Outdrive Paint / Antifoul - Product and Colour

[trying]

With the boat coming out of the water soon for antifoul etc I am interested to hear experiences and opinions regarding outdrives. Products and colour?

I'll be rubbing down and painting my drive this year.

Initial thoughts are rub down and paint in something like hammerite then Trilux Prop-o-drev and finish with a good coat of prop shield?

I have noticed that lighter coloured drives seem to attract less weed growth? So should I paint / antifoul in grey instead of black?

 

[Pendana]

I just use the grey prop-o-drev on the sheilds and drives after a quick rub down and the black prop-o-drev on the props cos I think it looks better - dont know what the fish think but it doesnt last long on the props anyway.

Eddie

 

[carlton]

I gave mine a gentle rub rown and then masked/sprayed them with black Hammerite. Seemed to stick pretty well - painted almost two years ago. I'll let you know how the paint's fared shortly. Although next time I paint them I think I'll opt for white - simply on the basis it should absorb less heat/keep the drives a little cooler in the water/minimise growth...I hope...

Hammerite covered the anodes really well, but I did have to give them two coats for complete coverage.

 

[mrgrumpy2]

One thing you should never do is paint your anodes....It dramatically reduces their performance.

 

[trying]

One thing you should never do is paint your anodes....It dramatically reduces their performance.

I have a feeling that comment was in jest.

 

[epervier]

This season I used Blakes, cost me eighty odd squid for half a dozen spraycans, 6 weeks in I was using the cars ice scaper to remove the infestation of baby barnacles, from the anticavitation plates and blades, wished I'd bought some dulux gloss, probably just as effective.for a fraction of the price.

being the cynical old git that I am, it wouldn't pay them to make something that works, because we wouldn't be back buying every 6,8,10 weeks, what ever the interval is and yes it does knock the performance hard, and her bottom is coppercoated and is clean as a whistle.

 

[nonitoo]

For the last two seasons I have used (courtesy of these pages) lanolin on the outdrives.

Clean off the old stuff with meths/white spirit (can't remember which) back to a glossy black paint.

Heat the 0.5 ltr jar of lanolin (http://www.baldwins.co.uk/Miscellan...iscellaneous-Items/Baldwins-Lanolin/11327/618) - cheaper than anything fouind in a chandler - in hot water and slap it on before returning the boat to the water.

OK there is some growth but it washes off when used.

Of course this does not apply to the SS prop blades - they are a different matter and I don't have an answer for them.

Tom

 

[ian38_39]

I have used seajet Emperor that you can use on aluminium over the paint, think it is the 034 but check as there is only one you can put on Aluminium.
Has worked fantasticaly over the last 3 years so although not cheap I would highly recommend it.

Ian

 

[novanta]

I always use Prop-O-Drev. Works well!

This is a Targa 34 from 97!

 

[whisper]

Interesting.
We used prop-o-drev this year and the leg was/is covered in small barnacles.

 

[novanta]

Did you use several layers of antifouling? We work in the south of Holland, in salt water... The upper part of the drives (cavitationplate) tends to get a bit green/brown-ish but you can rub it of easy, even in the water.

 

[Freebee]

My boat was moored at Cobbs quay and has not been out of the water for any work until recently. 3 years ago I undercoated my volvo dp out drives and props with hammerite aluminium primer which sticks like prverbial ** to a blanket and then top coated with international Tri lux -although expensive - fouling just brushed off and the finish whilst being a bit patchy is still good.

whatever you do dont use Hammerite as top coat for under water surfaces -it peels very quickly.

 

[trying]

My boat was moored at Cobbs quay and has not been out of the water for any work until recently. 3 years ago I undercoated my volvo dp out drives and props with hammerite aluminium primer which sticks like prverbial ** to a blanket and then top coated with international Tri lux -although expensive - fouling just brushed off and the finish whilst being a bit patchy is still good.

whatever you do dont use Hammerite as top coat for under water surfaces -it peels very quickly.

Interesting that you went with trilux over the hammerite special metals primer. I take it you didn't have any compatibility problems?

 

[whisper]

Did you use several layers of antifouling? We work in the south of Holland, in salt water... The upper part of the drives (cavitationplate) tends to get a bit green/brown-ish but you can rub it of easy, even in the water.

Yes, I painted it with primer/undercoat then 3 coats of paint - totally useless!!

 

[novanta]

But why do you use Hammerite? It is a paint, not a antifouling.

 

[trying]

If that question was aimed at me, my reason for planning to use hammerite first is to replace the original paint / coating on the drive which has flaked over the years. Then paint in antifouling (althoughy the concensus of opinion seems to suggest that trilux ain't all that good!). And finally propshield (which i know works but does not last a full year). I thought i'd said that in my original post.

 

[carlton]

...I thought i'd said that in my original post...

I think novanta could be Dutch, so perhaps it didn't translate too well.

(Mind you, his English is far better than my Flemish!)

 

[novanta]

Yep, I am Dutch... I overlooked it in your first post.

But I never paint the drive's first before antifouling, just clean them, sand them down and then use the VC primer.

Then min. 3 layers of Prop-O-Drev. Works well on salt water!


At last we found something to clean the drive's with, it's a acid wich we use to remove al of the barnecles... Sometimes I spend a day just to clean one drive and transom!
In Mallorca they use a toilet-acid (?). I had to survey a Camargue 50 and they used it on the props and shafts... it's called Aquafuerte..

In 5 min. time!

I could not believe my eyes... It ran straight back into the marina, no problem! If you try that in Holland you will be shot...

 

[ReneJK]

Aquafuerte (Aguafuerte) is a toilet cleaner http://www.indogosa.es/index.php?modo=catalogo&id=65 with a 90% hydrochloric acid / zoutzuur / Ácido Clorhídrico solution

I am surprised it works this well , just dont use it on a galvanised trailer but it should be relatively harmless in (sea)water