KARL":1lzkemsf said:
Thank you for your responses. I have heard of others using the Rustoleum method as well as the galvanized paint. I'm going to give that a try and see how it goes. I haven't had to think about this up until now since the boat normally lives on the trailer but we are doing some extended cruising later this summer and wanted to put a little protection on the running gear to see if I can keep it somewhat clear of marine growth.
Karl,
If you normally keep the boat on the trailer I personally wouldn’t bother to paint the trim tabs or prop with galvanizing paint. We put our boat in for six months every summer and I have used several of the mentioned products on the running gear. What I have found is while the galvanizing paint works for the six months it does need to be reapplied every year and once you spray it on you are pretty much committed to it forever as it takes a fair amount of effort to remove. Instead, here is what I do:
- Don’t do anything with the prop except tighten the prop input zinc as needed occasionally (using mask and snorkel). I have never seen any growth on the prop. I think as long as the boat is used at least once every few weeks it self .
- With a mask and snorkel I can easily clean the trim tabs breathing easily with the snorkel up under the swim step. No need to hold my breath at all. I use a large scotchbrite pad or stainless steel wool pad. Here in the NW the water is pretty cold so I put on my “shorty” wet suit (short sleeves and legs). On the warmer days and bays this is not even necessary. Takes less than 5 minutes to clean. Once the boat comes out on the trailer I do a more thorough cleaning but it still takes takes less time than painting which requires the cleaning anyway. The trim tabs stay bright and beautiful.
- Paint the stainless steel plate on the bottom of the keel and the raw water intake with the galvanizing paint. These two items cannot be reached for cleaning easily without full dive gear and I pull out after six months so I just paint them then.
- Prior to discovering how easy it is to the clean the rudder from under the swim step I had painted it with the galvanizing paint. Pretty much stuck with repainting it now every season. If I had not I would try to just clean it occasionally instead when doing the trim tabs.
In short, the galvanizing paint works but doesn’t really save any effort over just giving the running gear a good scrub every couple of months and a full cleaning once a year with the pressure washer. If I kept my boat in the water year round I would probably just hire a diver to clean them regularly.
Curt
