Propellor antifoul recommendations

Sailors in Greece use an italian product called Velox (especially formulated for shafts/props), which seems to work fairly well in the warm med waters. It is expensive, but the alternative is heavily fouled parts. There's issues with applying copper-based paints on steel elements...so look into that
 
International make a product specifically for propellers and boot topping. I thought it was very expensive when I bought it 12 years ago at £19 for 1/4 pint, but After using it for 12 years and still plenty in the can I can't complain. I do think it reduces the fouling
 
Many different products on the market which can be used with varying success. The two basic problems are getting the coating to stick to the metal of the prop and then stay there as it is whizzing around at 1500rpm. Velox has just become available in the UK but there are similar products already on the market. Some people use ordinary antifouling or coat the prop with lanolin based ointments. I have had success with Trilux, which is also used on the saildrive housing.

Most of the patent preparations need a two stage process and some can only be applied by a "qualified" person. DIY, whichever product you use normally requires the prop to be absolutely clean, and some people say that a clean highly polished prop can stay clean all season.
 
I asked a 'tech support' guy at prop makers TM Norris what was recommended on small yacht props. "Nothing," he insisted. "Just clean them when you can."
 
Polished mine last year coated it with lanolin and when she was lifted it was still shiny with only a few baby barnacles which just fell off. Very pleased as the boat didn't get a lot of use especially in the winter.
Took it into work this year and put it in an ultrasonic bath then polished with brasso and now looks like a brand new prop!

J
 
I am trying Woolube this year. Its a brand of lanolin grease so solid that I had to heat the prop to apply it smoothly.

Unfortunately anti fouling for propellers is like winning arguments with women. There are many theories on how to achieve success, but none work in the long term.
 
Hi Richard,

We tried lanolin here, its pretty cheap. We simply wiped it on (the recommendation was to heat the prop before application). We had some left and wiped it on the leading edges, keel, rudder. The lanolin coated area developed more growth than others, my deduction was the things causing the growth ate it (but do not know). We did not try it again.

We tried trilux, the problem was getting it to stick (International recommend a really coarse abrasive, say 40 mesh) then an etch primer then Interprotect then Trilux. The coarse grit is the one common feature.

Prop problems are universal - even the paint companies largely know they do not have a real answer. You are not alone.

I look forward to an update, but good luck


As a complete aside I do not know why we cannot have composite props and saildrives. A combination of glass/carbon and or Kevlar. They would seem to be strong enough, they could be made to allow stainless inserts where necessary. We could then coated with any antifoul. There is a prop made from composite (Kiwi Prop) but its bolted together with stainless - but it is a step in the right direction.

Jonathan
 
I inspected my prop and P-bracket yesterday, painted with Velox. We have been in the water for about six weeks, sailed 550 miles, motored around 55 hours. Absolutely no fouling on the Velox. The unpainted prop shaft is quite badly fouled, the small areas done with Hammerite primer seem better than unpainted but do have some barnacles. The hull, Micron blue, is beginning to accumulate some slime in places.

I tried the polish only method a couple of years ago. In the Med, disastrous. Very badly fouled with tube worm, better results simply using hull antifouling, diving on it occasionally and cleaning off with wet and dry papers.
 
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vyv_cox said:
I inspected my prop and P-bracket yesterday, painted with Velox. We have been in the water for about six weeks, sailed 550 miles, motored around 55 hours. Absolutely no fouling on the Velox. The unpainted prop shaft is quite badly fouled, the small areas done with Hammerite primer seem better than unpainted but do have some barnacles. The hull, Micron blue, is beginning to accumulate some slime in places.

I tried the polish only method a couple of years ago. In the Med, disastrous. Very badly fouled with tube worm, better results simply using hull antifouling, diving on it occasionally and cleaning off with wet and dry papers.
Click to expand...

Depending on the results of the lanolin I may try the Velox next year. THanks for all the helpful comments.
 
Daydream believer said:
Brunton's advised me no antifoulling on prop
The case being that if any chipped off any electrolitic action would concentrate on that point rather than evenly over the whole prop thus causing imbalance
Click to expand...

Strange logic. Assuming the anode to be working, and particularly if there is an additional shaft anode as I have, the only increase in electrolytic action would be loss of the anode metal. Even assuming that metal was lost from the blade it would take the loss of an enormous mass of metal to cause an imbalance.

I have had an Autoprop since 2001. With one or two exceptions it has been antifouled every year since I bought it. There is no sign of any corrosion on it.
 
I use "Dr Barnacle" It is specially formulated grease and can be obtained from R S Clare in Liverpool.
Details are available on the internet.
 
vyv_cox said:
Strange logic. Assuming the anode to be working, and particularly if there is an additional shaft anode as I have, the only increase in electrolytic action would be loss of the anode metal. Even assuming that metal was lost from the blade it would take the loss of an enormous mass of metal to cause an imbalance.

I have had an Autoprop since 2001. With one or two exceptions it has been antifouled every year since I bought it. There is no sign of any corrosion on it.
Click to expand...
Take it up with Brunton
I only passed on their advice
I shall do as they say. I see no point in doing otherwise & have ( so far) no problem
 
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