# antifouling for a bronze propeller



## gramsailor (Apr 30, 2007)

has anyone had any luck with antifouling products for their bronze propeller. 
i see there are some products advertized online but i could not find any reviews


----------



## brak (Jan 5, 2007)

I just sprayed mine with zinc paint (the kind sold at WM, i think this one was officially a "transducer paint"). Of course the boat isn't in the water yet so what the results might be I am not sure. My yard neighbors use it all the time, though.


----------



## RichH (Jul 10, 2000)

Petit Spray-on Zinc Barnacle Barrier seems to work well vs. barnacles.


----------



## Fstbttms (Feb 25, 2003)

While a bit spendy, "Prop Speed" apparently works wonders.

West Marine: PropSpeed Product Displayhttp://www.propspeedusa.com/


----------



## ollie820 (Mar 7, 2007)

I am applying anhydrous lanolin, Lanocote from Forespar, to the prop this season as a test. I have read several articles that claim it is effective. It is a sticky wax like substance made from sheep fur. It is supposed to be resistant to salt water.


----------



## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Ollie, the rumours about sheep grease have been on the web for years now. If it really worked, we'd have all been using it for the past five years. It has it's purposes, but protecting props ain't one of them.


----------



## ollie820 (Mar 7, 2007)

Ok. I know it is a little like snake oil but I thought I would give it a try. I will be back in a couple of months to report the results. If anything the smell should keep something away. Stay tuned.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I've heard that it can work to protect underwater gear, but have never tried it... no need to, since my boat is powered by an outboard, and I can raise it up out of the water completely...


----------



## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

I have been painting my bronze folding prop with bottom paint for 20 years. I just use whatever I am using on the bottom. Works fine.


----------



## JoeMyerson (Mar 24, 2002)

Ollie:

It's probably too late to warn you, but I smeared anhydrous lanolin on my prop last year (I keep my boat on a mooring in Buzzards Bay). 

When I hauled at the end of the season, I had more barnacles than ever before. In previous years, I just polished the prop and waxed it several times; still had barnacles at the end of the season.

This year I tried something new: I scrubbed off the barnacles and some dark crud (perhaps the residue from the lanolin?).

Then I sprayed an Interlux zinc-based primer onto the prop (masking off the shaft and the zinc).

I followed that by three heavy coats of Interlux's antifouling for metal boats.

The antifouling is ablative, so I'm not too optimistic about the result. However, I couldn't bring myself to spring $200 for the PropSpeed kit, even though it would last me several years.

I'll try to remember to report on this at the end of the season.


----------



## oceansandmts (Feb 4, 2007)

I have had good success in the past with having a bronze prop copper plated. It is a multi-season solution. Ten years ago you could send your prop to the "Copperman" in FL, he would electroplate it with copper and send it back, all for a reasonable price. Sorry, I have since lost the address and #.


----------



## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

There are some home-made copper plating solutions on the web. IIRC you basically just need a copper sulfate solution (easily bought) and some lower power DC. Probably less than the costs of shipping it two ways anywhere.<G>

And if there are any local shops that do chrome plating or rechroming, IIRC they always apply copper coats as part of the process--so they should also be able to copperplate a prop locally.


----------



## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

Copper Sulfate is used in winemaking. I have seen 1% solutions and 10% solutions. You may be able to add some copper penny's to the mix.


----------



## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

US pennies have been copper-clad ZINC for a long time now. You'd have to check the date, IIRC real copper pennies went out of production 20+? years ago.


----------



## TrueBlue (Oct 11, 2004)

Don't be afraid of getting wet on occasion. I think it's actually fun to dive down a few feet with a scraper . . . best running gear antifouling yet.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

hellosailor said:


> US pennies have been copper-clad ZINC for a long time now. You'd have to check the date, IIRC real copper pennies went out of production 20+? years ago.


Believe the change occurred in 1982.


----------



## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

In my pocket at this moment, I have a 1975 penny. It's a moot point, a peice of copper pipe would do the same thing. I don't think they are copper chad zinc yet.


----------



## denglish (Apr 14, 2010)

I've been using lanocote - works great - I paint it on all the underwater metal. Use a heat gun to liquefy the goop and then paint it on hot with a cheap chip brush.

Don


----------



## downeast450 (Jan 16, 2008)

RichH said:


> Petit Spray-on Zinc Barnacle Barrier seems to work well vs. barnacles.


Me too! A couple of coats of Petit zinc spray paint followed by the af paint. I had no fouling in Seal Harbor and it is a heavy growth mooring area. The boat was in the harbor from mid May until mid December. Last season was my first doing this and I will do it again this year. It was a relief to find such a cheap, simple solution.

Down


----------



## capn_dave (Feb 17, 2000)

*Now this is weird and shouldn't work*

Even if this post is a couple of years old, it is a subject that is ongoing.

