How good is Prop Speed

I used to paint the bottom with antifoul and do the shafts and rudders with 2 coats of anti foul . My friend tells me Prop speed is the way to go .
Any thoughts ?

You just missed a lengthy thread on Prop Speed. Check the archives for lots of commentary.

The summary is that some have had success with it but a lot haven't and I am one of the latter. Someone said that you have to follow Propspeed's prep instructions to the letter to have any chance of it working.

David

Prop speed

Thanks Guys Ill stick to my old way .
Cheers

2 years ago, we went with Velox instead of Propspeed. The Propspeed worked fine, but the yard labor to renew and total cost was not insignificant. I asked for an alternative, and Velox was suggested.

The Velox was commented on favorably by our diver many times. It’s performance has been very good, and we reapplied Velox again this year.

Also a velox user here.. may change to rust oleum galvanizing coating as that works in our area as well.

—kevin

Propspeed vs other options

Some quick background. When it comes to the bottom I am DIY. I am not paying the yard to prep and paint. I also know the real hard work is always in the prep. Last summer was our first season attacking the bottom and all gear under our 1982 Sea Ray. The bottom was in overall good shape and had been taken care of with antifoul over the years and had no evidence of any blistering. I sanded heavily ensuring any of the barnacle bases were removed and loose parts of antifoul. I can say I did the best prep job I could over the time we had. I was not going to bare bottom at this time. Multiple thin coats of black ablative were applied. The result on the overall bottom was good and this year I plan to focus on some places that got missed, such as under the boat stands which did not get attention needed. Also around some of my hull attachments I need a little more attention. So I am not overly concerned about what is needed to further improve on the bottom on the fiberglass.

The metal underneath is another story. I got everything cleaned, sanded and prepped. I applied coats of ablative to the shaft struts, rudders, and trip tabs. I painted with the black ablative on all except the shafts which I left bare. The results were horrible, barnacles everywhere on metal, and the ablative did not stick to our trim tabs at all.

Our props are off and will go to Hale propeller up by Old Saybrook. Based on what I have read about Propspeed and need for perfect application and maintenance over time. I will also ask Hale specific to the prop when I drop them off next week.

I am looking for the best option for antifoul for the rudder, shaft struts and propeller. Many in our area use the Petit spray on antifoul that I usually see in gray color. I have also read that Velox is a good product for metal surfaces but am not sure if it is used much in our area of LI Sound. I like the fact that the Velox comes in gray or black.

Any advice or links to previous threads are appreciated.

maggiecat1003 said:

Our props are off and will go to Hale propeller up by Old Saybrook. Based on what I have read about Propspeed and need for perfect application and maintenance over time. I will also ask Hale specific to the prop when I drop them off next week.

I am looking for the best option for antifoul for the rudder, shaft struts and propeller. Many in our area use the Petit spray on antifoul that I usually see in gray color. I have also read that Velox is a good product for metal surfaces but am not sure if it is used much in our area of LI Sound. I like the fact that the Velox comes in gray or black.

Any advice or links to previous threads are appreciated.

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I would simply say that Prop Speed is not for you. Anything but. Petit or Velox or any of the products other paint companies have. While your prep and painting may be adequate for your bottom painting and your needs, it would not be for PropSpeed.

Do you haul annually and intend to paint annually? Is that why you chose ablative?

We use PropSpeed and have always been very happy with it, but professionally applied by a certified yard.

Maggie, I boat in the same area as you and underwater metals get a lot of barnacles. You should not be using regular bottom paint on the metals. I think the spray paint you mean is Petit Barnacle Barrier. It's a zinc spray paint and good on underwater metals. I've never used it but I know others that have and it works for them. Needs 2-3 coats I think. I no longer do my own bottom prep and paint. The marina that does it for me uses Interlux Trilux which is good for underwater metals and is applied with a brush if that's what you prefer. I can't say it does a great job, but it's an option. Certainly better than leaving bare metal. I'd also advise against Prop Speed. It's expensive and I have no experience with it, but if I was to use it I would likely have it professionally applied. That's a pretty pricey option for a DIY guy. It also matters how often you use the boat. Prop speed does not kill barnacles, etc, but is slippery and works when your boat is in operation.

