Painting props, shafts, struts and trim tabs (yes I searched already!)

GnrlPatton said:
How difficult were those to make? I've thought about doing the same, vs. buying, do you have more info on how you went about it?

Also, question about your previous pics earlier in the thread, I don't see any anodes on your shafts or rudders, and what looks like an anode on your trim tab that is painted over. Did you add anodes after painting or do you run without them?
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It is a big process with a lot of R and D. Housings were milled, Cree LED's controllers, epoxy oven ect.. I use to sell them, but it was too big of a process and didn't make much on them.

Shafts never got an anode. Bought it this way and never had any or a problem with it. These are Brand new A22 shafts and props this year. Still no anode on them. Shafts and props are painted with one coat of Rustoleum Cold Galvanizing paint. Never a barnacle.
I clean the tabs, Lay down blue tape where the anode is. Lay the anode on top of it and cut around the outside. Take the anode off and paint the tab. Once it's dry I take the tape off and install the anode to a unpainted stripped surface. Just makes it nice and neat that way.
 
mnm99 said:
It is a big process with a lot of R and D. Housings were milled, Cree LED's controllers, epoxy oven ect.. I use to sell them, but it was too big of a process and didn't make much on them.

Shafts never got an anode. Bought it this way and never had any or a problem with it. These are Brand new A22 shafts and props this year. Still no anode on them. Shafts and props are painted with one coat of Rustoleum Cold Galvanizing paint. Never a barnacle.
I clean the tabs, Lay down blue tape where the anode is. Lay the anode on top of it and cut around the outside. Take the anode off and paint the tab. Once it's dry I take the tape off and install the anode to a unpainted stripped surface. Just makes it nice and neat that way.
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And it is indeed nice and neat, great job!

I figured that would be the case re: the lights. A lot of engineering and machining goes in to those, so it's likely more cost (and time) effective to write the check to the people that do it on a large scale. Yours look good, I do remember reaching out to you on them before and almost pulled the trigger but the underwater lights always moved down my priority list of projects on the boat (as evidenced by I STILL don't have them!).
 
GnrlPatton said:
And it is indeed nice and neat, great job!

I figured that would be the case re: the lights. A lot of engineering and machining goes in to those, so it's likely more cost (and time) effective to write the check to the people that do it on a large scale. Yours look good, I do remember reaching out to you on them before and almost pulled the trigger but the underwater lights always moved down my priority list of projects on the boat (as evidenced by I STILL don't have them!).
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Yea. They were a lot of work. Looking back I could have bought them cheaper without the pain...lol . These were how they were made. The first one was the latest and best.. Added a few early models in the pics too. They were pretty bad to say the least, But the rounds ones did pretty good. I think I had 1 bad one in the whole batch I made. They took AAAA LOTT of work though. LOL...
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propglide 19mnth.jpg
nealtrombley said:
I use Prop glide.. same as Prop Speed.. but
*made in the USA
*longer time between coats 15 min.. compared to 5
* savings is 40% or more as well
I am on 18 months hauling soon ( two weeks) I am in the west coast warm water and the props look good. I will provide pics
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Below was my haul out last week.. propglide at 19 months.. I was impressed Boat Yard was too
propglide haulout 19months.jpg
 
mnm99 said:
All the rest Props, shafts, rudder and trim tabs I spray then paint with petit.
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I am a bit confused… you spray with spray paint then paint petit ?

what is the spray doing under the petit ?
 
Blueone said:
I am a bit confused… you spray with spray paint then paint petit ?

what is the spray doing under the petit ?
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LOL , late reply. ONLY the spray paint. No Petit. There both the same thing. Look at the content on both cans. I think the spray paint contains more zinc also.
 
mnm99 said:
Lol. Paint the bottom with petit each year. All the rest Props, shafts, rudder and trim tabs I spray then paint with petit. View attachment 123894 Paint them every year with this. Never have anything on them at the end of the season. I’m in the northeast. $7 with….read all this stuff with people spending hundreds.. $7 and I’m done.View attachment 123895View attachment 123896
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So a year has passed and am wondering @mnm99 if this is still your go to method? I noticed in a few posts after this your props were not painted so I’m curious how the boat looked when you hauled last year and did you end up painting the props?
My new to me boat was hauled and power washed without me being there so I could not see how mine looked. I know there has never been paint on the props or shafts and has black paint on trim tabs, struts and rudders. Even after power washing I still see some leftover barnacles on the rudders. My last boat I did use the cold galvanizing paint on the props and tabs with pretty good results - but that was a b3.

IMG_3834.jpeg
 
boatrboy said:
So a year has passed and am wondering @mnm99 if this is still your go to method? I noticed in a few posts after this your props were not painted so I’m curious how the boat looked when you hauled last year and did you end up painting the props?
My new to me boat was hauled and power washed without me being there so I could not see how mine looked. I know there has never been paint on the props or shafts and has black paint on trim tabs, struts and rudders. Even after power washing I still see some leftover barnacles on the rudders. My last boat I did use the cold galvanizing paint on the props and tabs with pretty good results - but that was a b3.

