prop paint?

[special k]

after 3 seasons with my 20002 28te i sent my prop out to be tuned and balanced. it now is beautifully polished and i am wondering the best way to protect it from marine growth. past 2 seasons i have been using my regular bottom paint with satisfactory results.
1. can regular bottom paint properly protect bronze running gear.

2.could there be any galvanic reactions created? no signs of trouble exist now.

[whwells]

special k: My boat had new bottom paint this past summer. The rudders and props were beautiful. I asked the same question of the bottom paint shop. Was pretty sure there should be some clear coat that would hold the finish.
Was told to forget as nothing really works that well. Have tried painting the cativation plates in previous boats with the bottom paint. That also turns out to be an ugly mess.
Only solution I know of is to have a diver take care of it every 3 months and then pull for a good pressure cleaning one annually.
Hope you find an answer I did not.
whwells "Howard"
2006 35TE Sportfisher/Conv.
Anacortes, WA.

[Capt Ron]

I attended the Atlantc City boat this year. One of the objectives this year was to discuss prop and shaft painting to prevent barnicle growth which we did with Pettit and Interlux representives. Their answers were identicle. There is no paint made as of yet do that job. If fact one representive stated "if you paint the shaft and have to have it removed you're just going to really piss off the mechanic because he's going to have to remove the paint before he can remove the shaft".

I have a theory which I formulated after using a trailered boat. I used the boat one day and brought it home the same day. When I cleaned it the next day I found hundreds of little dots on the lower unit. They were barnicles! My theory is, these animals only drift in a few times a year. So, the answer is to never stop moving or find the day they're there and take the boat out of the water. I hope this helps.

Oh, on a side note for the trivia guys out there. The barnicle has the longest penis (relative to their size) in the animal kingdom. Think about it. You're stuck in one place and want to got on on Saturday night for a good time.........

[jleonard]

I bought this stuff to try this year based on feedback from a boating friend/Mainship owner in Noank who is technical and does lots of research. He used it and had good results (so did one or two others in his marina). I bought it from McMaster Carr online.

4 7725T13
Galvanizing Coating, Cold Galvanizing Coating, 1/2 Pint 1
Each 1 0 16.79
Each 16.79

[ScubaPete]

I have used Pettit Zinc Coat Barnicle Barrier 1792 on my props with moderate success. This sounds similar to the galvanized coating that jleonard refers to. (The copper based ablative bottom paint on the props and shaft just didn't work). It will wear off of the pressure side of the props over time, but does provide good antifouling in the areas where it remains. My boat stays in the water (lower Chesapeake Bay), so I can only pull my props and paint them now. When I have it hauled next time, I will use this on all the running gear.

[jleonard]

I have used Pettit Zinc Coat Barnicle Barrier 1792 on my props with moderate success. This sounds similar to the galvanized coating that jleonard refers to. (The copper based ablative bottom paint on the props and shaft just didn't work). .

Yes, the generic paint I bought is less $$ than the Petit and has about the same zinc content. That's why my friend and a few others tried it out last year.

[Capeandisland]

try using prop speed, its not exactly cheap and it MUST be applied properly, but if done correctly it works exceptionally well. www.propspeedusa.com and i think they carry it at west marine

[waterhound]

I've got propspeed on my 28TE it's very effective.

[Capeandisland]

i use it on our 78' Rybo and 68' Hatt....if when i convince the wife to let me buy an Albin it will go on there as well! longevity is great, i've had the same application on one boat for almost 4 years.

[RobS]

i use it on our 78' Rybo and 68' Hatt....

Is that 1978 Rybo and 1968 Hatt or 78ft Rybo and 68ft Hatt?

[Capeandisland]

feet

[Chuck Waygood]

Talking about propspeed, I tried it on my last boat. After the cost of having the props taken down to bare metal and applying the two coat process, I was sorely disappointed; it did not last any longer than plain bottom paint applied over a base coat. Subsequently I was told it is best for sailboats where the props do not turn at high rpms as much as power boats. Maybe the formula has changed in the last five years or maybe my barnacles are more ravenous that some. In short, I agree with Howard Wells, the only answer is a diver - in my water (fast moving tidal changes across the hull) every month in the summer months. If you try it, let us know how it lasts.

[Capeandisland]

from my experience, when the product was fairly new to the market, there were many incidents such as your account where the product wore off rapidly. i think that was mostly attributed to improper application. the very first time i tried it, i did the application myself and was probably not as diligent as i should have been and it resulted in rapid wear. on my next haul out i had Bayliss Boatworks in Wanchese NC apply and the results were fantastic. i've since had it applied to all our boats at various yards with excellent results. two of our boats have a WOT speed north of 46 kts....the speed is definitely not a deteriorating factor.

again, thats just my experience. as they say with viagra, results may vary!