jdc
Well-Known Member
Has anyone tried Velox on a bronze folding prop, eg Gori? I only put lanolin on it each winter which is probably a waste of time, and this year it was covered in tube worm by July, and we're in cold, dank, Falmouth!
Prop AF Treatments - update
- Thread starter Neeves
- Start date
Neeves
Well-Known Member
We get about 12 month on a folding Volvo prop (and sail drive) - but we use the boat frequently (and have a 365 season). Our fouling is barnacles and some tubeworm and water temp in the summer mid 20's.
We got the same sort of life from Prop Speed/Prop Gold.
Because we are getting 2 year from the AF, this year we beached, cleaned the props down and lightly abraded and added a fresh single coat of Velox. After about 6 month it looks 'OK' and I think it will get the full 'extra' 12 months. I'll then trip down to primer and re-apply properly.
Jonathan
We got the same sort of life from Prop Speed/Prop Gold.
Because we are getting 2 year from the AF, this year we beached, cleaned the props down and lightly abraded and added a fresh single coat of Velox. After about 6 month it looks 'OK' and I think it will get the full 'extra' 12 months. I'll then trip down to primer and re-apply properly.
Jonathan
langstonelayabout
Well-Known Member
I'm sure that many people would be pleased to buy Sea Hawk's TBT antifouling and booster here in the EU. Sadly they didn't want to ship any to me here in the UK though...
dslittle
Well-Known Member
Not Velox but I put Prop Speed on my Gori prop myself five years ago. There was enough for two props but I couldn't save the left overs (and applied at home so no one to give it to) so it cost me double of what I needed - about £100 from memory. The boat was lifted this July and the Prop Speed is still there with no fouling. We have moved continuously throughout the summer but the boat overwintered in the water without movement for four winters (South Coast, West Coast of Scotland and Brittany). Works for me
Oh and same endorsement for Coppercoat which was applied in 2009 - it wasn't even pressure washed this July (although we had been in brackish water for a week before lifting which probably helped).
No connection to either Company etc etc
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Neeves
Well-Known Member
Interestingly when that was on going they equally did not want to be part of a trial I was running.
I think prison is a suitable deterrent, I don't see it happening again.
Jonathan
jdc
Well-Known Member
That's extremely helpful, many thanks. I'll apply it this winter and give it a go.
skyflyer
Well-Known Member
Ah, in the other axis!
The problem with having a rope cutter is, you never know if it has saved your ass many times already or if it was completely useless. Unlike a virus scanner, it doesn't give you a triumphant popup dialog reporting that it has just protected you from a nasty tangle of rope that would see you drifting into those sharp rocks right over there. You only find out about that if you don't have a rope cutter. All I know is, we never knowingly picked up any fishing kit with our prop. We have cruised a lot of coastal waters full of poorly marked fishing kit (Portugal and Sardinia stick out) and either we're very lucky or the thing works very well (misaligned blades and all) and doesn't make much noise when it does.
Previous owner fitted a "two blade" Ambassador on a three bladed prop. So no way to fit it "right". I spoke to Ambassador and they said not to worry, it was still better than nothing.
Last year I ran over my mooring strop (duh!). 20mm octoplait. Cut it and the engine barely missed a beat.
Had it been a piece of 8mm polypropylene on a pot I doubt I would ever have known.
G12
Well-Known Member
I have a 2 blade maxprop and have used Velox for several years and I'm also based in Falmouth.
This year I have seen a phenomenal amount of growth on the boat despite using the same AF as always (Micron Extra) and have heard the same from others. I actually had to scrape her against a wall a few weeks ago as she was covered in barnacles after just 4 months afloat. I never normally have 1/4 of the amount of barnacles she had even at the end of the season. The prop also had decent amount of barnacles on it but far from the worst I've seen it in the years before I used Velox.
I have found the performance of the velox to be significantly better than not applying anything and it seems to last ok but I send to lose it all on the outer 1/3 of the prop by the end of the season.
The key to getting the primer to stay attached to the prop is to abrade it EXACTLY as they tell you in the instructions (80 grit I think, or maybe it was 40 - very coarse at any rate) and then apply the primer exactly as they say. It doesn't like cold weather I found.
Dull Spark
Well-Known Member
I have a feathering prop that needs to be greased annually with some expensive bright green stuff. As I do that in the yard, the old dull green grease oozes out. I smear that all over the clean prop and launch again in the spring. By the middle of summer, there is only a light growth on the blades. It can be removed with a quick wipe of a green scourer.
It's not often you get to recycle old grease!
It's not often you get to recycle old grease!
