Painting Bronze Prop

Jul 8, 2005
512
Jeanneau 389 Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
I should know the answer to this but I don't...

Does it make sense to paint a bronze prop with VC17 anti fouling? i know you can buy Velox which is pretty expensive.

Just not sure if there is any harm that can be done.

We have a max prop.
 

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
Cymeyer, it really doesn't make much sense to paint the prop in fresh water. You are only in the water at most five months and hopefully using the boat. Any growth will just get spun off during use. Even the paint will wear off. That said, the VC17 on the prop probably won't hurt anything as long as you have to paint the bottom anyway. That's just my opinion, others may differ.

On a side note, I acquired a used Gori prop about four years ago that came from a boat in Chesapeake Bay. It was painted with a gray anti fouling material of some kind and after this year it was just beginning to wear down to the bronze at the leading edges of the blades.
 
May 1, 2011
4,192
Pearson 37 Lusby MD
Anti-fouling for props

Not required for fresh water. Here on the Chesapeake,

* Zinc spray, works okay, relatively inexpensive, is good for the prop. It is mild antifouling, but it mostly seems that growth does not stick very well to it. So if the boat is not used, it will foul up, but if used regularly, the zinc will shed what growth accumulates between uses. $50. Can be reapplied easily with minimum preparation. Can be applied during a short haul.

* PropSpeed and various other similar products. Works great, but high price, high maintenance. ~ $500 per prop. Usually good for a year or two, but needs to be completely stripped to redo.

* Antifouling paints work good of course, but have a hard time sticking to bronze and the ones with copper are harmful to the prop alloys, so for both reasons, and epoxy barrier is required. The barrier required sandblasting. This system also runs $500 for the initial application, but can then be painted with new AF for 2-3 years. Eventually, the epoxy starts to chip off at which point it is time to strip it and start over.
 
Oct 3, 2008
325
Beneteau 393 Chesapeake Bay
Re: Anti-fouling for props

I use the zinc spray and boat in the Chesapeake. Not great, but not expensive, and does seem to make a bit of a difference.