Stern Drive Cleaning

[J Hopsalot]

Folks,

I'm in the final stages of purchasing my boat .. SR 2005 300DA.
Have this picture of stern drive and wondering if I should have them sanded, antifouled and painted while it sits out of water and winterized.
Thoughts on whether this is a project worth doing?
DIY or have marina do the job?
Also, any special considerations given this Lake boat is going to be moved to brackish salt water slip location?
Thank you.

 

[b_arrington]

Not sure I'd sand it. Just clean up a bit and brush / spray with some trilux antifouling. No really special considerations for brackish. You'll want to use a paint formulated for aluminum, such as trilux.

 

[Fill Ess]

Congrats on your 300DA!

 

[Highliner]

Trying to get paint to stick to aluminum drives long term can be a big hassle. If it were me I would not remove any factory paint that was still adhered well.

Congrats on the purchase.

 

[Brite Idea]

I power wash then lightly sand them before priming with Primercon then Trilux. I agree do NOT mess with the original paint job. One thing be sure to do is remove the props and check for corrosion on the bearing carrier! I also paint my props with Pettit Prop coat.

 

[J Hopsalot]

I power wash then lightly sand them before priming with Primercon then Trilux. I agree do NOT mess with the original paint job. One thing be sure to do is remove the props and check for corrosion on the bearing carrier! I also paint my props with Pettit Prop coat.

Do you sand, prime and Trilux just the areas with corrosion?
I have heard of cleaning props by dipping in acid wash - like you do a carburetor. Thoughts on that practice?
Thanks.

 

[Brite Idea]

You have to lightly sand the entire drive so the primer sticks. I boat in salt water so we're trying to protect against corrosion and marine growth. The idea is to create a barrier of anti-fouling paint. The props are stainless so I use On-Off then rinse then Prop Coat. This is my fourth stern drive boat and it sits in salt water from April until November with minimum growth and corrosion.

 

[kanddr]

Try cleaning them up with CLR or Lime Away before you start sanding them. Much of that appears to be hard water deposits and may clean up with just that.

 

[J Hopsalot]

Thanks folks for all the help! Drives were sanded with 80-120 grit last month, then Primercon and Trilux 3 spray paint (3 cans e@). Props cleaned with 1/2 strength muriatic acid and painted with Petite prop coat (1 can).
I'll post again in about 6 months to report on how well it holds up.
Was planning on posting pics, though unfortunate turn of events this weekend when I knocked my phone into the water while cleaning the boat dockside

 

[Carpediem44DB]

I would definitely get paint on them before moving to brackish water unless you spend time in the water and enjoy scrubbing them regularly. Been down that road and regretted not painting my composite drives

 

[DWABoat]

Did you launch the boat yet?
Curious, did you change the anodes to the proper type while drydocked?
(You mentioned going from fresh to salt water.)

 

[J Hopsalot]

Yes I did. Changed from Magnesium to Zinc. Purchased off of Amazon.

 

[RaceCarRich]

Brackish should use aluminum anodes:


Which anode is right for you?
Material Zinc
Saltwater √
Brackish Water
Freshwater

Material Aluminum
Saltwater √
Brackish Water √
Freshwater

Material Magnesium
Saltwater
Brackish Water
Freshwater √

 

[Fill Ess]

Brackish should use aluminum anodes

I saw the same on boatzincs when I bought my BIII anodes: Aluminum anodes are more active than zinc anodes and suitable for Mercruiser outdrives that operate in salt, brackish or fresh water. Since 2001, most Mercruiser outdrives have been delivered with aluminum anodes.

 

[J Hopsalot]

All the folks I spoke with on our dock in Clear Lake Texas are using Zinc anodes for the brackish water we sit in, and most of us take our boats to Galveston and the Gulf.
Will ask around some more and report back how my anodes hold up when I do a quick haul out later this year.
On another note, found a great consignment shop in Kemah Texas! Purchased a used Gulf of Mexico Navionics CF card for my C70 Raymarine - plugged in yesterday and works great! http://www.boatersresaleshopoftexas.com/
I have a Great Lakes CF card if anyone needs one BTW

 

[hughespat57]

Just FYI,
Don't worry how the anodes hold up, you want them to get eaten, if they stay clean that's a bad sign.
If they get eaten to rapidly check your Mercathode system and dock side power for problems.

Watch the drives for any blisters or signs of corrosion.

 

[Lazy Daze]

All the folks I spoke with on our dock in Clear Lake Texas are using Zinc anodes for the brackish water we sit in, and most of us take our boats to Galveston and the Gulf.
Will ask around some more and report back how my anodes hold up when I do a quick haul out later this year.
On another note, found a great consignment shop in Kemah Texas! Purchased a used Gulf of Mexico Navionics CF card for my C70 Raymarine - plugged in yesterday and works great! http://www.boatersresaleshopoftexas.com/
I have a Great Lakes CF card if anyone needs one BTW

Just keep a really good eye on them. If others in your immediate area with SIMILAR setups are having good experiences, then fine. But zinc can sometimes grow an "insulating layer" over itself when used in fresh water (depending on how "fresh" your brackish water is - even brackish water can sometimes do this) and that will render them inactive.

Generally speaking, a quality Al anode composition/brand is going to be superior to Zn in all instances. But, again, local experience will trump recommendations.

As Pat said, you WANT them to get eaten up. It's not a good thing to come out at the end of the season and say "Hooray, my anodes are perfect - I can use them again".