In North Carolina we don't have much problem with mussels, but the relatively warm water, moderate currents and abundance of nutrition in our rivers and sounds lead to constant struggle against a lot of barnacles. Being a multiple boat owner, I've had a lot of experience over the years and paid a lot for divers to clean my props.
The last straw for me was when I took the 38 to Beaufort for some work in the summer of 201. Hull speed is about 7.3 kts, and I motored down there at 6.5+. Why not? The boat had been splashed just 3 months prior and the bottom job was brand new. On the way home, about 3 weeks later, I could make only about 4 knots. Man, were there a lot of barnacles on the (unpainted) prop and shaft. And since I planned to take the boat south it seemed like I better do something to avoid future growth. Once I got the prop cleaned, and since I've already tried bottom paint on the prop and shaft (it does not stick very long if you use the motor very much - call it 100-150 NM of motoring in my case), I started asking to see what others in the area do. The information that I got is that the commercial fishermen in the area usually paint the prop and shaft after using a two-part primer that will let the paint stick. The primer is a two-part product called Pettit Metal Primer #6455. You clean all the old organic material off the prop and areas of the shaft that will not be covered by the zincs (I actually sanded with 80 grit until it was shiny and well scratched up, but was told this was not necessary), mix the primer, and paint it on. After 24 hours of cure time you put on bottom paint. The preferred paint in these woods seems to be Pettit Trinidad Pro. I was told that ablative paint like Micron 66 and Pettit Ultra will stick, but slough off fairly quickly as the boat is used. The Pettit primer wasn't particularly cheap - about $65 IIRC for about a pint of primer after mixing. But if it will make the bottom paint stick it is probably a good value. And the local fishermen, who use their boats 5 or 6 days a week pretty much year round, seem to swear by it. It's only been on my prop for 6 months or so, but so far I'm very happy with the results. Of course, your results may vary. Rick Brass Washington, NC -----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Robert Abbott Sent: Monday, January 07, 2013 1:55 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Stus-List Prop Mussel Farm there is one more 'remedy' I have heard/read about......it involves coating the prop/shaft with "galvanized zinc spray paint". I have never seen this done and do not know what effect it might have on the bronze prop (shouldn't be negative but I'm not sure). There is never any marine growth on my sacrificial zinc(s). Has anyone heard of this? Anyone with any experience with this paint on props? Bob Abbott AZURA C&C 32 - 84 Halifax, N.S. _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com [email protected]
