Hard to control myself...
As previously mentioned, we have a 2-blade classic Max prop. The first year we hauled out we didn't know what to do to it so we buffed it, cleaned it and put it back in the water.
It grew barnacles. A whole crop of them.
Last year we painted the prop with Pettit's Barnacle Barrier (safe for the prop metal and our aluminum sail drive) and this year we had two baby barnacles.
The other thing that we appreciate about this stuff is that it when we haul out we can scrub the remaining paint with a scotch brite pad and it comes right off...allowing us to respray without sanding or buffing. Hours of annoying work we have reclaimed.
This is what the prop looks like when sanded and buffed but not yet re-painted - from a neighbors boat. Pretty without paint, huh? Not so pretty when it grows a beard though so this owner also painted his with traditional bottom paint.
They are pretty before painting! We just installed a brand new brass 3-blade propeller on our sailboat while it was in the boatyard. I thought it was a shame to have to paint the brass, but like you said - it's a lot less pretty covered in barnacles! Those little creatures are such a pain!
ReplyDeleteWe use the Barnacle Ban too - it works very well for us, even on our every-third-year haulout schedule.
ReplyDeleteI do flick off the occasional visitor when I do the semi annual prop nut zinc change out... they come off easily.
I have often contemplated taking the prop in to a place here in Seattle that will flame spray teflon onto it, but I haven't gone to the hassle of pulling it off the shaft yet.
bob
@Midlife - very nasty critters.
ReplyDelete@Bob - flame spray teflon? tough!