Barnacle on Propellor

[ponapay]

This year, as a result of bad family planning by one of my daughter's, my wife and I had to split our main sailing into two separate cruises.

The result a that the boat was stationery for two months over the summer in the Baltic. The weather was superb and the sea temperature became hot and barnacle grew at an alarming rate.

The hull was clean with the exception of the propellor and shaft, which were covered almost completely with barnacles up to 3/8 inch in height. The reduction in speed under power was dramatic. On hauling for the winter it was clear why the reduction took place but why were there no barnacles elsewhere on the unanti-fouled areas (the grounding plate, the echo ounder transducer and the log surround)?

What can be done to stop a repetition (apart from better family planning)?


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[jfkal]

This season I tried to apply Lanolin (anhydrous) as many have suggested. So far it has worked.
Heat up the propellor with a Heat gun to 60 deg C and brush on the lanolin. Make sure you buy the raw stuff and not the cosmetic type.

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[Con_Brio]

I remember being assured by some one at the club just after getting my boat that there was never any need to antifoul the prop because the bronze was sufficiently poisonous to keep the barnacles away. I rapidly found the hard way that this was rubbish and since then have always antifouled prop and shaft - everything except, of course, the shaft anode. End of problem. I have seen it stated more than once that self-polishing antifouling will simply polish itself off the whirling prop. That hasn't happened in my experience. And while I'd always prefer to be under sail, force perforce I find myself doing a fair bit of motoring one way and another, so it isn't that the prop does no whirling. In fact I usually find that the hardened antifouling needs to be rubbed down to get a smooth finish on the prop when it is time to put on the new season's coat.

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[ponapay]

Re: Lanoline

Yes, I have tried that too but with little success.

For some time I used boot topping anti-fouling, but that stripped off within hours of using the engine. Next I tried hard racing anti-foul, same result.

Perhaps I will try lanoline again, have to warm up the lanoline first as it is very hard.

I asked the harbour master, his response as that in 30 years he has found no solution but admitted that this year it is far worse than he has seen before.

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[ponapay]

Re: Lanoline

Yes, I have tried that too but with little success.

For some time I used boot topping anti-fouling, but that stripped off within hours of using the engine. Next I tried hard racing anti-foul, same result.

Perhaps I will try lanoline again, have to warm up the lanoline first as it is very hard.

I asked the harbour master, his response was that in 30 years he has found no solution but admitted that this year it is far worse than he has seen before.

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[Pollyanna]

Sounds strange but you could try zinc and caster oil !!

Had twelve months moored up on the Thames and ended up with lots of little crustaceans on the out drive when I lifted her out.

Someone told me that the Canadians us zinc and castor oil so I applied a liberal coat to the prop and outdrive. After 7 months in the river Ancholme, Humber and occasional trips into the North sea, she was lifted out again and no sign of fouling apart from a thin greeny grey coating wich was easy to wash off.

Good luck
Bob

Very cheap from local mothercare/Pharmacy so worth a try.



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