I recently started the much hated (by me!) job of cleaning the running gear on the boat to get her ready to launch. It seems the older I get the less I look forward to laying under the boat scraping off the barnacle remnants before I apply paint or install the new zincs. The original owner of our last boat had painted all of the running gear, with the exception of the shafts and propellers, with bottom paint. Rudders, struts and trim tabs all sported layer upon layer of black lumpy paint. The bottom itself was covered in many layers of paint also, giving the bottom a texture not unlike an orange peel.
In time, after a few years of ownership, I had the bottom sand blasted and new primer and bottom paint applied. After that only an ablative paint would be used, stopping the buildup of paint on the hull. For a time, I was able to use clear anti-fouling spray paint on the shafts and running gear for anti-fouling protection and it worked very well. And then that paint was taken off the market and I needed a substitute. For a time I used a spray on product that was made to keep marine growth off those underwater surfaces. In time I found out that a can of spray on zinc purchased at my local hardware store was the same thing and started using that with good results, as long as there was a clean surface for it to adhere to. Clean being the key word!
Fast forward to this year and our new to us boat. She was a fresh water boat until last August when we sailed her down to Mattituck via the Erie Canal and Hudson River. Before heading south I installed zinc anodes to replace the magnesium anodes used in fresh water. None of the running gear was painted, including the bronze seawater intakes. After hauling out last year I noted the usual marine growth on underwater surfaces, including the non-painted gear. The yard power washed the hull removing some but not all of it. In fact some of the tighter spots they did miss had a little more than usual.
My plan this year was to basically clean the running gear and underwater fittings to look like new and give them two coats of zinc spray trying to avoid the bottom paint buildup the last boat had. I thought about it a few days getting my tools ready as I thought about what to bring out to work on her. It’s a long way home if I forget something! Over the years when cleaning the shafts I would use the edge of a putty knife moved back and forth rapidly to clean the shafts of growth. It works very well but one night while thinking of installing the shaft zincs an idea hit me. You see, when I purchase the shaft zincs they always include a foot long piece of one hundred grit crocus cloth to clean the shaft for a good zinc contact and protection from electrolysis. Well it just so happens I have plenty of one hundred grit sand paper to use on those shafts!
So armed with sheets of one hundred grit sand paper, a few pieces of crocus cloth, a putty knife, a piece of cardboard to sit on and a secret weapon, I went east and got to work. Sitting on my cardboard under the starboard side I first removed the shaft zinc. Then I draped the sand paper over the propeller shaft holding one end of the paper in each hand. Moving it back and forth in an up and down motion perpendicular to the shaft it made quick work of the growth on the shaft. Any barnacle bits left on the shaft I removed with the putty knife. Much quicker this way. I then installed the shaft zinc, seating it with a ball peen hammer as I tightened it down. Still under the starboard side I would now start cleaning the strut, rudder and intake grate. Time to break out my secret weapon!
I came up with this idea one of those nights while thinking about how I would go about some of this cleaning. A few years ago I wanted to flush out the raw water, or salt water cooled side of the engine cooling system. After some searching online through various forums I found a non-toxic cleaner called Rydlyme. There are other cleaners out there, this is just the one I used. In their video they pour some cleaner on a man’s hand, and nothing happens to him. Then they drop a piece of clamshell in it and it starts dissolving in his hand! I went with that as part of a cleaning routine for my engines. Laying there one night I thought, why not put that in a spray bottle and use it on the running gear? So I took a gallon out with me, along with water and a couple of spray bottles.
First I did the starboard side engine intake and transducer. I sprayed it down liberally and waited. The barnacles started foaming up and after a few minutes I hit it again. If there was an area with stubborn barnacles I used my putty knife to scrape them off. If needed I sprayed on some more cleaner. I used a scrubbing pad and they cleaned up like new. I then sprayed it down with fresh water. The pictures tell the story, it looks great. I continued to clean the rest of the running gear like that. The large stainless steel trim tab took the longest. There was a good amount of barnacle growth on there and it did take a lot of elbow grease to get that clean, but in the end it looks great. Once I finish up on the port side I will apply two coats of the zinc spray and hope it makes next season’s cleaning that much easier. I will say that if you have any cuts on your hand (I did) it does tend to sting a bit. I forgot my gloves, oops!
While doing this, the yard manager came over and asked how it was going. I showed him the work and he asked if the cleaner would remove the yellow stains at the water line. He took one of my rags and poured some cleaner on it and then started cleaning my hull and the boot stripe. It took off any staining there with ease. He is ordering some to try so he and his crew don’t have to deal with toxic acid when cleaning bottoms. I hope it helps them.