It may not be the most exciting part of the boat, but cleaning up the bilge sections not only removes unwanted smells from stale water, grime and stains, it also preserves the lower sections by keeping mold growth at bay and standing water damaging the stringers, which if you have holes for cables and hoses, can allow water penetration to compromise the wood. The process of cleaning the bilge sections, all 20 of them, is a three part cleaning process. First scrub was with Dawn soap, then go over it again with bilge cleaner, and then prior to painting, wipe down all sections with acetone. I then used an epoxy based bilge paint to cover each section. From beginning to end, it was a month long process.