Prop fouling

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  • s/v Dearbhail
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2008
    • 69

    Prop fouling

    I know a lot of folks have their boats layed up for the winter but here in Norfolk it was in the 70s yesterday so I took the boat out to enjoy the warm weather and big winds, 17early, increasing to 25 mph later and gusting much higher. The sailing was great, my A4 ran great but my prop is fouled yet again. We could barely crawl into the marina under power.

    So my question is for anyone that keeps their boats in the water year round, what do you use on your prop to reduce fouling?
    Mark
    1970, Northwind 29, #5
  • tenders
    Afourian MVP
    • May 2007
    • 1440

    #2
    I've tried regular antifouling paint, fancy prop antifouling paint, Desitin, and buffing--nothing works. I did notice that the problem is as severe whether I launch in May or in early July.

    Next season I'm going to just scrape the junk off one way or another at the end of August, which I suspect is the peak growth point.

    Comment

    • s/v Dearbhail
      Senior Member
      • Nov 2008
      • 69

      #3
      tenders-
      Over the last several years I hired a diver to clean the hull and prop or I went snorkling and cleaned the prop myself. We hauled the boat in May, and painted the bottom and prop with anti-fouling paint, used her all season and then yesterday we barely got in.

      The water is 52F, a little chilly for snorkling and cleaning the prop but the New Years Day race is just three days away. It's just really frustrating.
      Mark
      1970, Northwind 29, #5

      Comment

      • Dave Neptune
        Afourian MVP, Professor Emeritus
        • Jan 2007
        • 5044

        #4
        prop

        Dearbhail, try the folks that make the Indigo prop just for the A-4's. They claim to have a proprietary metal that they use in their prop which is supposed to stay free of growth via controlled electrolysis and a sacraficial prop. The information is on there site. I know that their prop is the best of 6 that I have tried, however I didn't opt to install to that configurqation. I am using a zinc on the shatf so I get a little growth here in southern california, which is why I have a diver touch her up once a month. Sorry I don't remember the name of the manufacturer however someone will chime in with a better memory. You could probably find it on line just with Indigo prop.

        Stay warm David

        Comment

        • roadnsky
          Afourian MVP
          • Dec 2008
          • 3101

          #5
          Originally posted by Dave Neptune View Post
          Dearbhail, try the folks that make the Indigo prop just for the A-4's. They claim to have a proprietary metal that they use in their prop which is supposed to stay free of growth via controlled electrolysis and a sacraficial prop. The information is on there site. I know that their prop is the best of 6 that I have tried, however I didn't opt to install to that configurqation. I am using a zinc on the shatf so I get a little growth here in southern california, which is why I have a diver touch her up once a month. Sorry I don't remember the name of the manufacturer however someone will chime in with a better memory. You could probably find it on line just with Indigo prop.

          Stay warm David
          From the INDIGO site...

          "No More Barnacles!

          Marine growth is the greatest deterrent to propeller performance. Coatings applied to a propeller do not remain effective and by the end of the season, the boat will hardly move as a result of a fouled propeller. With a "normal" bronze propeller, a zinc is installed on the stainless steel shaft to serve as a sacrificial anode. This is necessary since the bronze propeller attached to the stainless steel shaft in a saltwater environment creates a galvanic couple [a very noble metal (shaft) electrically connected to a less noble metal (prop) immersed in an electrolyte (saltwater)]. A small electric current is generated and flows from the propeller to the shaft. The electrical activity created by this current flow on the surfaces of the propeller will prevent marine growth from growing on the propeller, however the propeller will sacrifice itself and be ruined in just a couple of seasons. The addition of the zinc (a metal which is less noble than either the shaft or propeller) to the shaft prevents deterioration of the propeller as the zinc is then sacrificed. However, the propeller surfaces no longer experience the galvanic activity and thus become fouled with growth. The proprietary Silicon Bronze alloy used in the construction of the Indigo propeller gives the best of both worlds. The material is such that the propeller can be installed without a sacrificial zinc and therefore generate a controlled amount of galvanic activity and thus stay clear of marine growth. With this low level galvanic activity there is still some very minor sacrificing occurring on the surfaces of the propeller but the deterioration is greatly reduced. It is estimated that an Indigo propeller installed in this manner will have a service life of about 10 years. View actual un-edited images of an Indigo propeller after six months immersion in salt water (April - October 2002)."
          -Jerry

          'Lone Ranger'
          sigpic
          1978 RANGER 30

          Comment

          • s/v Dearbhail
            Senior Member
            • Nov 2008
            • 69

            #6
            I forgot about their prop but it definately sounds good and may be the best answer.
            Mark
            1970, Northwind 29, #5

            Comment

            • policecentral
              Senior Member
              • Jun 2007
              • 56

              #7
              Crabber's Tip

              My boat in Savannah, probably among the worst fouling areas in the country. I have used Trinidad Red bottom paint on hull, shaft and wheel. Two zincs on shaft at all times. An old crabber told me years ago to mix a box of dried hot jalapeno ground pepper to the bottom paint. I have done this for years, and it seems to help as compared to Trinidad alone: but not totally prevent fouling. Give it a try, just stir in the ground pepper...

