Do you anti-foul your prop

It can do. Problem with props is getting stuff to stick and then stay on as the prop is whizzing around. There are all sorts of magic potions available from sheep grease to udder cream to expensive professionally applied coatings, some of which work for some boats in some situations.

Personally I use International Trilux spray on both saildrive housing and prop. No fouling on the saildrive in 2 years and bit of slime on the prop. Just sprayed them yesterday, launching today, so will tell you in a year's time if it is still working OK.
 
Tranona said:
It can do. Problem with props is getting stuff to stick and then stay on as the prop is whizzing around. There are all sorts of magic potions available from sheep grease to udder cream to expensive professionally applied coatings, some of which work for some boats in some situations.

Personally I use International Trilux spray on both saildrive housing and prop. No fouling on the saildrive in 2 years and bit of slime on the prop. Just sprayed them yesterday, launching today, so will tell you in a year's time if it is still working OK.
Click to expand...

That was with 4 coats of trilux on the leg (it is also epoxied)... wondered why it felt a bit sluggish. Also stopped the bow thruster working in one direction and amongst other things we found a family of crabs living in the rudder.
 
On my previous traditional boat I used lanolin (sheep grease) on my prop with decent results. It came out after three years with one or two very immature barnacles and slime.
On my present boat I launched two years ago with nothing on the prop but it had been highly polished. It came out last year covered in barnacles.
This year I put on three coats of micron hard - then covered that with lanolin.
Modern and traditional.
It might work!
 
Nostrodamus said:
This is a year in the Atlantic Coast with no anti-foul.
Does anti-fouling make a difference?

View attachment 31301
Click to expand...


Prop-O-Drev + hard a/f @ 13 months afloat on the East Coast

IMG_08681_zps3b79937b.jpg
 
I have posted several times recently about the apparent antifouling properties of Hammerite non-ferrous metal primer. I bought some prop antifouling called Marlin Velox Plus (Italian, I think). It needs a primer but I already had a tin of the Hammerite, so I used that. After four months some of the Marlin had come off in typical prop cavitation places but the Hammerite beneath was free of fouling. Photo shows it before pressure washing.
IMG_2766.jpg

This year I have done prop and P-bracket with the same combination.
 
Trilux is only medium strength antifoul. I did complain one year to International about the weed growing on a stern drive after just 8 weeks. They came to have a look at the boat and agreed it wasn't good. Their solution? they gave me another 3 litres of the stuff.

I now use a thin coat of Primocon and what ever antifouling paint that is on the hull. Results similar to Vyv, some antifouling falls off over the year but way better than anything not painted or I missed like the bottom of the twin keels.

Pete
 
I have used hard antifouling - no good, I have used expensive propshield - went astern out of my berth last year for the first time that season and the red propshield was clearly visible floating where i had been.
Used Green Lanolin product less than 1/2 the price of propshield and not impressed, this year i have used udder cream as recommended on this site, less than £10for a pot big enough for 5-6 years, i have no idea how it will perform, but it cannot be worse than the above.
 
I use the same antifouling paint as the hull gets. The way to get it to stick on the prop is to lightly sand down the barnicle residue, supposedly the best glue in the world, the antifouling hugs to that. Only a few tiny ones are seen after a year in the water. They help form next year's undercoat.
 
Every year I cover the prop with same antifouling I use for the hull, but many more coats; works well. I always smile when I see some chaps spending hours polishing their props and a few months later are literally covered with barnacles;
 
Tranona said:
Personally I use International Trilux spray on both saildrive housing and prop. No fouling on the saildrive in 2 years and bit of slime on the prop. Just sprayed them yesterday, launching today, so will tell you in a year's time if it is still working OK.
Click to expand...

Tried this last year on the SD only and it worked OK, so just redone it and the prop too - 4 coats on both. We'll see.
 
vyv_cox said:
I have posted several times recently about the apparent antifouling properties of Hammerite non-ferrous metal primer. I bought some prop antifouling called Marlin Velox Plus (Italian, I think). It needs a primer but I already had a tin of the Hammerite, so I used that. After four months some of the Marlin had come off in typical prop cavitation places but the Hammerite beneath was free of fouling. Photo shows it before pressure washing.
IMG_2766.jpg

This year I have done prop and P-bracket with the same combination.
Click to expand...

I've seen your previous posts Vyv. Its impressive. Wanted to ask you though, is the dark part the Marlin. The red the hammerite primer? Judging by you pic, hammerite alone would suffice?
 
Last haul out in February revealed extensive and large barnacles and ths explained loss of 2-3 knots and about 20% higher fuel consumption, as these were destroying the hydrodynamic efficiency of the props. I am trying lanolin, and merely need to slow the barnacles down.

I wondered if the increased freh water flowing down the River Hamble from all the rain increased the barnacle growth.

I will try the Hammerite primer next winter if the lanolin doesn't work.
 
I have used Propshield on a well cleaned, but not polished, prop for each of the past 3 years and it has worked very well. Longest the boat was in before lifting was about 20 months. The worst it gets is a very thin and patchy coating of tiny barnacles which are not too arduous to remove with some sanding.

Once the Propshield is finished this time though I think I will try the udder cream treatment, only because of the significant cost difference.

I seem to remember being advised in the past not to use antifoul on the prop. Is this just because it doesn't work, or is there another more "technical" reason?
 
cimo said:
I've seen your previous posts Vyv. Its impressive. Wanted to ask you though, is the dark part the Marlin. The red the hammerite primer? Judging by you pic, hammerite alone would suffice?
Click to expand...

Yes, that is one or two coats of red primer beneath four coats of the Marlin. I launch today but beforehand I will paint a couple of test areas on the keel with Hammerite.
 
Interesting thread for once!
I have tried most thing but for the last 4 years I just heavily coat the prop with grease, same grease as I put in the stuffing box and it works!

Mike

Before launch 2009

Lift out two years later in 2011
 
I sail in a very heavy fouling areas. New Zealand : oysters and weed are a problem; tropical South Pacific : soft and hard corals.

I've tried Propspeed, and it works for about 6 months. The problem then is that once the corals get a hold, I need to scrape them off and that removes the rest of the expensive Propspeed.

Antifoul paint won't work here because the erosion damage to the paint makes sound foundations for the coral etc. and makes scraping harder.

I'll try the lanoline idea as it can do no harm.

You have it easy in Blighty!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top