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Old 11-16-2008
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Idiens Idiens is offline
Larus Marinus
 
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When I first had my boat, I was told it was no use painting antifouling onto the shaft and propeller as is would simply be spun off. I heard tales of lanolin and all sorts of solutions. After the first season with my new expensive MaxProp coming out covered in barnacles, I had it cleaned and burnished and tried lanolin. The next year, I just cleaned off the barnacles and antifouled it. Antifouling paint may not stick on a new burnished propeller blade but it sure sticks on the residue left by barnacles. Since then the antifouling sticks and the barnacles don't.

I read somewhere that scientists are trying to isolate and manufacture barnacle glue, apparently its the strongest known adhesive. It sets underwater too.
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