I am having the fuel tanks in Puffin, (my Willard 30 sedan) replaced and the engine has been removed for that job. With the engine out, the top surface of the bilge is readily accessible. The ballast used in Willard 30's was a mixture of steel punchings and concrete. Over the past 45 years the steel punchings near the surface rust and break up the concrete leaving a very rough and damp surface. Puffin often has a musty odor that I believe comes from the rusty gravel crap in the bilge so I plan to have the bilge top surface coated and sealed. Our plan presently is to use a self leveling cement/grout to cover the surface with a thin layer. If we do that, there should be some kind of reinforcing in the grout to keep it from eventually cracking. I don't want to use steel mesh reinforcing because that would eventually rust and breakup the cement. Two reinforcing options are stainless steel mesh or fiberglass mesh, the latter being a powder of chopped grass strands. As an alternative to cement I am considering having epoxy poured onto the bilge surface. I estimate that 5 gallons of resin would cover the surface. Any thoughts or experience for this project? Richard