Experiences with PropSpeed

[Berndahle]

I had my boat hauled for the Irene which gave me a chance to inspect the hull, prop, zinc, etc. I had done the whole PropSpeed treatment on my prop in the spring and though I don't have any growth on it, the PropSpeed is starting to come off the ends of the blades. I know it is imperative to follow exact directions in prep and application, which I did to the "T". The stuff seems to work but if the application is so fickle that even when you carefully follow directions you can still screw it up (or it just doesn't last that long), I don't think it's worth the extremely high cost. Just my two cents....

 

[Rich Stidger]

Last year a friend & I split the smallest size of Hawkspeed. This is a very similar product to Propspeed except that it has a wider time and temperature window.

We followed the directions exactly - just like you - and when we hauled last fall in October, much of the coating was off. We did have some minor growth- about as much or maybe a bit less than we would have had with Pettit zinc coating for a $10 cost.

So this year we are back to Pettit zinc spray.

 

[fstbttms]

Last year a friend & I split the smallest size of Hawkspeed. This is a very similar product to Propspeed except that it has a wider time and temperature window.

HawkSpeed (professional application)- in the time it took to motor this J/120 from the yard to her slip (about a mile), this is what happened:

HawkSpeed performed so poorly that it is not even on the market anymore.

That being said, PropSpeed does work markedly better but don't expect long life. And if you have a diver clean your boat, make sure he knows it's on the running gear and not to use anything more abrasive than his bare hand to clean it.

 

[Berndahle]

When I pulled the boat in the spring it had been in the water for 1 1/2 years (mid Chesapeake Bay) and despite the fact that I hadn't treated the prop with anything at the time, it was almost clean. I'm almost thinking I may just go back to doing nothing and dive on it or have it cleaned once a year.

 

[Rich Stidger]

In my experience the more you motor the cleaner the prop remains - all other conditions remaining equal. In my harbor the vessel with the cleanest prop is our marina launch....

So we should just motor our sailboats, right?

 

[fstbttms]

So we should just motor our sailboats, right?

No, you should be having your hull cleaner out early and often.

 

[jsalley]

I applied PropSpeed in April 2010, and boat has been in water (lower Chesapeake) continually until hauled for Irene last week. Prop had a few barnacles on the hub but was otherwise clean, although the coating appears to have worn off at the blade tips. The smallest quantity was enough for 3 applications, and each application appears to last 2 seasons, so I'm pretty pleased with it.

 

[Bad Obsession]

I just dive on my boat a few times a summer and clean the prop. The way the growth is in my area that is the only way to have a clean prop. The other stuff just doesn't stay on as long as I would like it to.