Prop cleaning

[Ed Slate]

I am in the process of spring commissioning my 2001 Hunter 380 for the first time. I have signed up to perform many of the tasks that I previously had the boatyard perform on my last boat. One area I have not seen much published on is the area of propeller and drive shaft polishing, which is one task I will be taking on. Any recommendations for the correct procedure from those that have done this already? Thanks!

 

[Chris Hyland]

Shaft cleanup

Ed, Remove old Zincs if there still there. Clean the shaft and prop down with Bronze Wool.This should get them pretty clean. Mount new Zincs, I use two. When setting the zincs tighten them snug and give each side a rap with a ball peen hammer to set them. Tighten them down the rest of the way. Tape over the zincs with masking tape. Spray the prop and shaft and strut with Clear Outdrive spray. 3 or 4 coats.Unwrap the zincs and spash! The whole process takes 30 to 40 minutes depending on how much cleanup needs to be done.Regards,Chris

 

[Kevin]

Polish

Hello,We use a 30Hp buffing machine to clean our wheels up with. You will find that the worse the dis-coloring the more elbow grease required. I would not use any material that could remove base metal. Emery cloth on the shaft works great. Corn buffing wheels with red polishing rouge works good on the prop. Take care Kevin