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Crap on the wheel?

5K views 43 replies 15 participants last post by  SailNet Archive 
#1 ·
The boat has sat for two months. Took it out and i had no power. I was thinking tranny but all worked well with it. Took a swim and there is 1-1 1/2 inches of buildup on the wheel! I never had this kind of buildup on my SS wheels (this one is bronze). Any suggestions for keeping it cleaner besides the obvious sailing more? Im thnking of ziptying bags over the blades? Anyone ever try that? Any kind of antifouling paint for bronze??????:confused:
 
#3 ·
Try coating the prop with LanoCote... it is supposed to help prevent the props from fouling... it might not work, but it is worth a shot.
 
#5 ·
Have fun...hope the fishies don't nibble... ;)
 
#6 · (Edited)
Wildcard...nothing works well or for very long. In high growth areas, if you aren't using your prop it builds up even quicker and a dive every couple of months is necessary...though I manage to do it with snorkle and wire brush, having a tank is better. You can put the lanocote on underwater to delay the process a bit but I would use the jar rather than the spray can! (G)
 
#7 ·
If its barnacles ... spray on Pettit Zinc Coat Barnacle Barrier, and you wont have any more barnacles.

Another good trick is to remove the zincs from the prop/shaft.... but move the zinc to another location but keep it electrically bonded to the shaft/prop so it still protects the shaft/prop. Dont do this if you keep your boat in a marina.

If its slime, use bottom paint into which you mix 'oxytetracycline' an antibiotic that you can get from a veterinarian'. Just take the pills and crush them into a very fine powder ... then mix into the paint before applying.
 
#8 ·
RichH said:
If its barnacles ... spray on Pettit Zinc Coat Barnacle Barrier, and you wont have any more barnacles.
Humm,
Not sure how well the spray will work underwater.

I can picture it now.
 
#11 ·
RichH said:
If its slime, use bottom paint into which you mix 'oxytetracycline' an antibiotic that you can get from a veterinarian'. Just take the pills and crush them into a very fine powder ... then mix into the paint before applying.
This seems like a really bad idea for soooo many reasons. The public health issues alone from this type of treatment could be huge. Not to mention possible legal ramifications. I think I'd stay away from this one.
 
#13 ·
I've read in several places that Bag Balm works wonders on props. One great thing about it is that you can apply it while under water. Another is that it's not too expensive...

You can try the 10 Oz. Tin for about $6, or if you're ready to make a committment; 4.5-lb. Tub of Bag Balm®, Hand Care, Clean-Up | Gemplers for $35.

And your hands will be silky smooth too!
 
#14 ·
T34C said:
This seems like a really bad idea for soooo many reasons. The public health issues alone from this type of treatment could be huge. Not to mention possible legal ramifications. I think I'd stay away from this one.
As a public health care provider Id like to say, What are you talking about? There is no problem nd no reason for concern....

OK, so this is now a much bigger problem. I dove the boat today and EVERY piece of metal UW is covered including bronze thru hulls to 6-12 inches away. Clearly there is an electrolisis issue here. New zincs and retested to 900ish mv (if I rember right) up from 500mv winth no zincs. Surveyor said it was a little hot but prolly due to new zincs and not causing any damage.

Now I need real help here! Any suggestions?:confused: :confused:
 
#15 ·
eherlihy said:
I've read in several places that Bag Balm works wonders on props. One great thing about it is that you can apply it while under water. Another is that it's not too expensive...

You can try the 10 Oz. Tin for about $6, or if you're ready to make a committment; 4.5-lb. Tub of Bag Balm®, Hand Care, Clean-Up | Gemplers for $35.

