Barnacles on Prop
I know it's been covered on here because that's how I knew what to look for but worth repeating this time of year. Last week I was moving under power but felt that the speed was not as fast as it should be for the RPMs. As I increased RPMs, I noticed dark black smoke coming out of the exhaust. At first I had a sinking feeling about a major engine issue but remembered a post here about how a fouled prop could load the engine down. Dove under the next day and sure enough, the prop and shaft were fully covered with barnacles. (They have been particularly bad in the Thames River this year.) Once I cleaned them off, everything was working perfectly.
I know it's been covered on here because that's how I knew what to look for but worth repeating this time of year. Last week I was moving under power but felt that the speed was not as fast as it should be for the RPMs. As I increased RPMs, I noticed dark black smoke coming out of the exhaust. At first I had a sinking feeling about a major engine issue but remembered a post here about how a fouled prop could load the engine down. Dove under the next day and sure enough, the prop and shaft were fully covered with barnacles. (They have been particularly bad in the Thames River this year.) Once I cleaned them off, everything was working perfectly.
