out to replace the section and have better access to the bilge. It is amazing to me how much wiring was router through the bilge on this boat, it was such a mess. the battery cables, the starter cables, the mastlight wires, the fresh water pump wires, the depth?speedo wires(understandable), the engine wiring harness. it disgusts me. so i am ripping out the wiring and relocating my DC panel to the port side nav station. i am also going to alter the nav station desk so that the top doesnt hit the panel when lifted. i am considering lifting the engine to give it a once over and to get better access to the bilge. i have an old 5 gal bucket of gelcoat that i was considering coating the bilge with. any advice on that? should i use bilge coat instead? also wanted to know how hard it is to re-align the engine if i pull it. its been a while since i've been here, hope to document all my progress. may start a blog if i can figure it out.

btw i used the fein tool to cut out the sole section at an angle so if i can salvage the peice it will fit in nicely with some thickened epoxy filling the blade cut

happy sailing

here are some pics of the bilge

Haven't done it myself but information I've received from others favors gelcoat over bilge kote. The latter supposedly will come off eventually in a wet bilge.

I have limited mechanical skill, but have realigned the engine on our boat several times. It is not easy, but mainly requires patience and perseverence--initially getting the engine close to in the right place, and then painstakingly moving it in small increments, measuring with feeler gauges, moving again, checking again, etc. It has taken me as much as 6 hours to get it right, after which I was tired and desperately in need of a cold beer, but it is doable.

If you are lifting the engine, it would be a good time to check/replace the motor mounts.

Frank

ThanksIs there somewhere on moyers site that details the process? I tend to bite off more than I can chew. Anyone who saw my posts from a few months ago knows I have big plans for the boat but my finances have slowed my progress so I am trying to work on the least costly projects now. I hope pulling the engine to examine doesn't turn into something costly. I'd like to replace the rear oil seal and that is only 17 bucks. Rebuild the carb. I had the starter and alternator rebuilt last year so I'm prating not to find any serious problems