Prop painting

[Greg G.]

First time semi-big big (H320) boat owner and had a question about prop painting. This was the only part of my boat that had any significant growth (Barnicles) on it. How does one get them off and should I paint the prop to reduce this from happening in the future. I talked to Interlux who told me to get thier InterProtect product and just use whatever anti-fouling I was going to use (Micron-Extra). Does this jive with reality?

 

[Rich Stidger]

That's what I do

Greg,I've tried various methods. Using an epoxy sealer and then the regular antifouling works about as well or poorly as anything else I've tried. I've also used the clear outdrive spray antifouling by itself.Nothing seems to last an entire season, nevermind multi-seasons. The best solution is just to dive on the prop every month or 2. That's not fun when the water is cold in the northeast. but it might be bearable in MD.One disadvantage of the epoxy coat with antifouling is that the epoxy coating seems to chip off and ultimately leave the prop looking like a teenager with acne. Then you have a sanding job and need to redo the entire task.The guy that comes up with a good solution for this problem is going to be very rich.

 

[Chris Hyland]

Tempo Clear outdrive spray

Greg, I'm putting our new C36 in the water in about three weeks. We were told to use Tempo Clear outdrive spray.We'll see how it works?Regards,Chris

 

[Kevin l. Woody]

I don't paint them

Dear Greg,Being in the propeller business, one of the single most challenges we face is keeping the biological off our props. People talk about STP oil treatment, Desitin, Copper… and painting the props. We find in our repair shops that the propellers that comes in with paint on them causes the average repair to cost apx. $100 to $200 more, as a result of the galvanic reaction or the oxygen starvation problem the paint or sealer may have caused. Of coarse our propellers are made of Nibral and your fixed may only be bronze, so there may be a slight difference in galvanic reactions. Our past experience has shown that if the paint is applied without following the etching process called out by the paint guys, it will not stay on the prop. The best material, paint, we have found is a product called Prop and Drive. NASTY stuff. Tribudilean (sp) aka Tin. Can be very harmful to water based animals and humans in applying and removal. Some prop shops will not accept propellers with the stuff on them. Causes cancer in mammals. To get biological elements off prop, try red or black 3M scratch pads they work great. Just try to not remove metal. I would suggest if you leave the vessel at dock for long periods of time, try smearing DESITIN, baby diaper rash ointment, all over the surface of prop. The zinc oxide stalls biological growth. It will sluff off however when the propeller is being used. Good luck. Sincerely, Kevin L. Woody