BandB said:

I would simply say that Prop Speed is not for you. Anything but. Petit or Velox or any of the products other paint companies have. While your prep and painting may be adequate for your bottom painting and your needs, it would not be for PropSpeed.

Do you haul annually and intend to paint annually? Is that why you chose ablative?

We use PropSpeed and have always been very happy with it, but professionally applied by a certified yard.

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We pull annually in the winter due to conditions in NE and we do not use the boat then.

Thank you for the advice. I will prep the metallic parts well and try one of these options. I agree with your comments on the Propspeed, not something I want to try myself as someone new to all this.

My goal each year is to improve the situation so each annual effort underneath is less of a major issue and more of an ongoing upkeep.

I have learned from many threads here for whatever you are undertaking, the important thing is usually in the prep for whatever you will apply.

But for sure the boat will see new zincs and paint where needed each year.

Thanks and regards

maggiecat1003 said:

We pull annually in the winter due to conditions in NE and we do not use the boat then.

Thank you for the advice. I will prep the metallic parts well and try one of these options. I agree with your comments on the Propspeed, not something I want to try myself as someone new to all this.

My goal each year is to improve the situation so each annual effort underneath is less of a major issue and more of an ongoing upkeep.

I have learned from many threads here for whatever you are undertaking, the important thing is usually in the prep for whatever you will apply.

But for sure the boat will see new zincs and paint where needed each year.

Thanks and regards

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Keep in mind that some paints, even some ablatives, lose their effectiveness if out of the water for more than a few weeks. If you don't plan to re-paint each spring and just do touch ups, make sure you are buying a multi-season ablative. If you do go that route, it's good to do a base coat in a different color (like red) and then cover with black. That will tell you when/where you need to re-paint.

The Greenline dealer in southern France who is storing and servicing my boat for the winter strongly recommended Prop Speed (for prop only) to me last October at haul-out. I'd never heard of it before. It did seem sort of pricey, but I told him to go ahead with it. I had no idea about all the decision points and potential complications I just read about in this thread. I don't know whether his shop applied it (I don't find them mentioned on Prop Speed's website) or if it was one of a couple of specialists in the same port that did the work for them (these specialists are listed on Prop Speed's website). So, when I made the decision, I had no idea I was taking such a gamble. Ignorance was bliss -- at least in October. We shall soon find out whether it was the right move for a boat that spends most of its time running 5-8 knots.
I will report back...

ScottC said:

The Greenline dealer in southern France who is storing and servicing my boat for the winter strongly recommended Prop Speed (for prop only) to me last October at haul-out. I'd never heard of it before. It did seem sort of pricey, but I told him to go ahead with it. I had no idea about all the decision points and potential complications I just read about in this thread. I don't know whether his shop applied it (I don't find them mentioned on Prop Speed's website) or if it was one of a couple of specialists in the same port that did the work for them (these specialists are listed on Prop Speed's website). So, when I made the decision, I had no idea I was taking such a gamble. Ignorance was bliss -- at least in October. We shall soon find out whether it was the right move for a boat that spends most of its time running 5-8 knots.
I will report back...

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Why do you think it was a big gamble? If it was properly applied to your prop, it should work fine at those speeds.

NEtrawler58 said:

Why do you think it was a big gamble? If it was properly applied to your prop, it should work fine at those speeds.

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I noticed quite a tendency in this thread to indicate that it was not really meant for slow boats...

