[Anonymous]

Tickety Boo (Bav 30 Cruiser) has just come out of the water for anti-fouling, etc.

When she was lifted in November for the pre-sale survey there was an incredible amount of marine wildlife all over the bottom, including the prop. So much so that she could only just about pull 2000 rpm at full throttle. She was jetwashed for the survey.

Now, coming out in February, the prop is completely free of any fouling apart from the witness marks of a few late and unlamented barnacles. There is a black coating on the prop, which I presume to have been put there by Volvo when new. (120S saildrive with standard Volvo 2 blade fixed prop.) Does anyone know what the coating is? And how it should be treated?

[Anonymous]

We have the same saildrive and 2blade fixed prop – when we came out in November the bottom was exceedingly weedy, but the prop relatively clean – no treatment had been given to the prop at all – it was just clean when it went in the water.
By the sounds of things, your boat hadn’t been used much last year – hence the fouling ….

[Anonymous]

My boat hadn’t been used much in all it’s four years. After the delivery I think she recorded about 60 miles on the log from early 2006 to late 2009. Not entirely surprising that she had something reminiscent of the Amazon rain forest clinging to her undersides.

I get the impression your suggesting that this coating is pretty effective in keeping fouling at bay by itself, if given a reasonable chance. So it may be that I should just give the prop a good polish and leave it at that. ¿Yes?

[Anonymous]

well – we didn’t polish – but I would think it might help …

[Anonymous]

I think you’ll find that the prop is actually plastic coated. I don’t think there’s any need to treat it as long as the plastic coat is in good condition.
A phone call to any VP dealer will confirm.

Regards,
John

[Anonymous]

John, that was my first assumption, but I’m coming down in favour of it being a painted hard anti-foul. In the gap between the prop and the anode, only about half the diameter is coated, so it looks like a little bit was missed with the brush. Anyway, I’ll give it a bit of a gentle rub-down and polish and leave it at that.

[Author]

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