Outboard Engine Antifouling Paint Results Report

[CruiseAlong]

The boat: Cape Dory 26
Engine: Yamaha 9.9 25 inch skeg, 4 stroke outboard
Left in water: 1 year
Location: Southern Chesapeake Bay, very near mouth of the York River
Water Temperature during summer: Very Warm
Engine Paint Prep:
Start with no antifouling paint, Lower skeg and prop coated with West 105 epoxy, then two coats of Trilux on skeg and prop
Boat NOT plugged into shore power, used small solar charger to keep bateries up to full power. Hair on skeg/prop at very end of year but no barnacles, easy to clean.

[drb9]

Does not plugging into shore power affect barnacle growth?

I don't understand how you can be so clean and my motor can be so completely covered. I'm mid-Chesapeake.

[CruiseAlong]

Yes,,,ask around...plugging into shore power affects the amount of barnacles......Dana....both our CD26 and CD31 have very little growth on them after a full year in the water........

[Jay B.]

I'm in the process of stripping and recoating my lower unit. Since I'm taking it down to the bare aluminum, I will be priming and painting and then coating with an antifouling type paint. At the end of last season there was only one barnacle but there was a fair amount of corrosion that lifted the paint. The zinc anode was completely gone. Is the paint you used suitable for the recoating I am doing? I was hoping to find everything I need for repainting at West Marine. I am middle bay, up near North Beach.

I've got the lower unit removed and will be rebuilding the water pump. I just received the rebuild kit yesterday.

Jay

[CruiseAlong]

If the unit is down to bare aluminum you actually have a choice. With a previous outboard I had coated the bare aluminum with the West 105 epoxy. On the current outboard I had epoxied over the outboard finish paint. What is important is that the West "Barrier" coat be between the bottom paint and the skeg and that you have very good coverage. The Trilux is the same paint that is used in the outboard spray can for outboard antifoulant. I did not buy the spray version but bought it in the quart version. I think it works better without the additional additives with the spray can which may make the spray more "sprayable". The Trilux is very good but like the spray can you need that barrier West coat between the skeg and the bottom paint or the barrier coat sold in the spray version. Then it is ok with the aluminum and copper oxide used in the paint. You can also get the Trilux with biocide for taking care of the hair/weed better.
Dana

[jbenagh]

I used the Trilux last year on my outboard. It worked pretty well in Salem, MA. There were a couple barnacles, but nothing like before I used the paint. I used both primer and topcoat since I had some bare spots. I did not bother getting the whole thing to bare metal and just painted over the existing finish.

The paint is a lot cheaper at Defender or Jamestown. And I have received bad paint twice from West Marine -- I won't buy from them any more. If you purchase from there and the can looks old or dusty, don't bother. In one case I bought two part polyurethane where the catalyst had solidified. In the other case it was bottom paint where the solvent was half gone. They refunded my money both times but I lost a week of prep time.

Jeff

[Jay B.]

Well, I just bought primer/paint from West Marine today, so we'll see how it goes. It seemed to be new and is liquid, so I am hoping it will be good.

Thanks for all your help. I'll let you know how it goes!
Jay