Unless you have a very slow turning prop, Propspeed should still work fine on the prop of a slow boat. It may not work as well on the rest of the running gear that moves through the water slower, however.

rslifkin said:

Unless you have a very slow turning prop, Propspeed should still work fine on the prop of a slow boat. It may not work as well on the rest of the running gear that moves through the water slower, however.

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Correct, but I think it was only on his prop. I don't have any experience with it, maybe B&B can weigh in, but I understand that it does wear off, so I'm not sure how long it lasts on a the prop of a really fast boat. Might actually be better for the prop on a trawler, but I'm just guessing here.

rslifkin said:

Unless you have a very slow turning prop, Propspeed should still work fine on the prop of a slow boat. It may not work as well on the rest of the running gear that moves through the water slower, however.

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My typical cruising speed of 7 knots = about 1850 RPM

You probably know this but just in case....Prop Speed is a slick coating that works by being too slippery for growth to attach to, as opposed to an anti-fouling biocide that kills the growth. The spinning prop should cause anything attached to it to fall off. As rslifkin pointed out, if you use it on other underwater metals (rudder for instance) a slow moving boat may not clean off the growth well, but a spinning propeller is moving through the water much faster and should be fine.

ScottC said:

My typical cruising speed of 7 knots = about 1850 RPM

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We use it on all underwater gear. While it would help less on your 7 knot running gear, it would still help because you use your boat a lot, but on the props it will be very effective and speed of the boat won't matter on them. It isn't going to be effective on the boat that sits in the water for four months without moving.

In some ways though, you'll benefit even more. Losing a knot of speed to you is 14%. People underestimate the impact of barnacles on slower boats.

NEtrawler58 said:

Maggie, I boat in the same area as you and underwater metals get a lot of barnacles. You should not be using regular bottom paint on the metals. I think the spray paint you mean is Petit Barnacle Barrier. It's a zinc spray paint and good on underwater metals. I've never used it but I know others that have and it works for them. Needs 2-3 coats I think. I no longer do my own bottom prep and paint. The marina that does it for me uses Interlux Trilux which is good for underwater metals and is applied with a brush if that's what you prefer. I can't say it does a great job, but it's an option. Certainly better than leaving bare metal. I'd also advise against Prop Speed. It's expensive and I have no experience with it, but if I was to use it I would likely have it professionally applied. That's a pretty pricey option for a DIY guy. It also matters how often you use the boat. Prop speed does not kill barnacles, etc, but is slippery and works when your boat is in operation.

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Thanks for your local feedback. Much appreciated. So now I have three options to study up on for self application - Pettit Barnacle Barrier, Interlux Trilux for metals and Velox for metals.

As always more info an products to read up on. Great thing about these forums! And I am learning things about metallurgy and electrical currents in salt water. For sure I learned this season copper containing ablative paints don't stay on other metals very well at all!

Appreciate the help.

As a propspeed alternative, I've personally been using Pettit Black Widow (with suitable primer). Pettit recently started offering a running gear coating kit. As far as I can tell, the topcoat is just Black Widow. It's a pretty smooth, hard paint that should shed stuff well (but it's not as slick as Propspeed). Unlike Propspeed, it does have antifouling properties while stationary.

So far after 2 seasons with it on all of my running gear, I've had a few adhesion failures between the primer and the substrate (even after changing primers), so I'm still trying to sort that out. Adhesion issues have been a few bubbles on the props and trim tabs (tabs being worse) and 1 area on the leading edge of each rudder that the paint seems to just get blown off. I've only seen very minor wear at worst on the props themselves, no wearing the paint off the tips or anything.

But for the most part, it's worked well. At haulout after 6+ months in fresh water with no cleaning, the trim tabs, rudders, shafts, and struts are all a little slimy, but no fuzzy growth, no zebra mussels, etc. The props come out completely clean to the touch.

For perspective on shaft/prop RPM for us (don't forget to account for gear reduction when calculating this for your own boats), our props turn just over 500 RPM at slow cruise and just under 1300 RPM at planing cruise.

