Hydraulic swim platform gear paint

Njlarry

Njlarry

Well-Known Member
May 9, 2021
644
Rock Hall, MD. Chesapeake bay
Boat Info
2000 400 DB
AT LAST
Engines
Cat 3126
What has worked for painting the under water hydraulic gear, cylinders and control arms? The po used black bottom paint but it is worn and needs to be replaced along with a primer. In the past I have had great results with ACE hardware zinc primer on struts, shafts and props and I think the zinc primer might work well on the hydraulic gear.
Appreciate all insight.
 
I would think it depends largely on what specifically the gear is made from as well as the other metals in the vicinity. You not only want to prevent growth, but also prevent corrosion in the gear, and at the same time not exacerbate corrosion in other nearby metal. For example, an all stainless structure would entail a different strategy than one having a combination of steel and aluminum.
 
I’m trying to find this out as well. We have a GHS lift seems to be all stainless. I stripped part of it down to bare metal now I’m trying to find best process/ product for repainting. Thinking a barrier coat and and two layers of ablative.
 
I emailed ghs and they replied "follow paint manufactures directions". Not much help. Given the success I have had with zinc primer and the mostly bare metal along with all the nooks and cranies of the gear, my plan is to get a few cans of ace hardware zinc primer and go to town. Next fall will tell the story.
 
Njlarry said:
I emailed ghs and they replied "follow paint manufactures directions". Not much help. Given the success I have had with zinc primer and the mostly bare metal along with all the nooks and cranies of the gear, my plan is to get a few cans of ace hardware zinc primer and go to town. Next fall will tell the story.
Click to expand...
Yup spoke to them and they pretty much said the same. Weird because I don’t think they come bare metal when installed. What’s the state of yours?
 
Irie308 said:
I’m trying to find this out as well. We have a GHS lift seems to be all stainless. I stripped part of it down to bare metal now I’m trying to find best process/ product for repainting. Thinking a barrier coat and and two layers of ablative.
Click to expand...

this is good timing. I’m getting my hydraulic platform installed next month. But do you need a barrier paint? That’s used on our hulls to keep the water out of the gel coat. We don’t need a barrier like that for the hardware, do we?
 
When I sanded mine down their was a base layer which was red in color. Assuming it was base/barrier coat used for adhesion to the stainless. Note I ordered a replacement locking cam from GHS which is stainless as well. Painted it with the rust-oleum cold zinc and it comes off with my fingernail as if wasn’t even painted.
 
Irie308 said:
When I sanded mine down their was a base layer which was red in color. Assuming it was base/barrier coat used for adhesion to the stainless. Note I ordered a replacement locking cam from GHS which is stainless as well. Painted it with the rust-oleum cold zinc and it comes off with my fingernail as if wasn’t even painted.
Click to expand...

I’ll ask my installers (Florida Bow Thrusters) what they recommend.
 
Zinc primer is a primer. It adhered to my stainless prop shaft on my sailboat so expect it should adhere to the ghs stainless. Your new cam might have needed degreasing or light sanding. Dont think adhesion should be a proplem. Wear might be. Time will tell. My gear currently has thin blothcy film of old bottom paint. Outside of rustoleum, most bottom paint manufacturers seem to have fairly involved paint prep instructions for bare metal. There are a lot of parts to a ghs underwater mechanism, so I think proper conventional bottom paint prep might require total disassembly. Spray on rattle can zinc primer sounds better to me. Lazy and loving it.
 
Last edited:
I had my GHS platform stripped and repainted a few seasons ago. All of the metal components are stainless steel, I believe 316. Both Petit and Interlux sell a specific primer for underwater metal surfaces. You need to use one of those and then apply whatever bottom paint you usually use to the prepared surface. Using a barrier coating is not appropriate in this application and likely won't adhere to the metal surface properly. Oh, and surface preparation is also key to good bonding between the primer and stainless.
 
bmac said:
I had my GHS platform stripped and repainted a few seasons ago. All of the metal components are stainless steel, I believe 316. Both Petit and Interlux sell a specific primer for underwater metal surfaces. You need to use one of those and then apply whatever bottom paint you usually use to the prepared surface. Using a barrier coating is not appropriate in this application and likely won't adhere to the metal surface properly. Oh, and surface preparation is also key to good bonding between the primer and stainless.
Click to expand...
@bmac
Brian, do you mean this?
https://pettitpaint.com/products/un...-barnacle-barrier/prop-coat-barnacle-barrier/
 
I've had great luck with Rustoleum Cold Galvanizing compound for preventing barnacles form growing on the running gear and trim tabs. However on the top of the trim tabs the sea grass has a field day. Last year I added Trilux antifoul on top of the CG and success, no more sea grass.
 
bmac said:
No, this....
https://pettitpaint.com/products/primers/below-the-waterline/tie-coat-primer/
Click to expand...

Thank you!
Interesting, found this while noodling around on the Petit site
https://pettitpaint.com/media/4445/pettit-paint-underwater-metal-systems.pdf

Stainless Steel and Bronze
Single Season Application
Abrade surface with 60-80 grit sandpaper.
Apply 2 - 3 coats of Prop Coat Barnacle Barrier.

Multi-Season Application
Abrade surface with 60-80 grit sandpaper.
Apply 2 – 3 coats of Prop Coat Barnacle Barrier.
Apply 2 thin coats of Pettit Antifouling Paint.
 
Guys,
A large part of my engineering career was spent figuring out the best way to keep steel from turning to rust on marine transportation equipment. If anyone is interested, a good reference source on the topic is “Corrosion Engineering” by Mars Fontana & Norbert Greene. It was first published in the mid sixties and I believe still in publication. A well used copy has been on my professional bookshelf since I started working in the marine industry in the seventies. It is a technical reference, but does not require a chemistry or engineering degree to follow. And yes the chemistry of coating systems has changed over the decades, but the basic principles have not.
 
Shaps said:
Thank you!
Interesting, found this while noodling around on the Petit site
https://pettitpaint.com/media/4445/pettit-paint-underwater-metal-systems.pdf

Stainless Steel and Bronze
Single Season Application
Abrade surface with 60-80 grit sandpaper.
Apply 2 - 3 coats of Prop Coat Barnacle Barrier.

Multi-Season Application
Abrade surface with 60-80 grit sandpaper.
Apply 2 – 3 coats of Prop Coat Barnacle Barrier.
Apply 2 thin coats of Pettit Antifouling Paint.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you could use that and be ok. I think the most important part of this job is surface prep, which is not easily done by hand. I had two reference points for the Pettit primer I suggested; my boat (and GHS lift) were delivered new from Sea Ray with a Pettit ablative Antifouling paint. Sea Ray used a Pettit primer that was orange/redish, similar to the product I suggested. Second, the company that media blasted, prepped, primed and painted my lift used the Pettit primer I suggested. It was not inexpensive but I knew it was done right.

Btw, I wouldn't use Rustoleum Galvanizing spray from Home Depot on my $30,000 GHS lift, but that's just me. YMMV
 
bmac said:
Btw, I wouldn't use Rustoleum Galvanizing spray from Home Depot on my $30,000 GHS lift, but that's just me. YMMV
Click to expand...

Yep, nor my PODs, but that's just me...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,118
Messages
1,426,466
Members
61,034
Latest member
Lukerney
Back
Top