How much speed do we lose due to fouling?

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Mike

I've solved the bowthruster problem. This year I took the bowthruster props off, cleaned and sanded them, then sprayed with Int'l prop-o-drev primer, and painted with trilux. No loss of bowthruster performance after a summer in SoF, and blades still clean. Just a shame that Trilux wont stick to the main props.

Excellent idea. I'll try that next year myself

 

[longjohnsilver]

No chance with Med barnacles. Firstly, a scourer just doesn't touch them. You need a stiff pallette knife or a broad bladed screw driver and, second, it takes a lot longer as you need to force the implement through the critters. During my last visit to Majorca, it took 2 mates and I at least an hour to scrape the props and even then they weren't clean

Yeah but you're an old bloater so what do you expect? ;-))

 

[woodie1000]

Mike, interesting you get so much build up on your boat in Mallorca and we didn't suffer anything like as much in Menorca. Must be quite different - certainly the weather was always much better and a good few degrees warmer in Mallorca than Menorca when we cruised over!

 

[Bajansailor]

I remember (from college notes many moons ago) that for displacement hulls (and planing hulls at displacement speeds?) you can expect up to a 10% reduction in speed from just a layer of slime on the bottom. I think it is something to do with the boundary layer of water around the hull being disrupted, increasing the skin friction resistance.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Mike, interesting you get so much build up on your boat in Mallorca and we didn't suffer anything like as much in Menorca. Must be quite different - certainly the weather was always much better and a good few degrees warmer in Mallorca than Menorca when we cruised over!

woodie, I don't know. Maybe it's because we are moored well into a corner of Palma Bay where there's little or no water movement and there are lots of pollutants in the water to encourage the little *******s to grow. Certainly sterngear fouling is worse for me in Palma than we experienced either in La Napoule or Denia but, from the pics we've seen on the forum it's still not as bad as San Carles

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Yeah but you're an old bloater so what do you expect? ;-))

Pah, at least I'm not so decrepit as you. I heard the story about your crew having to lift you out of the water in a sling with the dinghy davits 'coz you couldn't make it up the swim ladder

 

[nonitoo]

What about something like

http://www.amazon.com/Eazypower-30167-40-Inch-Flexible-Extension/dp/B0009XAFXU

fitted with a stout wire buff and a helper holding the power drill aboard/dinghy while you play round the props.

Tom

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

What about something like

http://www.amazon.com/Eazypower-30167-40-Inch-Flexible-Extension/dp/B0009XAFXU

fitted with a stout wire buff and a helper holding the power drill aboard/dinghy while you play round the props.

Tom

Good idea but 40" wouldn't get near my props. Probably need double that

 

[Nick_H]

What about something like

http://www.amazon.com/Eazypower-30167-40-Inch-Flexible-Extension/dp/B0009XAFXU

fitted with a stout wire buff and a helper holding the power drill aboard/dinghy while you play round the props.

Tom

Nice lateral thinking, but would need to be 3 metres long, and I can't think of any end tool that would be man enough, you can't even remove the barnacles with a stiff wire brush. I use a chisel, about 3" wide, and with that can clean my props and stern gear in about half an hour with diving gear

 

[oceandrive]

Well good to know that you made it, safe and sound. Tried to contact you a couple of times.

With regard to the performance of your boat. props,shafts, and trim tabs will all make a massive difference to performance and fuel economy. cleaned a 48 last week an added 4 knots to top speed also move Mr B yesterday thrusters hardly working and usual tick over at 6.8 knots dropped to 4 dont recon Mr B would do 30 knots flat out. Divers on the hull tomorrow. Get in the water and have a scrape around before the temp drops .

All the best G

 

[woodie1000]

Hi Gary, good to hear from you too! Apologies, Katie forgot to reply to Sara's last text, I'm going to blame the two children! - you should have a reply now.

Hope you and Sara are well.

Yes, made it over to SoF - Fairline fuel gauges not as accurate as you might want but everything OK.

Let us know if/when you're over - would be nice to meet up again.

 

[davedpc]

Might be a silly question but what do you use to scrap the props?

I use a hard wood spatula the type you use with teflon coated frying pans. It doesn't scrape off the paint or a/f.