Cleaning Sterndrives

Harpsden

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Joined
11 Sep 2008
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197
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Boat at Lymington
www.skipperslog.com
Feeling like I should be starting the big clean ready for the season. Job 1 is to clean up the sterndrives. They have patches of limescale on them that needs to come off. Any recommendations for the easiest way to achieve this. Also any ideas on preventing the build-up this summer.

Thanks.


Harpsden

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just sand it off with a sanding pad, but dont remove any paint.
We use International Trilux Prop-o-shield, though I m told the Blakes o/drive paint is much the same. Just spray it on.
Dont use a copper based A/F on the drives, but you can use ordinary Trilux and just paint it on. Guess it builds up a bit more year after year, just as on the hull.
Oh, and dont go and paint/spray over your anodes.. or they obviously wont work!
 
Cheaper option is to clean off, then lag in under water grease will eventually leave a film behind that scale cannot stick to.
 
Cheaper option is to clean off, then lag in under water grease will eventually leave a film behind, that scale cannot stick to. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
If that was all I had to clean of after a season I would be a happy bunny!. As already mentioned a coat or two of antifoul would help. The only other advice I would give would be to always leave the outdrive in the fully down position, this protects the part of the ram shaft that goes into the seals, I notice your's have a coating of lime scale.
I am assuming that is lime scale on the photo's and not old antifoul.
 
I was lifting the sterndrives as the boat is moored on a river in a relatively strong stream so it collects quite a lot of weed around the drives that has to be cleaned before a passage.

Once I saw the limescale collecting I started leaving them as high up as possible to minimise weed but as low as necessary to keep the rams in the water. Once cleaned up they should be much better this season.

The antifoul has been ordered and the limescale came off with Viakal (from the kitchen) and a plastic pan scrub (not metal).

Thanks.



Harpsden
 
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