Velox Prop & Gear antifouling - one year on

superheat6k

superheat6k

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I dried the boat out against some the posts on a drying hard and was particularly interested in how the Velox had performed. Since application I have travelled ~ 400 miles, mostly around 10 knots in displacement mode with an occasional plane at 14 knots.

Most of the paint was still on, and virtually nil barnacles but the props were extensively covered with an extremely hard and rough (like 120 grit sandpaper) crust, virtually the same colour as the bronze props. Indeed at first I thought is was the bronze, but it was definitely built up on top of the velox.

Due to rain I couldn't safely use the grinder with cup brush to clean it off, and due to the sill just at the end of the boat I couldn't get any photos either (won't go into precisely why here, but needless to say the iPhone drowned whereas, fortunately, I didn't !)
 
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Thanks for updating, would/did you use it again?
Thinking of not lifting the boat this year but just antifouling on the scrubbing berth so not sure whether to get another tin or not.
 
Murv said:
Thanks for updating, would/did you use it again?
Thinking of not lifting the boat this year but just antifouling on the scrubbing berth so not sure whether to get another tin or not.
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It hadn't fallen off, and there were no barnacles, so a jet off resolved the dirty hull with little wear to the antifoul put on last year.
 
This is the results of a year in Portsmouth Harbour with Velox on the prop and before I attacked it with the pressure washer.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=168977&d=1525107347

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=168976&d=1525107347

Not too bad and have used the same again. The boat hasn't moved in a while and as the pressure wash showed a couple of miles of motoring would have cleaned the weed off nicely. Whilst its expensive to buy the primer and paint, I still have half the small tins left after three applications.
 
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I used it for two years and can’t really report on its efficacy, as despite following the application instructions to the letter, the bloomin stuff just wouldn’t stay on my prop, which then fell victim to the inevitable fouling.

Now trying Hempel’s Silic One, which is a two-pack application. Although we haven’t lifted since last year, I had a look at it underwater and it seems to be working so far. Fingers crossed.
 
Our prop and saildrive were Velox Plus coated and after more than 2 years in the water, almost all the crud came off with the pressure washer and white Velox beneath. It was definitely starting to fail though - I've sanded and applied new coat on top as per instructions. Would (well, I did) use again.

Pressure washing footage coming soon on the blog :)
 
KAL said:
I used it for two years and can’t really report on its efficacy, as despite following the application instructions to the letter, the bloomin stuff just wouldn’t stay on my prop, which then fell victim to the inevitable fouling.

Now trying Hempel’s Silic One, which is a two-pack application. Although we haven’t lifted since last year, I had a look at it underwater and it seems to be working so far. Fingers crossed.
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There have been several reports that the Velox primer does not work well. The instructions from the UK seller suggest that they know this. As posted many times, I used Hammerite special metals primer instead, because I already had some, and this has proved very effective. The original coat that I applied six years ago is still on my prop and P-bracket.
 
Vyv,

I recall that your application of Hammerite was with the 'original' formulation and they have now gone to water based. Is this correct, that the formulation changed, - and if it did change any comment on water based Hammerite. Hammrite is only stocked in a few selected outlets here - and I've never been close enough to buy any.

There is a distributor of Velox in Oz and I believe they now supply their own primer, not that of Velox. I have used Velox primer and that of the distributor - and have had no issues with either. We have followed the instructions in precise detail. Our initial preparation was using a paint stripper pad on an angle grinder that leaves the surface VERY rough. Sort of like an abrasive resin bonded brillo pad. So rough its nasty if you pull your finger over it - it might even take skin off.

We are getting one year life here, I then wash, abrade down and add another coat of Velox on top. The yearly application is not a major hardship as we need to change the anodes anyway. Velox is better than almost everything else we have tried, roughly equal to PropSpeed, or PropGold, but whereas they, the silicone formulations, do last 12 months you then need to strip down to bare metal and reapply (and Propspeed is a suspected carcinogen and needs careful stripping back. They supply an acid formulation for stripping.)

