I just ordered Prop Glide for next year

[Joe Myerson]

Well, Crème Brûlée is stripped and left at the boatyard for haul-out. I had some fantastic day-sails in September and October, and I thought I was hauling late, but it turns out to be just about the same time as last year.

I was all set to order a small "DIY kit" of PropSpeed, which is available at West Marine for close to $300, when I found something called PropGlide, a new product that comes in a "sailboat kit" for $119. I've ordered it for next year. Has anybody had experience with this item?

BTW, I really like PropSpeed, but it is expensive and somewhat difficult to apply. It seems to last two seasons, however. I don't know if PropGlide will last as long.

--Joe

PS, I might apply this stuff to the saltwater intake as well.

[fmueller]

Hi Joe ...

I've just been using Pettit Prop Coat ... (gee I thought $50 smackers a can was a lot!)

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/pettit-p ... r--6077937

In a full season I get just a few barnacles, but usually just at the base of the blades or maybe a few around the hub - not enough to effect things too much I don't think ... one can has lasted me 3 seasons and is maybe 1/2 gone now ...

cheers

Fred

[mgphl52]

This is interesting...
West Marine
vs
Jamestown Distributors
vs
Defender

sometimes I really wonder why WM thinks so highly of their merchandise...

[Jim Davis]

Then Google "cold galvanizing spray paint". The Pettit is just an expensive version. All are 93 percent zinc.

As to West.Marine's prices "Comment Censored".

[Joe Myerson]

Thanks guys, but I stopped using the Petit zinc spray on my prop after several years of mediocre results. Perhaps it's because my mooring is in a small, brackish salt-pond that gets very warm in the summer, but the barnacle growth on my propeller was terrible for several years running. Then I tried PropSpeed, and the problem was solved.

Yes, it's expensive. The first year, I split the cost with two other sailboat owners. But the last time I ordered it, I had to go it alone. Despite the manufacturer's propaganda that it could not be saved from one year to the next, I was able to get two seasons' protection with one application and still use the leftover product after two years. However, the price is high.

So, I'm trying this new product. Both products put a shiny, slippery finish on the prop which makes it nearly impossible for fouling organisms to adhere to the bronze.

I still use the spray-on zinc for my raw-water intake, and it has not been very effective. This coming season, I might try the slippery stuff.

BTW, I have tried anhydrous lanolin and found it totally ineffective.

--Joe

[Steve Laume]

This is interesting...
West Marine
vs
Jamestown Distributors
vs
Defender

sometimes I really wonder why WM thinks so highly of their merchandise...

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum- ... /100142963

[Sea Hunt Video]

Steve:

I have tried the Rustoleum Cold Galvanizing Compound spray with mixed to moderate results. S/V Bali Ha'i is in warm, tropical waters (Biscayne Bay). Compared to applying nothing to the prop, the Rustoleum product provided limited protection against coral growth, algae, etc. I cleaned the hull and prop myself every month so I was able to see myself what the growth patterns were, etc.

I believe it is pretty inexpensive stuff, like about $6/can.

Before putting S/V Bali Ha'i back in Biscayne Bay I will again apply two (2) new coats of the Rustoleum and see what happens.

[fmueller]

Joe,

I was wondering about the effect of your anchorage ... I agree that Pettit is only so so, but better than nothing ...

In the three years I had Jerezana in Boston Harbor, I had very little barnacle growth period - and the "medicine bottles" stayed quite cool in the bilge ...

In the last two years now in Narragansett - more growth for sure - and I need ice in the cooler (or learn to enjoy room temp Bass Ale) ...

Fred

[Joe Myerson]

I was wondering about the effect of your anchorage

Hi Fred,

I'm quite sure that my anchorage has a profound effect on my fouling problem. I first encountered PropSpeed at the Newport Boat Show, where I talked for some time with the company's representative. He said the product was very popular in Florida, where fouling is a serious problem. I was surprised to learn from a Cape Cod neighbor and oceanographer who monitors the water in Squeteague Harbor daily, that summer water temperatures in the little hurricane hole are higher than those I encountered when sailing through the Gulf Stream on the way to Bermuda.

--Joe

[Joe Myerson]

Because of delays at the yard and by the hauler, Creme Brulee was hauled on Tuesday. The prop is absolutely clean of any growth. This is after two years with the same PropSpeed application.

Also, for the first time, I sprayed my raw-water intake strainer inside and out with Petit zinc spray. It also seems to be free of growth. I can only hope that the PropGlide I ordered for next year works as well, as it costs roughly half the price of PropSpeed.

--Joe

[bottomscraper]

This is our prop 2017. This had 3 coats of Rustoleum "Cold Galvanizing Compound Spray" in the spring. It was pressure washed when the boat came out of the water but it wasn't bad mostly just slime. The few bare spots were probably from an encounter with a toggle from a lobster pot. Cold water does have some advantages.

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