Polishing props. Pros and cons.

HawkX66

HawkX66

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2020
1,344
SE Virginia and NH
Boat Info
"Tread Knot"
1997 Sea Ray Sundancer 290DA

2020 F350 6.7L
Engines
454 L29 Carb w/ Bravo III
The previous owner sprayed the whole outdrive including the props when the bottom was painted. I like my equipment to look as good as it performs and considering I'm not leaving my boat in the water I was thinking about stripping and polishing my props. Are there any pros or cons other than aesthetics? I'm sure it will help with drag, but enough to make a difference?

IMG_20210220_113627.jpg
 
One or two times run on a shallow sandy bottom should clean them up nicely.
 
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HawkX66 said:
Lol. I'm sure this is true... I think I'll try to stay away from the shallows though.
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:( I guess I wasn't really joking. Depending on the wind/weather I will beach the boat in sand. I go easy or do bursts on backing out because who wants sand impacted in their water pump impeller. However, I do notice my props are shiny the rest of the season.
 
OllieC said:
:( I guess I wasn't really joking. Depending on the wind/weather I will beach the boat in sand. I go easy or do bursts on backing out because who wants sand impacted in their water pump impeller. However, I do notice my props are shiny the rest of the season.
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Ugh. Sorry. Thought you were joking.
 
Performance wise I don't think you would notice a difference - aesthetically I personally would polish them up. Even with my aluminum props, I clean them up and repaint each year as needed.
 
Yes, this will be an aesthetic thing only - and of course, there's nothing wrong with that!

Ollie - you may want to rethink your routine. Anything that gets kicked up into the water can and will get sucked into the impeller. It doesn't matter if you go slow or just do bursts - it will get sucked in. Aside from prematurely wearing the impeller, housing and wear plates, it also gets sucked into the cooling passages of the engine. It will collect in small areas and can eventually lead to insufficient cooling of the engine or even inadequate draining of the block and peripherals leading to freeze damage.
 
Polished they will be! Now I need to get an inner prop nut wrench...
 
Since you have them off, why not take them in to a prop shop to get tuned up and polished? Would be a few hundred but you will know that your boat is set up right. If your WOT performance is not on spec they can tweak the cup to get it set up right too.
 
Lazy Daze said:
Ollie - you may want to rethink your routine. Anything that gets kicked up into the water can and will get sucked into the impeller. It doesn't matter if you go slow or just do bursts - it will get sucked in. Aside from prematurely wearing the impeller, housing and wear plates, it also gets sucked into the cooling passages of the engine. It will collect in small areas and can eventually lead to insufficient cooling of the engine or even inadequate draining of the block and peripherals leading to freeze damage.
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Yeah, it's not a habit, but on the river and on some islands, it happens. I end up replacing the impeller every 3 years anyway even though I boat 3 months out of the year. Anyway, forget my poor advice.....
 
No worries, Ollie. Here's something you could do, if you wanted... use a stern anchor. Anchor the stern in deeper water and payout the line as you slowly move in. Stop when there's still some depth under your props and the bow is still floating. Tie the stern anchor and then take a line from the bow to shore - secure to a rock/tree or use another anchor that you place by hand. Even a twist-in dog stake can work. Now, the boat won't float closer nor will it float away and it's still floating nice and happy.
 
Yeah - I do that as well. I carry a couple of sand anchors. However, sometimes peer pressure takes over and I copy others. Either way, I still have to jump in the (cold) water. :D
 
Resist the pressure - just say NO! :) Maybe you'll start a new trend where everyone's hull stays shiny... ;)
 
For my B3 props, I would use an oscillating multi-tool fitted with a scraper blade to knock off the heavy stuff. Then a wire wheel fitting in a drill. They would look pretty good. Then - they would have some anti-fouling applied to keep them clean. Last couple years it was Pettit Barnacle Barrier. The shiny props were nice, but didn't last in our waters. Unprotected props gather barnacle and weed growth pretty fast.
 
b_arrington said:
For my B3 props, I would use an oscillating multi-tool fitted with a scraper blade to knock off the heavy stuff. Then a wire wheel fitting in a drill. They would look pretty good. Then - they would have some anti-fouling applied to keep them clean. Last couple years it was Pettit Barnacle Barrier. The shiny props were nice, but didn't last in our waters. Unprotected props gather barnacle and weed growth pretty fast.
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Thanks. If I were not trailering it a majority of the time I would probably go that route. With it getting hosed off at a minimum after each excursion, I should be able to keep up with any issues. All this is subject to change of course. I might end up saying screw it and get a slip. The wife wants me too so who knows...
 
Hawk,

It’s tough to tell from the photo, but the props could have been coated with a prop specific coating like Velox, or Prop Speed judging by how much paint there still is on the props. In which case you wouldn’t want to remove it.

Coating the B3 prop will improve the corrosion resistance of the whole drive by cutting down on the galvanic current. The coating on the props act as an electrical insulator and that impedes the current through the water between the SS props and aluminum housing. Drive looks ugly, but the aluminum case does not melt away.

If you continue to trailer coated props are of limited value. But if a slip is in your future you might reconsider. Depending on where you are it can really cut down on underwater growth in addition the galvanic protection.
 
If I do decide to slip it I can just repaint. I'll have several other things to update also in preparation for leaving it in the water. I'm in the lower Chesapeake and tributaries. The salt and growth appears to be much worse than the north shore and northern New England. We have a house on the harbor in Seabrook so I'm well versed in salt water.
 
HawkX66 said:
If I do decide to slip it I can just repaint. I'll have several other things to update also in preparation for leaving it in the water. I'm in the lower Chesapeake and tributaries. The salt and growth appears to be much worse than the north shore and northern New England. We have a house on the harbor in Seabrook so I'm well versed in salt water.
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But doesn’t Seabrook water glow in the dark?
 
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