Prop cleaning in the water

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by hoppy

The Doodlebug with handle and white pads look good, thanks

You can easily and cheaply make your own pad holder. It will work better than the expensive 3M version and most importantly, it floats.

2- sheets of 1/8" foam PVC
1- handle from a cheap cement float (or similar)
3'- 3M Dual Lok tape

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by grae

What Reefmagnet said!

Also, I've started using a snorkel with an extended hose tied to my stern ladder rather than having to get tanks filled etc - usually ok up to about 2-3 feet, after that it gets a little hard to breath!

G

Be very, very careful with this. Unless you have a valve where you exhale into the water, you are re-breathing your CO2 rich exhalations with an extended snorkel.

This is a very risky maneuver.

[DeborahLee]

I like to use spackling knife for drywall. They are plastic pretty sturdy. You can get a 3 pack 1"2"3" at wallmart for about $3. You can scrap hull with them and not worry about removing fiberglass.

[leftbrainstuff]

Never use a steel based wire brush on a boat. Always use stainless steel or brass wire brushes on your prop. A scraper may be needed to remove some critters. Again stay away from anything that rusts. Iron filings have no place on a boat.

Scotch pads come in 3 grades. Always best to start with the least aggressive and work your way up.

You'll quickly find what works best with the least effort.

We just completed our annual haulout. We acid cleaned our maxprop and this year we're trying a zinc coat. The prop looked brand new. We've only ever needed to use scotch pads to remove the critters.

In San Francisco bay we have the bottom cleaned every 3 months. We use a cloth to clean along the waterline most weeks.


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[hoppy]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

You can easily and cheaply make your own pad holder. It will work better than the expensive 3M version and most importantly, it floats.

2- sheets of 1/8" foam PVC
1- handle from a cheap cement float (or similar)
3'- 3M Dual Lok tape

I've been repainting my apartment and have a plastic sandpaper holder than has a velcro bottom, so I guess I could be covered

[Hard Rock Candy]

Who will see if you have little rust specks on your prop? I sat in Ft Myers beach lagoon for a couple months one fall. I got ready to head out, but had no power at all. The weather in the last of Dec. was cool and the water was cold. I thought my prop had come loose. I finally got my nerve up and went down the transom ladder to check the prop. It was just a round ball of Barnacles and other critters looking for a position of Dominance. Hard tough critters. I had to use the claws of my claw hammer to remove them. I scraped it pretty clean and then left for places south. When I got to Key West the air was warm and the water was warmer. I anchored in 4 ft of water and spent part of a day cleaning my hull and prop right. As long as you do not actually damage the props surface or edges badly, you will never notice it from inside the boat. Mac

[gonesail]

if your prop has barnacles on it then prepare to scrape with some force. beware they are very sharp so you may need gloves .. ask me how i know. like the op said: they are tough critters and your boat will not move very far if the prop is fouled with them

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by hoppy

I've been repainting my apartment and have a plastic sandpaper holder than has a velcro bottom, so I guess I could be covered

Velcro may, or may not, be up to the job. My guess is it is not.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Velcro may, or may not, be up to the job. My guess is it is not.

Ok, I now see what the dual lock tape is. Looks like something I need for some of my ceiling liners, so I must track some down.

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

You can easily and cheaply make your own pad holder. It will work better than the expensive 3M version and most importantly, it floats.

2- sheets of 1/8" foam PVC
1- handle from a cheap cement float (or similar)
3'- 3M Dual Lok tape

Hardware stores sell BBQ scrapers that are available made of different grades of course scotch brite material. The plastic handle on these also has a plastic scraper molded in. They are only a few bucks each, last forever on weed and slime but barnacles tear them apart in no time.

[GalleyHo]

I have found that you can pop barnacles off a prop with a piece of wood. Get something that is about 1-inch by 1-inch and maybe a foot long. (The handle end of a large brass bristle brush works fine, which is how I originally discovered this.) Put one end on the barnacle and hit the other end. You can use your hand, and this works pretty well. A weight (small hammer) makes it a bit easier. The barnacles will pop off with no damage to the prop. since the wood is so soft.

You need a sharp corner to put at the barnacle/prop interface. After a while, this corner will round off, and the wood will pop off of the barnacle, instead of popping the barnacle off.

Sounds silly but this has worked well for me. Try it.

[boden36]

I use a robust scraper of any metal. If the barnacles are really thick I use a sharpened brick bolster which has enough weight to really hack into them.
Prop is still OK after 15 yrs.
Sometimes I think people make things sound more difficult than they really are.
Whatever you use, tie a lanyard to it.

Regards,
Richard

[bretto55]

Hi all,
What's wrong with using a wire brush? I used w/b on my prop to prep for Prop-Speed.

[sanibel sailor]

I sail out of Ft Myers Beach as well. Fouling is bad here. Haulout facilities are relatively scarce and costly, so I only haul every 2-3 years. I clean the prop with a paint scraper. Plan to do it every month. For the bottom, I use some of those knit workgloves with the rubbery grip stuff drizzled on the surface. As long as I do not let it go too long, they do fine on the slime and the occasional baby barnacles pop off easy with the scraper.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

For the bottom, I use some of those knit workgloves with the rubbery grip stuff drizzled on the surface. As long as I do not let it go too long, they do fine...

I guarantee you could dramatically reduce the time it takes for you to clean your hull if you used something like this instead of your gloved hand.