Bottom paint for prop

[Doug]

What is the best way to (try) to get bottom paint to stick to the prop of our 32+2 CB?
Does it help to put sevreal coats of primer on before the final coat? Does one product or method work better than another?
Thanks,
Doug

[ScubaPete]

I don't personally know anything that works, especially on a prop. I have the worst buildup on all underwater metal..... more on the struts and rudder..... a little less on the prop because it moves a lot more (which wears off the paint too).
I have heard that "Propspeed" (professionally applied after blasting down to bare metal) works the best, but I haven't tried it yet due to the cost.

[bccanucker]

No one that I know of in our neck of the ocean puts bottom paint on props or shafts. Struts yes. I go under the boat every once in a while during the summer and do brushing.

[Chuck Waygood]

I have used prop speed and it works no better than standard bottom paint. Inother words it comes off quite quickly. I understand it is really made for sailboats, especially those that race, but rarely run the engine. It is slippery, but does not repel barnacles.

[myalexander]

It is not a good idea to use bottom paint that contains copper on metal parts. Dis-similar metals corrosion and deterioration can occur which can damage them over time. I'm old and don't remember everything but I' pretty sure I remember that "Interlux" makes an epoxy based product for this but I can't say that I know how well it works. There are also "Teflon" containing products that are supposed to be too slippery for the little buggers to be able to attach themselves to. There is a company that makes a device that electronicly"pings" the hull and is supposed to repel barnacles.

[Cape Codder]

Just saw this for the frst time:

http://www.proparmor.com/

[RicM]

The simple answer is run the boat weekly. Most bottom paint these days is "ablative", meaning it sloughs off in moving water, like a bar of soap wearing away. It will only last a few days on your prop. Prop Speed is expensive and works, but you have to run the boat. Stuff will still grow on Prop Speed, but the growth will slide off when the boat is run. There is a special, non copper formula, bottom paint that is sold for the lower units of outboards, usually black & in spray cans. This does a pretty good job of keeping your running gear clean. Myself I just be sure to get off the dock and get up to cruise speed at least once a week and never have a problem. A few barnacles on the rudder & the strap from the rudder post to skeg (anyone know the proper yachty name for that?) at the end of the season.

[jleonard]

The simple answer is run the boat weekly

Yup!!

[DougSea]

A few barnacles on the rudder & the strap from the rudder post to skeg (anyone know the proper yachty name for that?) at the end of the season.

I believe that is the "rudder shoe"

[zinbaad]

Last season I stripped to metal, rudders, skegs, shafts trim tabs and had props tuned & conditioned. Afterwards all metals were etched & coated as per "Propspeed" instructions. Results= Props did not have one barnicale. Rudders, tabs. skeg, trim tabs got pretty much totally covered in barnicales, first underwater scraping of barnicales came of fairly easy, September scraping bit harder as propspeeds coating is clear & soft, can almost dig your nail into it so after first scrap probably scraped some coating off,. Cost without the intensive labor was abot $400
My opinion is that it is not worth the money. I am actually looking for differant coating to apply this year

[RicM]

If you do not run a lot, the lower unit outboard paint is the best bet.

[jleonard]

OK here you go. My ex next door marina neighbor used to swear by putting STP on his props. Yes good old fashoned STP. He said once he started doing this he rarely had a barnacle on his props.
And he used STP for about 15 years.

[Russell]

The mention of STP made me recall another weird remedy that I tried many years ago. A friend sent me a link to a wooden boat site where a guy swore that cast iron stove paint kept his propeller clean of barnacles. There was a lot of comments about it and the guy was just positive of how well it worked. I had my doubts but picked up a can at ACE hardware and put it on during spring bottom prep. I continued to monitor the comments and someone finally reported that he tried it and it did not work for very long. Someone suggested that maybe he used his boat too much and wore off the stove paint. The original guy then answered "Not true, I use my boat every day and the stove paint kept the prop clean all season."

[Pitou]

A few barnacles on the rudder & the strap from the rudder post to skeg (anyone know the proper yachty name for that?) at the end of the season.

I believe that is the "rudder shoe"

Ric .... you've got it down and didn't even know it!

Under going remove and replace of the rudder last year for packing and bearing replacement I learned alot of terminology. The lower rudder post sits in the "rudder Shoe" to which the skeg "strap" or "bar" bolts to with 4 bolts and the other end of the strap bolts to the skeg. There you have it gentlemen.

As far as treating the prop ... I put my cash into diesel fuel and run the boat. Works great, maybe 1 or 2 barnacles per season and no other growth. $ 400 for prop speed is almost 1 tank of diesel in a 28!

[RicM]

Here's the stuff you want:
http://search.defender.com/?expression= ... wer%20unit