              Ranger 30 Northern Light
              Savannah

              Comment

              • tenders
                Afourian MVP
                • May 2007
                • 1440

                #8
                > an Indigo propeller installed in this manner will have a service life of about 10 years

                Is it false economy to hope that a prop would have a service life longer than 10 years?

                Comment

                • gfatula
                  Senior Member
                  • Oct 2008
                  • 136

                  #9
                  Back in the day..

                  I remember seeing "plastic bags" with floats around their perimeters that boats pulled "into" in their slips in high AF areas. This was in the 60's prior to the "wonderful" TBT formulas for AF paint. Once you had the floated bag around (and under) your boat you just emptied a gallon of Clorox into the bag and voilla! nothing could foul your boat! I am not sure what the legalities of that solution were but the AF problem was sure eliminated.

                  Our mooring seems to be quite a heavy fouling location given the fact that we are in the cool waters off the coast of Maine. We get a lot of soft fouling growth. The prop is unrecognizable after a couple of weeks in July. It looks like a ball of fuzz. When I left the mooring in October to move to Northeast Harbor for a couple of weeks I had a very heavily fouled prop. It gradually lost some of its fouling on the trip but was heavily fouled when we hauled.

                  I am thinking about trying a version of the "plastic bag" solution this year. Please don't tell the EPA! I am considering a couple of quick dives down to the prop over the summer to place a gallon Ziploc bag, half filled with Clorox, over the prop and "zipped" around the shaft. It won't take long to affix it. It should kill everything growing on the prop and it will "go away" when we run the boat.

                  I still have some of that wonderful TBT paint but it is ablative and the prop is the wrong place for a coating that is designed to wear away. I reserve it for the hard dinghy.

                  George
                  gfatula
                  s/v Tundra Down
                  Seal Harbor, Maine

                  Comment

                  • tenders
                    Afourian MVP
                    • May 2007
                    • 1440

                    #10
                    I love a harsh chemical solution as much as the next guy, but by the time you get all this stuff set up and on the prop (without getting bleach in your eyes) I suspect you'll end up ahead by doing the same dive and scraping with a scraper while you're down there. You'll know 100% that you'd removed what was on the prop.

                    I also don't think you'll be able to maneuver the bag around the prop without losing the Clorox. Or have it stay there long enough to do anything.

                    Comment

                    • gfatula
                      Senior Member
                      • Oct 2008
                      • 136

                      #11
                      You may be right but it doesn't seem that complex. Opening a bag under water will add some water to the contents of the bag but only to the extent you increase the volume of the bag as you maneuver it over the prop. Even a 50% solution will kill everything very quickly. Pouring some Clorox into the bag won't be difficult but your caution about harsh chemicals in the eyes is well taken. I will want to exclude all air from the bag when I seal it so some Clorox will be spilled. I probably could wear my face mask.

                      What attracts me to this idea is the "one breath" requirement. Our Gulf of Maine is cool and the shorter the time I spend submerged the better. I can pick the day and leave it to "work" until I need the prop.

                      I will share the results of this idea as it either proves itself or fails. I have done the scrub.

                      George
                      gfatula
                      s/v Tundra Down
                      Seal Harbor, Maine

                      Comment

                      • bcooke
                        Senior Member
                        • Mar 2005
                        • 38

                        #12
                        Please don't tell the EPA!
                        Ignore the environment.
                        It will go away...

                        Comment

                        • Dave Neptune
                          Afourian MVP, Professor Emeritus
                          • Jan 2007
                          • 5044

                          #13
                          Bag-it

                          Although bagging the prop may work, it also sounds like a lot of work. A lot of us have had cooling problems from sucking up bag-type materials and plugging the intake. Loosing the bag will only add to the problem of junk in the water--NOT A GOOD IDEA! A "Boat bath" which was the name on a friends slip liner worked rather well, however they broke down rather quickly from the UV exposure. I'm not sure they are legal anymore and the marina may have to make you remove it. The chlorine (bleach) breaks down in the sunlight and whether or not it is an environmental problem is something I don't really know. A lot of pools are drained eventually to the sea every day, so it can't be that bad after it breaks down.

                          Per bcooke :"Ignore the enviromnent. It will go away" Think!

                          Question--------Do you want to be part of the problem or part of the cure?

                          David

                          Comment

                          • s/v Dearbhail
                            Senior Member
                            • Nov 2008
                            • 69

                            #14
                            I think I'll pass on the bag idea too. Scraping the prop isn't that bad in a wet suit this time of year, the water temp is still 51F and I know I don't want to get involved with the EPA, Save the Bay or anything else down here. Where I am moored I also have to deal with any of the Navy requirements in place here also.
                            Mark
                            1970, Northwind 29, #5

                            Comment

                            • bcooke
                              Senior Member
                              • Mar 2005
                              • 38

                              #15
                              Per bcooke :"Ignore the enviromnent. It will go away" Think!
                              Back at you.

                              If you read it through again I think you will find the intentional irony in that statement.

                              'It' refers to the environment, not the bag or the chlorine, which may or may not go away but can't be good for the local critters in either case.

                              One would think the dramatic decrease in sea life over the past century would cause more thinking among boaters but so far I don't see much evidence of it.

                              We are on the same side

                              On the case of prop fouling, I think a quick dive is going to be just as effective as anything.

                              And yes, a bronze prop will last much longer than 10 years unless something ese bad is going on.

                              Comment

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