How do I polish my prop?

[Brian]

I was thinking of using some fine grit sandpaper and my palm sander to polish the prop. Is this a bad idea?

[D. Stump, Hanalei]

Brian,

I wouldn't sand it. If you want to clean off barnacles, etc. the easiest way, I think, is to wipe it with On & Off hull cleaner. It will instantaenously remove all crud, and polish it. But, be sure and wash the prop right away! On & Off is ACID! Now, if your intent is to polish the prop, ie. make the surface extra smooth, the On & Off will not do that. But, I would question why you would want an extra smooth prop. At our typical RPM, the surface pitting you see on all props probably doesn't make a lot of difference on efficiency.
Just my thoughts.....

Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei CD-30

[Pat Carlson]

We've done the sander thing on our prop & haven't had any problems. Then we follow with a good coat of bottom paint (which usually doesn't last long, but it's a start). The final step involves something called "Sex Wax" - no I'm not getting kinky...it's the wax that surfers use on their surfboards - get it at your local surf shop. We put alot on and repeat the wax process every time we dive the boat (about once a month), making sure to get it into all the hard-to-reach places as well as on the blades. It doesn't solve all the problems, but we notice a significant decrease in critters that try to attach themselves to the prop.



SkywindMCM@aol.com

[jim]

I polish my prop every year with coarse then fine fiberglass rubbing compound. A couple of coats of hard wax and I get very few barnacles at the end of a season in CT.



james.jamieson@yale.edu