prop speed coating

[jefndeb]

We just applied propglide on our gear yesterday.
The guy at the yard who applied it says it is pretty much the same as propspeed as far as he can tell.
Same application specs as well but only $200 on Amazon.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Seevee

Seeing how Simi is being a jerk, can someone tell me what the prop speed it without a stupid answer? Thx

Wow, you really did get out of the wrong side of bed this morning.

But here, let me help.


https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=propspeed

[Comodave]

Originally Posted by jefndeb

We just applied propglide on our gear yesterday.
The guy at the yard who applied it says it is pretty much the same as propspeed as far as he can tell.
Same application specs as well but only $200 on Amazon. Attachment 122657

They put your prop nuts on backwards, the half height nut should be on first and the full height nut should be put on last. When you tighten the second nut it partly unloads the first nut. When the hal height nut is second and tightened up it will partly unload the full height nut. You want the prop riding on the full height nut. To seat the prop you use the full height nut first and then remove it and put on the half height nut first.

[magna 6882]

Originally Posted by Comodave

They put your prop nuts on backwards, the half height nut should be on first and the full height nut should be put on last. When you tighten the second nut it partly unloads the first nut. When the hal height nut is second and tightened up it will partly unload the full height nut. You want the prop riding on the full height nut. To seat the prop you use the full height nut first and then remove it and put on the half height nut first.

Learned something new.

[GoneFarrell]

Originally Posted by Comodave

To seat the prop you use the full height nut first and then remove it and put on the half height nut first.

Tru dat.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by jefndeb

We just applied propglide on our gear yesterday.
The guy at the yard who applied it says it is pretty much the same as propspeed as far as he can tell.
Same application specs as well but only $200 on Amazon. Attachment 122657

Guys at yards say that because they're not certified to apply propspeed and they pay less for propglide and other copies so make more.

[ghost]

I’ve DIY propspeed three times. It. Is. Hard. Depending on conditions you can easily be barely a minute inside your window between the first product and the second and run out of time. Miss the window and it doesn’t work.

It’s probably the best product, not really expensive when it works and you get a full 3 years. Really expensive when somebody cuts corners and it doesn’t.

[Ken E.]

I've used Prop Speed for about 15 years, always applied by a boatyard. I get 3+ years. It's expensive but effective. As noted a couple times above, it is very critical in its application and very easy to screw up, especially as a DIY. I do a lot of my own maintenance on the boat but I'd never attempt Prop Speed.

[klee wyck]

Originally Posted by ghost

I’ve DIY propspeed three times. It. Is. Hard. Depending on conditions you can easily be barely a minute inside your window between the first product and the second and run out of time. Miss the window and it doesn’t work.

It’s probably the best product, not really expensive when it works and you get a full 3 years. Really expensive when somebody cuts corners and it doesn’t.

I agree with Ghost.
When done right, Propspeed is a game changer. The photo is of Klee Wyck as she is being pulled, two and a half years from last haul.

[O C Diver]

Ok, Prop Speed works if your boat goes fast enough to throw the barnacles off or a diver scrubs them off. It's of little value if you don't use your boat or have a diver scrub it. Simply, it doesn't have chemicals that repel growth.

My experience with 2 boats;
On my charter boat it worked great. The boat cruises at 15 knots and would be run frequently to throw the small forming barnacles off. The propeller was turning 1,400 RPM which kept it clean. The stainless steel skeg and rudder were also clean.

The trawler is very different. It cruises around 6 to 7 knots. The water flow (speed) isn't fast enough to throw the barnacles off the skeg, stern bearing holder, and external water strainer (the rudder is fiberglass). The propeller turns 600 RPM, so it stays mostly clean. The prop nuts, shaft and anode also get some growth. By far the worst is the stern bearing holder which sees the least water flow.

By far the best solution for me was Pacifica Plus bottom bottom paint. The first year it was perfect where it stuck. The paint doesn't adhere well to clean metal. Last year I did an experiment and primed all the metal with the spray zinc antifouling (Barnacle Buster I think) and then put Pacifica Plus over it. That combination was perfect. I lost paint in a few spots where something may have hit it, but everything else including the stern bearing holder was clean. We sandblasted everything back down to bare metal and repeated the process again at my annual haulout. It might have been good for another year, but materials are cheap and the risk isn't worth it.

https://www.interlux.com/en/us/boat-.../pacifica-plus

Ted

[Bmarler]

Originally Posted by tozz

Yeah, those manufacturing instructions also have tight tolerance. The yard we use had a lot of problems and now recommends Coval as an alternative. Correctly applied in the right environmental conditions prop speeds works great.

Right now we have had Coval on for almost two years and it wasn't until the last dive on the boat last month did our diver mention hard growth starting to build up that needed to be scraped and that was after a very warm summer season as well.

YMMV

-tozz

i've not heard of coval before. available locally? did you apply it or have the yard do it? looks kind of like the same principle as propspeed, the coating is so smooth and slippery that nothing sticks.
i read the tds for it and it recommends spray application. where i haul that's almost impossible without a note from the governor. maybe i could pull the prop and take it to my shop.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by O C Diver

Ok, Prop Speed works if your boat goes fast enough to throw the barnacles off or a diver scrubs them off. It's of little value if you don't use your boat or have a diver scrub it. Simply, it doesn't have chemicals that repel growth.

My experience with 2 boats;
On my charter boat it worked great. The boat cruises at 15 knots and would be run frequently to throw the small forming barnacles off. The propeller was turning 1,400 RPM which kept it clean. The stainless steel skeg and rudder were also clean.

