Propeller anti-fouling?

[Jon Fuller]

Hi, When I hauled my 27 FC, I noticed that the propeller was pretty fouled with marine growth. I bought the boat in early September and hauled out in late October. Just clean it off and scrub it down with a scotch bright pad? Put wax on it? Any suggestions? Thank you. Jon

[Sprig1]

Welcome to the club. I have a 84fc to. In regards to the prop last year I coated mine with bottom paint it seemed to work. I don't now if that was right or wrong. This year I'm going to try rustoleam galvanized paint. But I think the best thing that works is using your boat often. When I check my boat and can't use it I start the engine up put it in gear both forward and reverse. While tide in the slip. The owner of the marina said it was one of the cleanest hulls he saw last year. Good luck. Let us know what you find out

[rebuckley]

I second the Rustoleum zinc paint - about $4 a can vs Petit's $45 zinc paint - been using it for about 4 years now - prop comes out clean (but I also run it quite a bit in the summer). As for the removal - if you have crusty-critters (calcium) use a "Calcium Away" or something like it - a mild acid that eats away the calcium (much easier to clean)

[jleonard]

. As for the removal - if you have crusty-critters (calcium) use a "Calcium Away" or something like it - a mild acid that eats away the calcium (much easier to clean)

I use muriatic acid to remove the barnacle bodies. A little bit in a paint tray applied with a chip brush, then rinse. Prop comes out nice and shiny.
I've used the zinc paint a few times with mixed results.
Using the boat seems the best "cure". Plus that way you get to have more "cheeseburgers in paradise".

[Jon Fuller]

Hello Everyone, Thank you for your input. I worry about mixing metals in salt water. I see no harm using muriatic acid to remove the calcium residue - good idea. I plan to run it every weekend this summer. Once the water heats up enough to swim in it, I will dive under and see how it looks. Thank you again. Jon

[Mike Monte]

Last year I used muriatic acid on my prop. It is quite caustic but it worked well....just use a plastic putty knife to get the barnacle heads off, paint on the acid (I use a paint brush taped to a 4' pole) and rinse/dilute with plenty of water. I had to let dry and reapply the next day to achieve a shiny prop. After cleaning I used: https://www.boatersland.com/pet1792.htm ... Y5EALw_wcB
and it worked quite well in Narragansett Bay.

I will repeat the process this season.