Waxoyl and barnacles

NUTMEG

NUTMEG

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www.theblindsailor.co.uk
Boat coming out tomorrow for it's winter wash and brush up. As usual, I have been pondering on the jobs I need to tackle. Alexandros was antifouled in April and as far as I can tell the hull should not be too bad, no long green bits and the waterline is fairly clear. The prop, on the other hand, has a healthy community of barnies living on it.

I wondered if any of you fellows have ever coated the prop in several coats of Waxoyl? My thinking is that if lanolin works, Waxoyl should be even better. The plan is, strip off old antifouling and resident barnies. Polish up the bronze with wire cup in a drill, paint on Waxoyl. Repeat coats daily to build up a nice thick coating.

The engine is only run to get clear of the mooring and on return as a rule so maybe 1/2 hour a week max.

Any thought most appreciated as always chaps.

Thanks

Steve
 
Any thought most appreciated as always chaps
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Worth try I reckon. Look forward to seeing your report around this time next year.

But remember it needs to be done at several locations with several replicates at each including identical boats with identical props uncoated to act as controls. Only then will it have scientific credibility.
 
Interesting Idea..... Let us know how you get on.

The thing is...Barnies love props. I have mine polished to a mirror surface, but even that does not deter the blighters.:eek:
 
But remember it needs to be done at several locations with several replicates at each including identical boats with identical props uncoated to act as controls. Only then will it have scientific credibility.[/QUOTE]

Right VicS, would that need to be one of them there 'double blind controlled" set ups? Where do I apply for a research grant?

I have a gallon of Waxoyl in the shed so I could blow the grant on wimmin and strong drink!
 
VicS said:
Worth try I reckon. Look forward to seeing your report around this time next year.

But remember it needs to be done at several locations with several replicates at each including identical boats with identical props uncoated to act as controls. Only then will it have scientific credibility.
Click to expand...

I agree about more than one location if the results are to be generalisable, but you could use each prop as its own control by leaving one of the blades uncoated.
 
I was about to post the result of my own test with motorcycle chain lube!

I polished prop. and sprayed it liberally with chain lube last April and gave it another spray in July.

On hauling out the (black) anti-foul had a lot more barnacles than other boats at the club but little weed. The prop, however, had very few barnacles and no weed!

So now I need to figure a way of spraying the whole hull with bike chain lube.
 
Lanolyn antifoul

Sophie19 said:
Boat coming out tomorrow for it's winter wash and brush up. As usual, I have been pondering on the jobs I need to tackle. Alexandros was antifouled in April and as far as I can tell the hull should not be too bad, no long green bits and the waterline is fairly clear. The prop, on the other hand, has a healthy community of barnies living on it.

I wondered if any of you fellows have ever coated the prop in several coats of Waxoyl? My thinking is that if lanolin works, Waxoyl should be even better. The plan is, strip off old antifouling and resident barnies. Polish up the bronze with wire cup in a drill, paint on Waxoyl. Repeat coats daily to build up a nice thick coating.

The engine is only run to get clear of the mooring and on return as a rule so maybe 1/2 hour a week max.

Any thought most appreciated as always chaps.

Thanks

Steve
Click to expand...

Hi. I can say catagorically that lanolyn doesn't work. I tried it as a full antifoul on my 32ft yacht about 10 years ago (at Shamrock Quay). Within 3 months, the fouling was worse than I've ever seen, including the prop.
I sent a picture to PBO, which they published with a short note at the time.
Eddie.
 
Two years ago I used Propshield and it worked a treat. So this year I decided not to use it as an experiment (sort of control) and the blighters were all over with a subsequent drop in speed from around early August.
Will use Propshield again this coming season.
 
Well of course one COULD use Propshield I suppose but where is the fun in that!

Where is your spirit of inquiry? Where is the satisfaction of knowing you have advanced the forum in it's battle against Barnies?

I suggest you paint your prop with something else, golden syrup sounds worthy of investigation, and give me that tin of Propshield :-)
 
I posted over a year ago that Waxoil worked well on props. Most of the boats around me and in my club use it with good to excellent results. :)
 
Ahh, getting somewhere

SAMYL said:
I posted over a year ago that Waxoil worked well on props. Most of the boats around me and in my club use it with good to excellent results. :)
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Thanks mate, any chance you could tell me where to find your post? Did a search but could not find it. This is beginning to sound like a reasonable idea.

Cheers
 
eddie2000 said:
Hi. I can say catagorically that lanolyn doesn't work. I tried it as a full antifoul on my 32ft yacht about 10 years ago (at Shamrock Quay). Within 3 months, the fouling was worse than I've ever seen, including the prop.
I sent a picture to PBO, which they published with a short note at the time.
Eddie.
Click to expand...

I fully second that. If even anti fouling paint would not stick on a prop why should a blob of fat do so. I tried on a test plate with a film up to several mm thick. The critters just loved the stuff
 
Teflon

A company called Extensor in Sweden launched VC17 as a Teflon based antifouling in the 80's. They thought that a non stick surface would be a good idea. Unfortunately no-one told the barnacles that Teflon was no stick so they had a field day. VC17 quickly relaunched with a bag of copper powder to pour into the liquid just before application and it started to work. They kept promoting the Teflon concept while reducing the amount used and relying on copper to do the work. Eventually became such an irritant that International bought them in about 1989.
 
Having tried lanolin on my propeller with no benefit I tried melted candle grease a year or to ago and this was equally useless.
On the related subject of antifouling I noticed that when Astute was sitting on the bottom with her bottom exposed the weed was no respector of stealth tiles !
 
but when you get to 40 knots+, I bet it encourages the weed to drop off ! I suppose that weed also acts as a sound absorbant, and perhaps forms a barrier / transition layer to encourage smooth water flow.


I like the idea of treating prop blades in different ways. What about the idea of heating one blade with a gas poker, and then applying one of the greases mentioned ? Isn't that supposed to absorb grease into the surface layer of the metal ?
 
sarabande said:
I like the idea of treating prop blades in different ways. What about the idea of heating one blade with a gas poker, and then applying one of the greases mentioned ? Isn't that supposed to absorb grease into the surface layer of the metal ?
Click to expand...

I have applied Lanolyn for years to my last boat - just the prop. I applied this by heating up the prop with a blow torch. In year one the improvements were very small by by year 7 the level of fouling was next to nothing.

I think it therefore works by accumulating on the surface molecules as you have suggested. I have posted this before - well every time this has come up, but has anyone else tried to do it year on year?

I have not used it on my current boat in the Med because it is slightly warmer there and I can dive on the prop easily and I don't have a blow torch down there. And yes the fouling on the prop in the Med has to be seen to be believed! No barnacles, just a complete layer of calcite from I think some sort of worm. A sandvick scraper removes this easily.
 
Sophie19 said:
Thanks mate, any chance you could tell me where to find your post? Did a search but could not find it. This is beginning to sound like a reasonable idea.

Cheers
Click to expand...

I can't find it myself now. I posted it as a reply to someone else and I can't find the link again. Anyway give it a try.
 
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