Currently got my boat on the slips and trying to decide how to best protect the prop shaft from fouling.
I have had it suggested to me to wrap it in electrical tape which is a method I have never heard of before. It's a stainless steel shaft and there is a fair bit of it exposed.
Any advice in the next 48 hours gratefully received.

Electric tape does not sound like a good solution. Firstly, it is not designed to keep fouling off a prop shaft. Secondly, if your prop shaft is stainless steel, it needs oxygen to stop corrosion. SS stays bright because the chrome in it reacts with oxygen to form a very thin oxide layer that protects the iron. Starve it of oxygen, and the seawater will corrode the iron, which is why SS in oxygen-depleted water turns into a pile of rust very quickly. Seawater at the surface (where your boat should be) has enough dissolved oxygen to feed the chrome. The electrical tape could insulate the prop shaft from the oxygen it needs to prevent corrosion.

What’s the concensus on how long Propspeed lasts? Our plastic feathering prop is susceptible to fouling, in that if the blades don’t spin into the correct position the engine won’t deliver revs in reverse. On the other hand, Propspeed costs about the same as a new Windsurfer sail or a nice carbon wheel for the racing bike, and in many ways I’d rather spend the cash on toys like that and just dive in to clean the prop.

Has anyone tried a lick of hard racing antifoul on the prop and shaft? I used to have hard racing on the old boat and I can’t recall the prop and shaft getting dirty before the hull did.

Chris 249 said..
What’s the concensus on how long Propspeed lasts? Our plastic feathering prop is susceptible to fouling, in that if the blades don’t spin into the correct position the engine won’t deliver revs in reverse. On the other hand, Propspeed costs about the same as a new Windsurfer sail or a nice carbon wheel for the racing bike, and in many ways I’d rather spend the cash on toys like that and just dive in to clean the prop.

Has anyone tried a lick of hard racing antifoul on the prop and shaft? I used to have hard racing on the old boat and I can’t recall the prop and shaft getting dirty before the hull did.

I get about 12 months in the Gippsland Lakes and then the Propspeed coated propellor has enough growth to really slow the boat down. To be honest, I haven't found much difference between Propspeed and no Propspeed.

However, that may be circumstance. The boat has sat idle for months at a time and conventional wisdom says you need to spin the prop at least every month to wash off the early stages of growth. That's my goal for this year.

Cheers,
Kinora

Nothing stops barnacle growth in Port Hacking. I'm moored in shallow sandy bottom that reflects the sun and get the full current of the river. I have to scrape and rub the bottom every three months. You need to take your boat for a spin under motor regularly to get decent life out of propspeed. I've been told the prop should be spun at least once every ten days, but I try and get onto my boat once a week. I use to pride myself on not running the motor and sailing off and back onto the mooring, but now I always give the motor a run through the water at the end of every sail and get the revs up to about 2,500 for a minute or two before I get back to the mooring.

I do wonder whether I should just use regular antifoul on the prop rather than expensive prop speed.

Somewhat related, last year I spoke with the rep from Altex about Altex No.5 Plus, which I have been using for years. He told me that anti-foul won't self ablate unless the boat is doing 10 knots, so for the vast majority of keel boats the antifoul is not self ablating under way. You have to dive on it and give it a rub, which is actually not allowed in NSW waters.

Ramona said..
In NSW you can rub the bottom clean. You are not allowed to scrape off shell!

fair enough, but I have to scrape before I can rub. 😞

Jormungadr said..

Ramona said..
In NSW you can rub the bottom clean. You are not allowed to scrape off shell!

fair enough, but I have to scrape before I can rub. 😞

Yeah, that's the rub. As the boating officer told me one day while chatting, just do it out of sight!