View attachment 143823
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Cold galvanizing on shafts, props, rudders. Props are always painted. Just look nice before I do. I ended up using the Petit Eco 2 coats on the trim tabs. Seemed to work a little better.
 
I'm in saltwater year round. I've done both. Painting my underwater metal is the best for me. I use Trinidad Pro black, a hard antifouling, on the hull and underwater metal with great success. I can get 2 years + with it. My DIY yard does not allow spray cans so I haven't tried the cold galvanizing stuff. FYI I clean the hull. I've not seen a reason to go Propspeed or similiar. I used Trinidad on the BT prop as well.
 
Same here… cold galvanizing on shafts, struts, props and rudders. It wears off by the end of the season, with no growth.
Still painting the trim tabs with bottom paint, will get around to stripping them, along with the exhaust ports and scuppers too, during one off season and hit them with the galvanizing paint.
87400E52-6AAA-4784-AB21-9CE6387C1CD7.jpeg
 
nealtrombley said:
View attachment 125074

Below was my haul out last week.. propglide at 19 months.. I was impressed Boat Yard was too
View attachment 125073
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I did PropGlide last year. Boat was in from May-October. For all the prep work and material cost, I’m not impressed with the results.

The shaft, thruster blades and upper half of the rudder are serviceable for another season. However, the coating on the prop is basically done. Not much growth but the surface is rough and discolored pretty much on the whole prop. I was hoping get 2 seasons, but that isn’t the case.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I just got the estimate from the yard and almost fainted but I guess that’s because I sent them a picture of Mnm’s bottom paint. They must have said “oh no, this guy wants perfection” and jacked up the price :)
 
It all comes down to location, water temp, salinity and length of your season. 6 months in fresh or brackish water (think Jersey or LI South shore inland rivers) is where you can get away with nothing on the running gear. 6 months or so in somewhat saltier water (say LI Sound), you could get away with something simple as Pettit barnacle barrier (gray spray can). If you're staying in full year, in warmer and saltier water, there's just no miracle, you need something like PropSpeed or PropGlide.
 
Alex F said:
It all comes down to location, water temp, salinity and length of your season. 6 months in fresh or brackish water (think Jersey or LI South shore inland rivers) is where you can get away with nothing on the running gear. 6 months or so in somewhat saltier water (say LI Sound), you could get away with something simple as Pettit barnacle barrier (gray spray can). If you're staying in full year, in warmer and saltier water, there's just no miracle, you need something like PropSpeed or PropGlide.
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If you use any spray paint don't let him charge you for the Pettit stuff. I have tested and verified. Rust-Oleum works better and contains more Zinc, at $8 a can! West marine sells it right next to the Pettit stuff. Go figure.

Pettit = https://pettitpaint.com/media/2903/1792-pettit-prop-coat-barnacle-barrier-1179320-sds-1.pdf
Cold Galvenizing Rust-Oleum = https://www.rustoleum.com/MSDS/ENGLISH/206194T.pdf
 
boatrboy said:
Thanks for all the feedback. I just got the estimate from the yard and almost fainted but I guess that’s because I sent them a picture of Mnm’s bottom paint. They must have said “oh no, this guy wants perfection” and jacked up the price :)
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Perfection...LOL. All I did was sand it smooth 6years ago and paint it with a 1/4 roller. Then paint every other year after that..LOL
 
mnm99 said:
If you use any spray paint don't let him charge you for the Pettit stuff. I have tested and verified. Rust-Oleum works better and contains more Zinc, at $8 a can! West marine sells it right next to the Pettit stuff. Go figure.

Pettit = https://pettitpaint.com/media/2903/1792-pettit-prop-coat-barnacle-barrier-1179320-sds-1.pdf
Cold Galvenizing Rust-Oleum = https://www.rustoleum.com/MSDS/ENGLISH/206194T.pdf
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I really like Rustoleum products and use them occasionally. Will add "Cold Galvenizing Rust-Oleum" to the list. Good stuff. Thanks!
 
Alex F said:
I really like Rustoleum products and use them occasionally. Will add "Cold Galvenizing Rust-Oleum" to the list. Good stuff. Thanks!
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I like them as well, been painting some stuff around the house, I am impressed. It ain't just for metals no more ;-)

I painted my 10 speed bike frame in 1979 with Rust-Oleum!
 
mnm99 said:
If you use any spray paint don't let him charge you for the Pettit stuff. I have tested and verified. Rust-Oleum works better and contains more Zinc, at $8 a can! West marine sells it right next to the Pettit stuff. Go figure.

Pettit = https://pettitpaint.com/media/2903/1792-pettit-prop-coat-barnacle-barrier-1179320-sds-1.pdf
Cold Galvenizing Rust-Oleum = https://www.rustoleum.com/MSDS/ENGLISH/206194T.pdf
Click to expand...

It’s $11.00 a can now at H/Depot! Still, it works the same and is still much cheaper than Petit.
 
mnm99 said:
Perfection...LOL. All I did was sand it smooth 6years ago and paint it with a 1/4 roller. Then paint every other year after that..LOL
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Well I had the marina paint the bottom and I supplied them with the Rustoleum cold galvanized paint for the running gear.
I am hoping it holds up here in my part of LI (Bridgeport).
Thanks for the feedback.
 
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