We continue to use Velox.

Jonathan
 
vyv_cox said:
There have been several reports that the Velox primer does not work well. The instructions from the UK seller suggest that they know this. As posted many times, I used Hammerite special metals primer instead, because I already had some, and this has proved very effective. The original coat that I applied six years ago is still on my prop and P-bracket.
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You’re right Vyv, I took your advice and used hammerite etching primer. It was brilliant. In fact, it’s the only thing that I’ve EVER managed to get to stay on my prop.

Unfortunately, the Velox didn’t stick to the Hammerite! This despite me following all application instructions to the letter. If it had, I’m sure I’d have found it as efficacious as others.

I’m hoping the Silic One will have stayed on. So far, it seems it has.
 
I am using the water based primer and am now not sure that it is different from the original tin I owned. It is definitely the same colour.
I simply apply the Velox straight on top of it. When I first bought Velox the instruction was to apply four coats, which I found to chip off easily in use. I reduced to two coats for the next season, which worked better. I believe the latest Velox instruction is for two coats.
I have never renewed the original primer, just rub down the old Velox with 180 grit and repaint two coats.
 
vyv_cox said:
I am using the water based primer....
I simply apply the Velox straight on top of it. I believe the latest Velox instruction is for two coats.
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Thanks. I'll certainly use Hammerite Special Metal Primer, after taking a nail-gun to my shiny 'hand-burnished' prop! As for Velox, I'm tempted to apply Hammerite Smooth, in several layers, to note the effect or otherwise.
 
Hauled out for a scrub this week after 2 months in the water. The hull was virtually pristine, save for some green slime around the waterline where it it gets plenty of light. Nothing underneath save for a few bits of slimy mud, or on the keels, or the rudders, or the propshaft or P-bracket which were anti-fouled with the same as the hull (Seajet 033), nothing on the anodes - not even any barnacles, anywhere. Except, that is, the prop - which had 3 coats of 99%-intact Velox on top of Hammerite primer - which was totally encrusted with young barnacles. :grumpy::grumpy::grumpy:. Next year I'll just slather it with a regular hard antifoul, or Seajet 033 and repaint if necessary after scrubbing.
 
MikeBz said:
Except, that is, the prop - which had 3 coats of 99%-intact Velox on top of Hammerite primer - which was totally encrusted with young barnacles. :grumpy::grumpy::grumpy:. Next year I'll just slather it with a regular hard antifoul, or Seajet 033 and repaint if necessary after scrubbing.
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Astonishing how fouling varies. After 5/6 months we get some tube worm on our conventional a/f and some on our Coppercoated keel but almost none on the Velox.
 
We refreshed our Velox with two coats in February and after 4 months there was now some short green weeds growing on it and the saildrive, but only sparsely, not dense growth. It scrubbed off in the water easily. No hard fouling whatsoever. This was two months afloat in an Algarve marina and then two months of cruising med Spain. The propeller lost some spots of paint, just like before, likely due to impact with small floating debris. Overall very happy with it.
 
vyv_cox said:
Astonishing how fouling varies.
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Indeed. I suspect that your environment is about as different to ours as it is possible to get (barring freshwater lakes), but even river-to-river in near proximity results vary considerably. I have to say I was staggered at both the amount of barnacles on the prop and the dearth of them elsewhere - usually we get a lot on the bottom of the keels and rudders. Maybe that’s a good thing, attracting them all to one easy-to-scrape place...
 
I used Velox Plus on my prop and shaft 2 years ago as did a colleague on his sail drive. We were both unimpressed with the barnacle and other marine growth after a year. So it is back to Prop-Speed and its exorbitant cost. Overpriced (A$160 =£80) as it can only be applied by the marina workers.
Lake Macquarie, NSW where we keep our boats is a high foul area.
If anyone is around the Newcastle, Australia area I have a fair amount of Velox Plus left that is free to a good home.
There is nothing like a clean bottom and barnacle free prop to make for fast passage.
Happy boat maintenance.
Michael
 
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