The trawler is very different. It cruises around 6 to 7 knots. The water flow (speed) isn't fast enough to throw the barnacles off the skeg, stern bearing holder, and external water strainer (the rudder is fiberglass). The propeller turns 600 RPM, so it stays mostly clean. The prop nuts, shaft and anode also get some growth. By far the worst is the stern bearing holder which sees the least water flow.

By far the best solution for me was Pacifica Plus bottom bottom paint. The first year it was perfect where it stuck. The paint doesn't adhere well to clean metal. Last year I did an experiment and primed all the metal with the spray zinc antifouling (Barnacle Buster I think) and then put Pacifica Plus over it. That combination was perfect. I lost paint in a few spots where something may have hit it, but everything else including the stern bearing holder was clean. We sandblasted everything back down to bare metal and repeated the process again at my annual haulout. It might have been good for another year, but materials are cheap and the risk isn't worth it.

https://www.interlux.com/en/us/boat-.../pacifica-plus

Ted

For slower boats and boats that sit, most of the paint companies have an anti-fouling paint they recommend applying to metal as well. Doesn't work as well as Prop Speed for boats with more speed but works well for 6-10 knot boats and boats that seldom move.

[rpackard]

A hull cleaning diver in Mexico suggested applying Lanocoat to the prop. I have done that for two seasons in Sea of Cortez and was impressed. Cost is minimal. starting with a clean pro, I warm up the prop with a propane torch and then apply the Lanocoat with a rag. Total application time is about 30 minutes.

Richard P

[foggysail]

I don't remember Prop Speed's cost other than when I last looked I thought it expensive at least more money than I wanted to spend on the stuff. So I sought out a different solution.

My first approach was to have my props electrically copper plated. Sucked! Experiments continued and finally came up with the following that works rather well for me. OK, there is some minor growth but not like the horrors of yesterday.

My method is to clean the poop off the boat's underwater metals and spray (or paint with a brush) any kind of metal primer paint. Next, paint the exposed metal with HARD BOTTOM paint. My experience is hard bottom paint without a primer does not last. This works for me.

[rgano]

Originally Posted by O C Diver

Ok, Prop Speed works if your boat goes fast enough to throw the barnacles off or a diver scrubs them off. It's of little value if you don't use your boat or have a diver scrub it. Simply, it doesn't have chemicals that repel growth.

My experience with 2 boats;
On my charter boat it worked great. The boat cruises at 15 knots and would be run frequently to throw the small forming barnacles off. The propeller was turning 1,400 RPM which kept it clean. The stainless steel skeg and rudder were also clean.

The trawler is very different. It cruises around 6 to 7 knots. The water flow (speed) isn't fast enough to throw the barnacles off the skeg, stern bearing holder, and external water strainer (the rudder is fiberglass). The propeller turns 600 RPM, so it stays mostly clean. The prop nuts, shaft and anode also get some growth. By far the worst is the stern bearing holder which sees the least water flow.

By far the best solution for me was Pacifica Plus bottom bottom paint. The first year it was perfect where it stuck. The paint doesn't adhere well to clean metal. Last year I did an experiment and primed all the metal with the spray zinc antifouling (Barnacle Buster I think) and then put Pacifica Plus over it. That combination was perfect. I lost paint in a few spots where something may have hit it, but everything else including the stern bearing holder was clean. We sandblasted everything back down to bare metal and repeated the process again at my annual haulout. It might have been good for another year, but materials are cheap and the risk isn't worth it.

https://www.interlux.com/en/us/boat-.../pacifica-plus

Ted

My brother and I have been sitting around discussing this issue, and for our two GB42s, we independently came to the same basic method as Ted comments on here - a coating on the prop of either barnacle barrier or Interlux 2000 (two coats) followed by two coats bottom paint (hard for me, ablative for him). Boats 123 miles apart with essentially identical results.

[mike66]

I would like to add my endorsement for bottom paint on trawler running gear. Especially in New England with a 6 month season in cool water. I use copper free ablative on the bottom and running gear. No worries about interaction with underwater metal. This year I tried Total Boat brand and it worked very well. Much less expensive than Pettit.

[Mischief Managed]

I tried Rustoleum Cold Galvanizing spray paint on the running gear last Spring and was astounded by how well it prevented growth and held up over the 6 month NH boating season, when I had the boat hauled last month. It works great here and it's only 7 bucks a can. Prep and application could not be easier. I used 4 cans and did many several light coats.

[Fletcher500]

I have used Prop Speed on a fast planing boat, and our current trawler.

This subject is like anchors. Very subjective, and a lot of variables including prep, application, use, waters boating in, etc as others have noted.

We are hauling out in a few months. I am having prop speed applied again to the rudder, and struts under the swim platform that are partially in sea water. Skipping the Prop this time as I find the surface gets a bit rough, and I like mine to be very smooth, especially during the Summer when we are logging the majority of our miles so I lightly sand it periodically.

[live2fish]

Prop speed has to be applied properly, is fairly expensive and is best for boats that are frequently on the move. It is popular with sportfishing boats. If your boat moves and then sits for a good while or is only moved periodically you might want to consider Petit Prop Coat. It has worked well for us.

[GoldenDawn]

I have had Prop Speed Installed by the yard with excellent results. Photos show the immediate post application at my 2020 haul out and what the prop rudder looked liked when hauled after two years. No barnacles on prop or rudder. In addition to maintaining good prop efficiency, another benefit has been reduction in zinc replacement. Most of my zincs last 2 years now, except the hub zinc that gets replaced by a diver after one year (used to be two per year). So I am saving about $150/yr in zinc costs.