[paulk]

Special metal primer is supposed to be applied after (light) sanding, then a topcoat or two goes over that within a specified time, (about a hour, if I remember correctly), and then you can paint that with your regular antifouling bottom paint. The trick is to make sure all the metal gets covered with the primer and topcoat before the regular antifouling. Otherwise, the copper in the antifouling turns your strut & prop into swiss cheese. The biggest hassle if having to wait between each coat for the right amount of drying time, since the area isn''t really all that big.