Why You Need an Engine Pan

Nothing fouls a bilge faster than engine drippings: Even a minuscule amount of unnoticed oil or fuel will surf into the farthest reaches of the engine room where it’s a pain to clean up. If you don’t remove all of it, some will inevitably find its way into the bilge pump and overboard. (Nothing makes you unpopular around the marina faster than an oil slick.) Save yourself the scorn of your slip neighbors by installing drip pans to catch any errant petroleum products. Most top-quality boats come with them as standard equipment, but adding one won’t cost much, and is well worth the expense.

Even if your mechanicals are completely drip-free, eventually something will leak out, even if only during maintenance or fluid changes. With a drip pan to catch it, clean-up involves the swipe of a rag or paper towel. And if you keep the pan clean (which we know you will), you’ll spot any unexpected drips immediately when you do your engine checks. You’ll want a pan installed anywhere lube oil, fuel, hydraulic oil—in short, any fluid—can leak out. That means installing pans not only under each engine and generator, but under the transmissions, too.

Although any fluid-tight receptacle that fits properly under the engine can serve as a drip pan, most are custom-made, and metal—stainless or copper—is easiest to keep clean and looks coolest, too. Unless you’re an expert welder, it’s a job for the boatyard, but one that’s well worth doing. You don’t want your marina mates calling you “Old Oil Slick.”