Painting Running Gear for Fl Saltwater

[Hampton]

My boat's running gear was painted in Jan of this year, and there isn't a single chip of paint left on it, except for a new intake cover for my genny - it looks perfectly black.

So, the question is, what's the difference? The same people painted all parts (our local dealer). Most of the running gear paint was gone within a couple of months. I've heard about a better process using a primer and maybe a two-part epoxy paint, or something.

What do you guys who leave your boats in the warm saltwater do, and what works?

PS - my boat's bottom was painted the year prior, and other than some edges and small areas, it still looks good - same people again.

 

[fwebster]

Your experience is pretty typical for boats in our area, John. The paint process the marina uses is good and by Interlux's instructions. Unless you pressed them for a lower price. In that case, they would have had to short cut the system somewhere. If they started from scratch, you would have 3 coats of Interprotect epoxy primer (gray) under 3 coats of hard black bottom paint.

If you had some primer remaining, it is possible that the bottom guy just touched up your hardware. If so, the next time ask then to sand to bare metal, re-prime and repaint.

I get about a year on the hardware but I'm in a spot where the tidal flow keeps the water moving. Up where your boat sits, the water is pretty stagnant which makes Bottom growth much worse. This a real good reason to be active in the "Open the East Pass" campaign going on. When the Land's End cut was open the water was noticably cleaner and fresher in the middle of the island.

 

[osd9]

......... Up where your boat sits, the water is pretty stagnant which makes Bottom growth much worse. ......

Doesn't stagnant water have 'Less' growth because of the lack of oxygen and nutrients to feed the little critters?

 

[Hampton]

Doesn't stagnant water have 'Less' growth because of the lack of oxygen and nutrients to feed the little critters?

Thanks, Frank. There's no way I got the regular treatment. Mine was literally bare in 2 months.

I'm with Frank on this one. Think of a stagnant pond absolutely over-run with algae right next to a flowing stream, which would have clean, clear water.

 

[tobnpr]

There are a couple of newer products for running gear that I'm going to look into at next haulout. Prop-Kote and Propspeed are hard, slick coatings that work (supposedly) by being too slick for marine growth to adhere to them, rather than by being toxic to the little critters like traditional antifouling. I've heard some good things about Propspeed, but it is somewhat tricky to prep and aply properly.

Traditional antifoulings are going to wash off your props and rudders inside a year like Frank said. Struts and shafts hold up better because they don't have the props "blasting" them like the rudders...

 

[osd9]

I realize that this is an advertisement for a specific poduct, but as I remember, someone here on CSR has this system and he claims that it works...

http://www.boatbunkers.com.au/press_release.php

This is an excerpt from the above...

The undershield creates an isolation chamber that your boat floats in while it is moored. By isolating the water in contact with the hull, there is no oxygen replenishment and no food source, which totally eliminates barnacles and other marine life.

Algae and fungus will grow in stagnant water, just like in a pool. But the barnacles and other bottom critters need the oxygen and nutrients.

 

[fwebster]

Just be sitting down when you price enough PropSpeed to paint a twin engine boat's hardware.

Several guys in our area tried it thinking they could save having to pay a diver for regular service. The pleasure boat guys all changed back to the method I outlined above since they picked up hard growth....barnacles and worms... and the sport fishing guys just sand and polish their wheels now. They normally run their boats enough to keep them clean anyway. The PropSpeed burned off the propellor blades just as bottom paint does on big dia wheels powered by high torque engines.