And your hands will be silky smooth too!
CRAP! I grew up on a farm, I shoulda thought of that, it fixes everything else....Why not boats? I WILL give it a try. Makes sense. Thanks
 
#17 ·
wildcard said:
As a public health care provider Id like to say, What are you talking about? There is no problem nd no reason for concern....
I don't think the idea of all of us starting to dump a bunch of antibiotics in the water is probably real smart. I'm guessing that the CDC might frown on it. Oh yeah the CDC also says,"There is positive evidence of human fetal risk based on adverse reaction data from investigational or marketing experience or studies in humans..." reguarding this particular antibiotic. Not to mention it is a controlled substance.
 
#18 ·
I, for one, am not surprised at the recommendation of Bag Balm, either. The stuff was invented back in the day when nobody cared what was in it. I suspect the ingredients are more closely guarded than the recipe for Coca-Cola and it seems to have more proven uses than aspirin.

If you have not heard of this wonderful balm, in the little green tin, your life is one of deprivation. Even if you are not a cow, but merely a male, forced to work in hot, sweaty conditions where chafe, and you know where I mean chafe, is an issue, this stuff will bring joy and relief to your, well, you'll be able to walk normally anyway! Available at a "Tractor Supply" near you.

The "Udder Balm" by Dionne does not provide the same anti-chafe protection but is a nice lotion and effective as a moisturizer.

For all you nay sayers; I have it on good authority that Practical Sailor will be testing Bag Balm on anchor rodes in the July issue. Sounds like an issue not to be missed what with some odd-ball solar device also debuting.
 
#20 ·
T34C said:
I don't think the idea of all of us starting to dump a bunch of antibiotics in the water is probably real smart. I'm guessing that the CDC might frown on it. Oh yeah the CDC also says,"There is positive evidence of human fetal risk based on adverse reaction data from investigational or marketing experience or studies in humans..." reguarding this particular antibiotic. Not to mention it is a controlled substance.
He recomended two pills! It's not 12 million people craping on my wheel. BTW you can buy it OTC for animals (we are animals ya know?) so it's not realy controled....Before you resort to hysterics, please think about the perspective.
 
#21 ·
wildcard said:
He recomended two pills! It's not 12 million people craping on my wheel. BTW you can buy it OTC for animals (we are animals ya know?) so it's not realy controled....Before you resort to hysterics, please think about the perspective.
The government banned tin from anti foulings on hundreds of thousands of boats and and is looking at copper because of the effects those substances have on the ecosystem. Suppose everybody with a boat in the water started putting this antibiotic on their running gear. Do you think that might have some effect on the organisms that live in our coastal waterways? Of course it might. You'll argue that that not everybody will put this antibiotic on their running gear and so the cumulative effect will be small. But that's not the point. As sailors we should be trying to reduce our footprint on the planet, not increase it.
 
#22 ·
I would also be against using any antibiotics in the antifouling. Given the problems we are already experiencing with multi-drug resistant forms of common infectious bacterial, like the one that causes Strep, Tuberbuculosis, and pnuemonia... do we really want to help create more resistant strains in the wild???
 
#24 ·
wildcard said:
He recomended two pills! It's not 12 million people craping on my wheel. BTW you can buy it OTC for animals (we are animals ya know?) so it's not realy controled....Before you resort to hysterics, please think about the perspective.
Have you ever looked at first page of this forum where it list the number of people viewing each catagory????? I guarantee some genius is already thinking that he has some of this crap already and could try it out this weekend. Do you really think you are the only person that has ever had a crap build-up on his prop??? Beleive me, none of us are that special.

I think it is pretty irresponsible to advocate dumping antibiotics into the water for all the reasons already listed by Fstbttms- and Dog-.
 
#25 ·
Even is EVERY boat in the US was to put two pills worth on there boat it would still be an unmeasurable amount. Compairing this to the mutant strains of MRSA, TB, Staph, ect is apples and oranges. Billions of tons of raw sewage is dumped every day into our waterways. Any medication taken oraly that is not metabolised will therefore end up in the water too. You are arguing something you dont understand. How come no one is jumping up aganst using petro based solutions, ie bag balm?
Now back to the orginal problem. crap on the metal parts, is this a result of to high of a voltage or too low???????
 
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