[Anonymous]

Hi all.
I was out on CaSam earlier this week and noticed a real drop off in engine performance.
In drive the engine would not rev over 2000 rpm (In neutral no problem going round to 3500!)
I suspected something around the prop or a weed problem so crept gingerly back into the marina.

After spending an hour in the water today diving down and inspecting the leg and prop I have had to scrub barnacles off of the prop. This appears to have solved the problem – thank goodness.

I have not used CaSam much this summer due to the weather and overseas holidays etc. which is probably why I had such a build up.

Anyway, the reason for my post – I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for an efficient prop antifoul, something that perhaps can cope with little engine use?

Thanks
Steve

[Anonymous]

Steve

I’ve experienced exactly the same problem over a number of years in Chichester Marina, not with barnacles but with tube worm, a coral-like creature which grows on propellers and saildrives, converting them into something resembling a loo-brush. Not very helpful as the growth clogs up the feathering mechanism on my Brunton’s prop and renders the blades more or less useless. I’ve tried all the commercially available “remedies” including the very expensive epoxy based ‘PellerClean’ (over £50 for a two-part pack), International Trilux out-drive, boot top and prop paint and various grease formulations, all of which were quite frankly next to useless. I’ve decided that the best solution, in Chichester at least, is to polish the prop to as high a finish as you can get over the winter lay-up and have the boat lifted mid-summer to have the prop and saildrive pressure washed mid-way through the season. I’ve just had my B32 Another Fantasy done, having experienced yet again the symptoms you describe i e low revs and poor boat speed. The most infuriating thing about all this is that although the prop resembled the aforementioned loobrush, the rest of the hull was completely free of any contamination, just a very thin coating of slime which was easily washed off.

I’m afraid you pays your money and make your choice. Good luck!

Ian Culley

B32 Another Fantasy

[Anonymous]

Fair point Ian,
CaSam has been copper-coated and the hull was in great shape… a bit of slime that was all!
The prop and leg have Trilux on and are performing awfully (I too get the worm problem on the leg in Oceans Village!)

Stupid question perhaps but why can the leg and prop not be copper-coated or similar?

[Anonymous]

Hello I’m a new member, but I saw what you were saying of the prop fouling I had this on my last boat in Med waters and friend told me to try Lanolin? So I got a big tub from the chemist and plastered it on. It seems that as the sheep have this to protect them then I thought it might work. It is really really thick like tar. Now I thought with the prop it would wash off it did but in about 5 months into my season as I was checking it with a mask. I have to say I use it all the time now but it is a bit had to find. Anyway might help as a usual fix.
regards Theseus

[Anonymous]

@Theseus wrote:

Hello I’m a new member, but I saw what you were saying of the prop fouling I had this on my last boat in Med waters and friend told me to try Lanolin? So I got a big tub from the chemist and plastered it on. It seems that as the sheep have this to protect them then I thought it might work. It is really really thick like tar. Now I thought with the prop it would wash off it did but in about 5 months into my season as I was checking it with a mask. I have to say I use it all the time now but it is a bit had to find. Anyway might help as a usual fix.
regards Theseus

Thanks Theseus!

[Author]

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