A couple of cruisers at my marina have been experimenting with black Magic Marker
Yep you heard me Black Magic Marker. They get the jumbo Magic Marker, break open the tube and apply the stuff directly to a clean prop. 
The strange thing is, it seems to be working. It shouldn't, but I have seen the boats when they are hauled and the only thing is a few critters on the hub. The rest of the prop was clean. 
One boat was gone for over two years and another a year and a half.
Hey it cost only a couple of bucks, so it's worth a shot

Fair Winds
Dave


----------



## trantor12020 (Mar 11, 2006)

I uses PropShield. Its lanolin base. It really reduces barnacles growth. But it doesn't last very long. 6months tops. Still need to dive under to nick barnacles off (not scrap) ocassionally. My friend uses PropSpeed with good results but pricey. I just coat it last weekend. Previous time was Oct2009.


----------



## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

I also think the Pettit zinc barnacle spray paint is a great product, it has worked well for me for twn years. I would recommend not putting bottom paint on a prop.


----------



## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

Pettit Zinc Coat Barnacle Barrier

Defender has for about $17.00


----------



## T26Rich (Feb 7, 2009)

*Primocon and Hard Bottom Paint*

2 coats of Interlux Primocon, then two coats of BWM hard bottom paint seems to work for me. Your mileage may vary...


----------



## brak (Jan 5, 2007)

I know this is a really old thread, but I'd like to follow through (people rarely do and it is always interesting to me how things worked out).

So - the time referenced in my message above (3 years ago) I used zinc prop paint without a primer. It was off the prop completely in less than 2 months. 

I did the same thing next year but cleaned the prop and used the primer first, also applied the same treatment to the bronze rudder gudgeons. The result - it adhered in some places (so much that I had to later power sand it off) while completely dissolved in others, in nice round swiss cheese pattern - again in just a few short months. 

I.e. - I doubt it protects against much osmosis, if anything it either promotes it or at least simply gets removed very quickly. It also does not help in any perceptible way against barnacles, only making situation worse because now I have to remove both barnacles and that stuff. I ain't doing that anymore.


----------



## jbondy (Mar 28, 2001)

One of the guys in our club used Interlux Primocon and Trilux prop and drive paint last season and said it worked great. Since our stainless prop got really badly fouled last year, I'm going to try his recommendation this season.


----------



## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

*Um, sounds odd to me, but what do I know...*



brak said:


> I know this is a really old thread, but I'd like to follow through (people rarely do and it is always interesting to me how things worked out).
> 
> So - the time referenced in my message above (3 years ago) I used zinc prop paint without a primer. It was off the prop completely in less than 2 months.
> 
> ...


Speaking only for myself, I have used the Pettit Zinc Coat Barnacle Barrier Coat on my Stainless Autostream prop and bronze shaft for the past four years with great results. The boat is located on Upper Chesapeake Bay - Patapsco River - Brackish Water. I remove any paint build up ever other year using a wire brush attachment on a drill followed by a wipe with thinner. It takes me about 30 minutes to do a through job. I do not use any primer. I apply per directions 2-3 coats with in 5 minutes of each other in 60 degree temp. http://www.pettitpaint.com/fileshare/product_pds/1179320.pdf

The boat was just pulled today, the zinc paint was last applied March of 2009, the boat is keep in the water year round. I will take pictures tomorrow evening and will hopefully have them posted to this thread by Saturday. I can tell you that I have a 99% Barnacle free prop and shaft, you'll see soon enough. Most everyone in the boat yard uses it as well with similar results?


----------



## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

*Fwiw...*

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the boat before they power washed the bottom, (I wanted a pic showing a more realistic result) but here is a shot of the shaft and prop (don't mind the cutlass  ) after more than 12 months in the water. You can see on the strut where a few barnacles were, but otherwise its pretty clean. This year I will remove whats left and apply fresh, last year I just ruffed it up a bit and did a re-coat.


----------



## brak (Jan 5, 2007)

T37, your paint is white - or is this just an effect of a digital photo? The one I used is fairly dark gray. I wonder.


----------



## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

light gray, is was getting dark and there was a flash


----------



## FarCry (Apr 21, 2007)

I applied a product called Peller Clean by Seajet Seajetpaint in November of 2008 and just last week there were some very minor signs of fouling which were easily dislodged. This is the first time I've tried anything other than Micron 66 on my bronze two blade prop. Historically the fouling on the prop would require monthly agressive scraping within a year of a bottom job even though the bottom was still pretty clean. I plan to haul again in November 2010 and absolutley will utilize this product again. It is about one half the price of Prop Speed and came highly reccommended from both powerboaters and sailboaters.


----------



## jarcher (Jul 29, 2008)

Today I applied two coats os Aquagard Alumi-Kote, color black. The can said it works on aluminum and other non-ferris metals. It semed to adhere okay. I might do a light sanding and another coat tomorrow.

