Quick question on prop paint.

[jjohnson120]

Is there any specific reason that a prop is painted? If the prop is aluminum or stainless it isn't going to rust so is there some other reasoning or is it just for looks. I'm wondering because I had thought about stripping the paint off and polishing it. This would give a smoother surface and I would think allow it to push through the water easier. This is just me thinking around, so if anyone has some insight into this please, feel free to share.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Quick question on prop paint.

Have no idea what kind of prop you're even asking about...

Stainless props usually are not painted. Bronze props are usually not painted.

Aluminum props are always painted to protect them from corrosion and to help prevent marine growth from accumulating. If you don't think your aluminum prop will corrode....look at the anodes on your outdrive. They are aluminum, and are likely not a shiny/pretty/smooth surface you would like to have on your prop....

I suppose polishing and running without paint would be fine for an aluminum prop. But expect substantial maintenance and repolishing on a very regular basis...

Obviously freshwater vs. saltwater will make a HUGE difference. Won't take long for an aluminum prop to simply dissolve into the sea....and I'm sure it depends on whether the boat is parked in the water 100% of the time, or is simply trailered everywhere for day trips and rarely submerged for more than a couple days at a time.

I am not an expert on this topic. Just my first off-the-cuff thoughts....

 

[jjohnson120]

Re: Quick question on prop paint.

Well this is kind of the reason why I wanted to discuss it because I just don't know. I did think that the anodes were actually zinc though so I may be wrong there. If they are aluminium then I can see how the prop would corrode just as fast, although my boat isn't left in the water. I assumed there had to be a reason the prop was painted although if it just because some people leave their boat in the water and it can corrode then in my case it may be a more doable thing. Maybe an expert or someone with experience will chime in cause i'm sure curious. Obviously it's less work to leave it alone, but if there was some benefit to polishing it up from a performance factor it might be worth it.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Quick question on prop paint.

Anodes were commonly zinc in the past. Modern ones are more often an aluminum alloy...however very likely a completely different aluminum alloy than the prop material is. Here's a brief discussion about anodes:
http://gulffishing.com/tips_anode.html

I don't really know the answer to your question...sorry...

 

[jjohnson120]

Re: Quick question on prop paint.

Hey it's cool I didn't even know if someone would know the answer to it, more or less looking for some discussion hoping that if a few people that know a little get together they can come up with a pretty solid answer. Sometimes I just sit at work and think about boating and it makes me wonder about things. Usually it ends up me learning something so I guess it's not a complete waste of time.

Appreciate the article, I'll definitely read it.

 

[jjohnson120]

Re: Quick question on prop paint.

I was checking out my prop the other day and noticed a bunch of the paint was already peeling off and was flaky. Should I leave it alone or strip the paint. I have access to a media blaster so it wouldn't be that hard.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Quick question on prop paint.

Leave it be, or touch it up with the appropriate color paint. Stripping the paint off your prop for more speed would result in disappointment. You would see absolutely no appreciable difference in performance.