Lanolin as Propeller Antifoul

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Vasco

When I bought my first boat in 1984 all the mags said to put lanolin on the rigging ends (swages) etc etc. I got a tub from the pharmacy and still use it today for most everything. The best use is on shackles. Even after a year in the water (on mooring tires) the shackles are easy to undo. Better than grease as it seems to stay on. And it does wonders for your hands! The lanolin in pharmacies is what they use as a base for ointments. I guess it's medicinal quality.

Yep, I think the tub I bought from a Pharmacy 20 years ago lasted forever... I finally forgot it on a boat I sold. It just doesn't wash off with water. Anchor shackles etc.. will always come apart years later if you use it.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by ski69sail

Hi Everybody
Thanks for all your reply's. I use lanolin on all my yacht electrical fittings,shackles, anchor and anything else it might possibly help with. Lanolin is fantastic , keeps everything its used on from seizing and corroding. Boats and lanolin are the best of friends.
But if anybody else has anything to say about the prop-lanolin debate it would be greatly appreciated.....

We use prop speed. We're in South Florida and growth is very heavy and quick. Bottom cleaning every three weeks or, at best, every four during the summer. A little less during winter.

[charliehows]

I get about a year out of a coat of ablative antifoul on the prop and then its scrape by hand every couple of months. I use lanolin on all the usual on deck stuff but if it worked better than a scraper on the prop this discussion wouldnt be happening. As the man said earlier - 'magic dust'. I do find it strange that with all the technological leaps we've made no-one has yet discovered a non-toxic, effective antifouling material - but then - the sea is the most corrosive environment on the planet...and prop friction is a mighty big technical hurdle

[Cheechako]

There is a good product. But no one has stepped up to put it on props as a business. It's Teflon, similar to what's on your fry pan. Aircraft companies use it on various parts in the wings as an anti icing coating. I once put some of this "out of date" material on a bronze prop I had. It was slippery as heck! Barnacles couldn't get a grip on it... so it alleviates the problem of them getting on there and then dying... which is just as bad as if they are alive. It requires heat so unfortunately wont work on hulls...

[stukelyric]

did enyone tried to spice their mixture with red peper? no experience in the matter
just curious
Richard

[barnakiel]

It does not work. And the foiling tractor lost against Oracle Team.

b.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Lots of cruisers have had good luck with Rust-Oleum Flat Gray Cold Galvanizing spray paint.

It worked much better than the expensive Lanocote prop and bottom

I put that paint on our prop last years haul out. It did very well until the summer in Northern Florida. When I hauled out two months ago this is what I had...

[dannc]

I use a product called Fluid Film for rust protection and as an antiseize. My JD dealer gave me a small spray can of the stuff years ago which was brilliant salesmanship. I know buy the sprays cans and I bought a gallon container maybe 10 years ago. The gallon jug will last the rest of my life if we stay on land.

Fluid Film does seem to stick to metal quite well. I had some metal sitting outside leaning against a tree that I coated with Fluid Film. The metal did not rust.

Fluid Film in a spray can is like WD 40 spray. Fluid Film in the gallon plus containers is a thick goo that I apply with a paint brush.

Fluid Film is some chemicals and mostly Lanolin. I don't know if it would work on a prop but it sure is handy around metal. It does make you skin soft too.

Later,
Dan

[SailFastTri]

I've tried a number of formulas: Lanolin, Desitin, and cold galvanizing. Results were poor at best in our high growth area.

Pettit PropKote works, but not on the shaft (needs faster water flow). For the past few years I've been using Pettit Vivid hard ablative, which works pretty well. It wears off after about 6 months (maybe sooner if you motor a lot). That's OK with me because my season is May through the end of October, and we haul out for winter.

[Ard Righ]

I have a 35 foot yacht with a brass prop and have used lanolin for the past three years. at last slipping the prop was slightly fouled with slime but no shell. the slime was easy to wipe off. I heated the prop by waiting for the sun and then applied a thick coat. I use lanolin straight from the farm - no refining, it has a thick wax-like consistency when cool hence the need to warm the prop. I also use it for other corrosion control and have had remarkable success having bolts and shackles (even on the anchor) come apart easily.

[onestepcsy37]

Unfortunately, all of the suggested products must be applied when the prop is out of the water, not a solution for warm water boaters. Only Sex Wax can be applied underwater, IIRC.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Ard Righ

I have a 35 foot yacht with a brass prop and have used lanolin for the past three years. at last slipping the prop was slightly fouled with slime but no shell. the slime was easy to wipe off. I heated the prop by waiting for the sun and then applied a thick coat. I use lanolin straight from the farm - no refining, it has a thick wax-like consistency when cool hence the need to warm the prop. I also use it for other corrosion control and have had remarkable success having bolts and shackles (even on the anchor) come apart easily.

I have had mixed results with lanolin on the prop. It helps to know where you're sailing. Mine is FL and the Bahamas. On Lake Ontario I have nothing on the prop after 6 months without any coating on the prop.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

Unfortunately, all of the suggested products must be applied when the prop is out of the water...

LanoCote® Prop & Bottom™ is a proprietary formula designed for application while the boat is on the hard, or while in the water.

Prop, Shafts and Running Gear – Under Water: Apply to a cleaned metal surface while under the water as follows. Take a golf ball sized handful of LanoCote Prop & Bottom at 50-70 °F (10-21 °C) and press and spread smoothly on to surface to a thickness of approximately .010In (.25mm) or the thickness of a business card. Launch any time. A whitish skin will form in 72 hours or less.

LanoCote Prop & Bottom

[onestepcsy37]

Never mind.

[Ard Righ]

forgot to state we sail around the east coast of Australia - usually around 30 degrees latitude.