I'll let everyone know how it works, but the bottom will be getting cleaned weekly.


----------



## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

At my marina a number of folks with bronze props take them of cover them in lanolin and bake in an oven. it comes out looking like it has been varnished and feels very slick. Just an obsevation.


----------



## lancelot9898 (Dec 30, 2008)

T37Chef said:


> . I remove any paint build up ever other year using a wire brush attachment on a drill followed by a wipe with thinner. It takes me about 30 minutes to do a through job. I do not use any primer. :


It takes me about a full day with wire brush attachment to remove the paint and primer from my max prop. However I'm also getting good results keeping the boat in the water for 3 years between haul outs here on the Cheaspeake. I do prime the prop with the interlux underwater metal products prior to putting on the hard bottom paint. Only 2 coats for each so as not to get a high build up.


----------



## jarcher (Jul 29, 2008)

jarcher said:


> Today I applied two coats os Aquagard Alumi-Kote, color black. The can said it works on aluminum and other non-ferris metals. It semed to adhere okay. I might do a light sanding and another coat tomorrow.
> 
> I'll let everyone know how it works, but the bottom will be getting cleaned weekly.


So here we are 1 year later. I was very disappointed with the Alumi-Kote. Last October, it was mostly gone, after about 6 months. This year I am going to try the Pettit stuff people have talked about in this thread. If that does not work, the following season I'll bite the bullet and go for the very expensive stuff. We'll see...


----------



## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

Prop Speed. 3 1/2 months in 80+ deg. Caribbean waters = no barnacles and very little crusty worm. When the boat sits for a week and a few of those pesky wormy things afix themselves to the blades, they come off with the wipe of a hand. The unprotected Dynaplate 8" behind the prop is covered with all sorts of crap.

The stuff works. I guess the question is do you want to pay for something that works as well as diving on the boat every week or so? I bought the $240 small kit. I've gotten three prop applications from it. Why not see if you can find others in the yard who want to split the cost?

Warning: if you DIY-it, make sure you have two people available and follow the directions exactly. Also, as with most things -- half the battle is in the prep. Don't cut corners there.


----------



## Locquatious (Mar 12, 2014)

Try PropPurr. For two years now my prop has been clean on haul-out


----------



## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I sprayed my bronze prop with transducer paint I purchased at West Marine, about 4 years ago. I applied three, thin coats and nothing, absolutely nothing has grown on the prop since, and that includes 6 months in the Florida Keys. If nothing grows on your prop in Boot Key Harbor, nothing will grow on it anywhere in the world. 

Good luck,

Gary


----------



## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

My experience
Propspeed- a waste of time. To do right should be done by yard($$$). Even so edges of prop failed as well as near hub. Have 4 blade Maxprop. 8m Caribbean. 4m New England
Petit spray on- Better. Did two coats after polishing prop. Got 7-8m out of it then needed a dive every month. Failed completely at 1 yr.
Interlux- To do right a labor of love. Entire shaft, prop and hub need to be well scratched up with 80 grit to get primer to hold. Then careful application of anti fouling. Spent 20-30 hrs. and $$ but got a full year except near zincs.

Thinking of going to base of cheap spray zinc as primer then putting tin based ablative on top of it. Anyone have experience with that?

Problem is we are sailboats. We studiously avoid using the engine so we are a horror show for any product to work. I have times the boat is moving constantly for 1-2 weeks and the engine is on constantly for 1-2 day stretches. This is good but nowhere's as good as a motorboat at planing speeds or even a trawler who's running gear is spinning anytime they are underway. Get some green scotchbrite and stay in warm water remains the best option.


----------



## colemj (Jul 10, 2003)

Painting over zinc galvanizing spray isn't going to work, and you wouldn't want to use an ablative paint on running gear because it will be gone in days.

We have had middling success acid etching, primocon primer, and Seahawk's Clear Gear antifouling paint. The clear gear paint is fantastic, but adhesion is the ultimate failure mode on props. Good for a year, then wears off. Nothing grows for the first year, and the second year needs increasingly frequent scrubbing (which starts a downward spiral).

This paint option isn't available in the US.

Last year, we applied a product called Glidecoat, as did friends of ours. I plan to review it, but want more data and experience with it in different waters first. A quick summary is that it is not the panacea they claim, but may be better than other products. You will still be scrubbing your gear.

Mark


----------



## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

I used the Micron recommended by Maxprop. Beware the time frame for prescribed application has at least 3 coats 3 hours in between and 16 hrs cure before splashing. If this process is started when first hauled it can be met, but this year I hauled mainly to replace the prop so time was a wastin at that point. The smallest I could buy for $108 (reasonable) was enough to coat every prop in the yard or mine for 20 or 30 years. Don't worry about having enough or split with a few buddies if you can get anyone to agree on what to use.:angel


----------