Just FYI, the prop speed website has testimonials from owners of trawlers and sailboats. As B&B said, unless your boat gets limited use, you should be fine, especially for the prop if not other metals as well.

Maggie, let me know what you end up with and how it works for you. I've never tried Velox, but sounds like that might be a good option. The Tri-Lux does not adhere real well for me, maybe due to electrolysis, which Velox claims is not an issue for them. It is a bit more complicated than the others in terms or prep and application however.

I'd also advise against Prop Speed. It's expensive and I have no experience with it, but if I was to use it I would likely have it professionally applied

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Ok, you advise against Prop Speed but you have no experience with it..?

I have used Prop Speed on the prop, the rudder and the trim tabs. (all metal obviously)
It keeps growth off for 12 to 15 months with the boat being used once a week or more.
I have the yards apply it, prices have been different, from $400 to $700 or so.
(Single engine boat)

Nothing negative about Prop Speed, pricey perhaps but so is boating in general.
A boater on a budget can always jump in and scrape the prop a few times a month, no charge and a bargain..
(I did just that in my younger days when I was boat-poor and a live aboard.)

We're into our 10th season using prop speed. It works as claimed. For anal prop care folks, any barnacles at all increase vibration with reduced efficiency. Super clean sharp bladed props are my preference ( and thousands of fast boat and outboard users) as opposed to a prop that has been slathered with bottom paint. Yes, we have a slow boat.

Prop speed works fine on my 8-9 knot speeds. I have DIY it multiple times and can say you will,probably screw it up the first time. It is difficult to work with. However, if you have applied other coatings and are observant on how quickly it changes phases and how to recognize, that first failure will be enough to also come away knowing what you should do differently the next time and you will get better each time.

The downside as well is that removing propspeed is no picnic, if you need to start over.

I had mine done “professionally” for the first time this year. I’m more worried about the job of the yard than my own abilities this go round. We will see.

Have used all three. Think propspeed is best on props. If the boat is left for awhile a trick some use is to put a black totally opaque plastic bag over the running gear. Two benefits. Much less water movement over them so less for filter feeders to eat. No sunlight so no plant life either. Bit of a pain to put on then remove before leaving but some believe worth the effort. We haven’t wet stored so haven’t used this trick ourselves. For the other two make sure you really rough things up. Adhesion is a issue. They wear off at the edges. Follow directions exactly if you want more mills at the edges otherwise it flakes off.

This for this and other reasons it’s good to go to WOT periodically.

Hippocampus said:

Have used all three. Think propspeed is best on props. If the boat is left for awhile a trick some use is to put a black totally opaque plastic bag over the running gear. Two benefits. Much less water movement over them so less for filter feeders to eat. No sunlight so no plant life either. Bit of a pain to put on then remove before leaving but some believe worth the effort. We haven’t wet stored so haven’t used this trick ourselves. For the other two make sure you really rough things up. Adhesion is a issue. They wear off at the edges. Follow directions exactly if you want more mills at the edges otherwise it flakes off.

This for this and other reasons it’s good to go to WOT periodically.

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We have bagged sterndrives in the past. Worked well just make sure you have a failsafe system to mark it as bagged so you don’t forget and try to run the boat bagged.

Anyone have any experience with Rust-Oleum cold steel galvanizing compound? I see it randomly get mentioned in threads here and there but I don't have an first hand experience with how it works. Rust-Oleum claims 93% zinc content. Could be a 4th option for OP.

https://www.rustoleum.com/product-c...s/stops-rust/cold-galvanizing-compound-spray/

Prop speeds effectiveness depends on actual prop speed.
I have been told, by several people including those that have a vested interest (prop and shaft engineers and applicators), that if your prop doesn't spin fast, prop speed is likely a waste of $$.

We have 4.52:1 reduction on our gearbox so on an 1150 rpm cruise we can almost count shaft rotation at 254 rpm.