THE UNBARNACLED TRUTH

Coconut Grove, Miami, FL 25º43.532N | 80º14.193W

Before we left the Outer Banks, we coated the prop with PropSpeed, an amazing product that kept our prop clean for more than a year, even in the warm waters of the Bahamas. It's a great product, but it's really expensive, more than $300 for a half liter two-part kit. (That photo above shows the prop with PropSpeed, untouched for 14 months.)

Last fall, when Cara Mia was out of the water, we had the prop balanced. It looked like this:

So pretty.

Chip researched various, less expensive products for keeping the prop free of growth, including barnacles. He decided Pettit Zinc Coat Barnacle Barrier was worth a shot based on cruiser forums and info from the makers, who had just changed the formula. It was $30 for a 16 oz. spray can.

When we entered the Keys in February, the paint was doing a pretty good job:

But 37 days in warm Keys water:

The barnacles did come off pretty easily with a putty knife, so apparently they didn't adhere well.

So, this year? We'll report back on that...

Some sailing forums on the Pettit product if you want to read what others are saying:
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/68595-pettit-zinc-coat-barnacle-barrier-report.html
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/81652-what-best-way-prevent-barnacle-growth-propeller.html