Prop coating. DON'T DO THIS!!

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by hukilaumike

I was more than a little surprised to see the shaft and prop covered in barnacles when I hauled her in the fall. Since I had heard such great things about Propspeed, I figured the problem was in the application.

FYI- Propspeed is not an anti fouling paint. It is a foul release coating. It has no biocide and will not retard fouling. It works by creating a surface too slick for fouling growth to remain attached. But it absolutely requires regular cleaning.

[windcastle1]

We have used Prop Speed for 6 years on our cat with haul outs every 2 years. Some barnacles but worked well IMHO. Had to pull 1 prop for balancing but couldn’t get any Prop Speed locally but was able to get Prop One. It’s a 2 part process and goes on just like Prop One but costs less. After 1 year both props looked the same as far as growth which was minimal.

[RLMM]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Give the Pettit stuff a shot. I've been using their Black Widow on my running gear and it seems to work well. I think the top coat in their prop coat package is very similar or the same. It's slippery like PropSpeed (although probably not as slippery), can be polished smooth, and has antifouling properties unlike PropSpeed.

At least in fresh water, it's done a great job keeping zebra mussels off the running gear in low water flow areas (like the tops of the trim tabs), slime is minimal and wipes off very easily, and the props themselves were completely clean (visually and by touch) at haulout last year. No slime, scum, or anything. And the stuff seems durable enough, as it didn't show any wear even at the tips.

We has a 381 up here in the spring and sold it. I got a call yesterday from Ottawa from someone looking for one the same. I'm in Toronto. If yours is available at some point, please let me know. slowasmolasses@hotmail.com will get me direct.

[HappyGuy]

A treatment I have used on my boats that has been pretty successful is to heat the prop to about 100 deg C with a blow torch and then brush on a coat of raw Lanolin. (Lanocote is one brand I have used)
It is very cheap too. Done every year i have had very minimal fouling from barnacles.

[Sun and Moon]

Skipmac, I see your GPS coordinates put you inland in N Florida. Was the marina Green Cove Springs? They told me the same thing. I tried it and moved the boat to the Indian River in Cocoa Beach where the prop stayed clean for about 6 months, then started fouling horribly. After next haul out I did the marker thing again, for no reason other than I was bored waiting to splash. Since then it hasn't fouled, but I'm now upstream in Palatka where the water is almost fresh. Not sure I need any antifouling at all. I think the theory on the black marker is that the creatures are attracted to light, so it may depend a lot on the particular environment you have.

[KiwiSkipper]

Just stick with Propspeed .. stuff is amazing. Regular 18 month cycle.. it would last longer .. just ..you know ..do it while the boats on the hard.

[Ringmaster]

No matter what you put on your prop you will always need to jump in the water every now and then to wipe it off. Hell, you should be jumping in the water at least once a month to wipe the entire bottom. Can't believe the same questions that keep coming up like "my speed impeller keeps getting fouled" I've actually seen people complain to the manufacture that their transducers stop working a month after they launch their boat. They don't clean it again until after the boat is hauled the following fall. Don't these people think the manufacture made these things so you can remove them for cleaning? Why do they supply a dummy plug? In the meantime they spend all summer bashing the depthsounder manufacture. Prop Speed might work but it costs a fortune. Not a good value. $35 cans of spray prop antifouling are a waste of money. If you want great protection from prop fouling just go to Home Depot and buy a $8 can of Rust-Oleum Cold Galvanizing Compound. I've been racing for 25 years and nothing works better and I've tried everything.

[badadim]

Originally Posted by badadim

Used PETTIT PROP COAT back in April 2018. Will haulout in October for the 1st time. Standby for the update...

April 2018 IN
October 2021 OUT


This was my first time using PETTIT PROP COAT, the boat did not move between September 2019 and September 2021.



The outcome seems to be very good.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Sun and Moon

Skipmac, I see your GPS coordinates put you inland in N Florida. Was the marina Green Cove Springs? They told me the same thing. I tried it and moved the boat to the Indian River in Cocoa Beach where the prop stayed clean for about 6 months, then started fouling horribly. After next haul out I did the marker thing again, for no reason other than I was bored waiting to splash. Since then it hasn't fouled, but I'm now upstream in Palatka where the water is almost fresh. Not sure I need any antifouling at all. I think the theory on the black marker is that the creatures are attracted to light, so it may depend a lot on the particular environment you have.

Yep, Green Cove. Just got the boat back from MA a couple of days ago, hence the slow reply. Pretty good trip. Nine days from Martha's Vineyard to Jacksonville.

I think the marker thing might work in fresh water or there's just not much fouling there. I can guarantee that it works like fertilizer for barnacles in fresh water.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by badadim

April 2018 IN
October 2021 OUT


This was my first time using PETTIT PROP COAT, the boat did not move between September 2019 and September 2021.



The outcome seems to be very good.

Where was the boat for that time? Water fresh, brackish or salt?

I had similar results with Petit Prop Coat but in salt water after 3-4 months. The barnacles were easy to knock off with a plastic scraper. 10-15 minutes free diving cleaned it just fine.

[groundtackle]

Has anyone tried ceramic graphene coatings ? I’ve been reading about how hard and how slippery they are. I wonder if that’s what propspeed really is. They’re used a lot in auto detailing and I saw recent article about its use as antifouling.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by groundtackle

Has anyone tried ceramic graphene coatings ? I’ve been reading about how hard and how slippery they are. I wonder if that’s what propspeed really is.

Propspeed is anything but hard.

[Simi 60]

Prop speed works on some but not all
I am yet to see a working commercial trawler with it on have been told the props spin to slow to throw fouling off.
That and the crazy price needed to coat a 52 inch 4 blade fan has turned us off.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Ringmaster

No matter what you put on your prop you will always need to jump in the water every now and then to wipe it off.

If that's the case I may as well have nothing
Oh wait........I do have nothing and every 2 months or more I go over and scrape a relatively light covering of calcium like product and a smattering of barnacles off.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

…have been told the props spin to slow to throw fouling off.

Told by whom? Another commercial fisherman?