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After owning a smaller outboard powered boat, I purchased a 30' boat w/ twin 5.7's bravo III's this past winter. While I have been very impressed with the economy and performance of the i/o's, I do not think the dealer where I purchased the boat prepared the drives properly for the season. I called them and they claim they used a clear coat antifoulant paint on them. The drives were new this winter due to a warranty issue and do not appear to have any paint in addition to how outdrives look at a boat show (although it is difficult to tell with the boat in the water). I have been using the boat approx twice a week since I took delivery of the boat and the drives remained mostly clean. However, over the boat has not been used the past two weeks because I was on vacation in SC and poor weather. Today when I went down to use the boat I raised the drives to find them covered heavily in barnacles-- So much that I lost approx 2 knots at cruise and 4 knots wot. The growth goes way beyond what my neighbors i/o powered boat ever had over an entire season in the water. I plan on having the boat hauled and have the outdrives cleaned up and painted. What piant has worked best for you experienced i/o owners? Do you think the dealer ever prepared the drives properly? Thanks for all your help in advance.
My current boat is my first I/O. I was used to outovrads or inboards. I made the mistake of asking the wrong person (before I knew of this forum) what kind of antifoul for the outdrive. His reply was a really good coat of wax and that would be fine.
Needless to say, I soon had a barnacle farm and wound up scrubbing the drive every week. Now, for the last 3 years, I have used Interlux Micron-33 which worked great. Now that it's leaving the shelves, I'm going to have to find out what everyone else is switching to. I never had luck with the clear stuff, but definitely want to continue with ablative paints. I really wish they kept Micron 33!
1. In or out of the water storage, start by sandblasting down to bare metal, then wipe with Interlux 216 solvent.
2. Within a few hours of sandblasting (preferable less than an hour), prime the bare metal with Interlux Vinylux Primewash 353/354 thinned 25% with Solvent 355.
If you keep the boat dry stored:
3A. Wait 1-24 hours and paint with 1 coat of Interlux Epoxy Barrier coat 404/414.
4A. Apply 2-3 coats of Interlux Interthane thinned with 2333 thinner ith a minimum of 16 hours between coats...don't paint too heavy or it will sag and not cure properly.
This will result in a very chip resistant finish that will last years.
If you keep the boat in the water:
3B. Apply 4 coats of Interlus Interprotect 200/2001E with a minimum of 2 hours between coats.
4B. Apply 2-3 coats of the new Trilux 33 paint. The first coat should go on while the 2000/2001E is tacky (leaves a fingerprint, but nothing sticks to your skin). Following coats muct have a minimum of 16 hours between.
This will result in a barnacle/mussle/weed free finish good for 2-3 years. When the paint stops working, sand down to the 2000/2001E, apply one fresh coat of 2000/2001E and then overcoat as in step 4B.
I've used both techniques and they really work...lots of prep and lots of different kinds of paint, but it's worth it.
Unfortunately the Interlux clear coat anti-foulant paint that I've used for years was taken off the market the past year due to environmental reasons. It's too bad because it worked great. I understand Dolphanite offers a clear coat spray, but it's $60 per can vs $20 for the Interlux.
Interlux does offer black & white versions of it if you don't mind the color.
Thanks for the info guys. Color is not an issue for me. I just am looking for something that works well. I expect some growth. However, like I said, the growth goes way beyond what my neighbors i/o powered boat ever had over an entire season in the water---and I use my boat a lot more than him. Please keep the responses coming. I will probably have it pulled later this week or early next week.
I use Tempo clear and it has worked great, not one barnicle at the end of the season. I use one whole can on my drive each season. I purchased 6 cans in January so I'm o'kay for a few years. Hopefully this new stuff from dolphinite works just as well.
i have a friend who put a boat and two bravos
into the chesapeake last april...by july, he
hit a rock, and at haulout got his first look
at the outdrives which the dealer billed as
painted against growth...it was the proverbial
farm of grass, barnacles, and scum....thus, many
a dealer speak with forked tongue!...the inter-
lux rx is the best, but your problem and NOT
a small one is surface prep, ie sanding an out-
drive is a job from hell!....sandblasting is the
gold standard, but if you look at all the nooks
and crannies it still is THE problem here....
getting a paint to inhibit marine growth isnt
the problem, getting a surface to HOLD that paint is. dan
maybe the marina used Dolphinite and it fell off like it has to everyone else (see posts)My friend has used the Tempo stuff on two rigs and it works well. He's just applied on his new Volvo outdrive.
I bought a boat with a BII drive new last year. I had the dealer scuff sand the drive and prime and paint it using Micron primer and Micron 33. The drive had no barnacles and no growth on it at the end of the season. I repeated the process this year and so far nothing.
I found 4 cans of Primocon and Micron 33 on the shelf at Boat US this year and bought them, so I'm set for a while. The new stuff is Biolux. I guess it work as well as the old.
If you already have barnacles the process is a lot more difficult.
My boat is being hauled the beginning of next week and I am having things done right. I appreciate the responses so that I am a bit more educated about what needs to be done and what products seem to work best. We do think that the drives were sprayed with a clear coat. However, we do not think that the drives were prepped and sanded first. There is a white-ish film that just rubs off of the smooth surface that we think is the coating.
See if you can take the unopened cans back to BoatUS and have them sell you Trilux 33...it is replacing Micron 33 and Trilux...it's got more biolux and a non TBT shell inhibitor that works better and isn't bad for the environment.
Your best bet is to haul the boat and get those barnicles off and repaint the drive correctly. Do it soon of you will be sorry. Most yards never seem to have the time and patience to do right so it's best to do it yourself.It's the prep work in addition to the paint that makes all the difference so make sure and take your time and do it right.
Go to a good marine store and get some barnicle remover. It comes in a spray bottle and is very toxic so watch your eyes and hands. You spray it on, wait 15 minutes and the barnicles will rinse off with a hose or better yet a power washer. Don't ty and scrape or sand them off because you may damage your paint and be forced to prime the whole drive again. After you've cleaned it up with the remover get yourself an
abrasive scouring pad and rough up the enitire drive. This roughs up and cleans the drive surface for good paint ahesion.
Now the real trick. Go to the paint store and get some Will Bond. Put it on a soft cloth and rub the entire drive down with it changing the rag frequently. Don't get too crazy with this stuff or it will begin to take your first layer of paint off. This stuff is amazing. It's like liquid sand paper and prepares the surface for good paint ahesion as well..
Now your ready to paint.. I use Tempo clear but like someone mentioned above it was discontinued due some evnvironmental concerns with one of it's ingredents. If I were you I would go to one of the local non chain marine stores and see if they might have some in the back (nod-nod, wink-wink If you can't get any of that stuff I don't know what to reccomend since it's the only stuff I have used with good results.
Spray the drive with 3 coats. Not 1 or 2 but 3. Pay attention to the drying time between coats on the can and the time needed before immersion. If you can it's best to relaunch the boat and let it sit in the water 24 hours before you use it as it helps the paint set and do it's anti fouling thing better.
I have done my drives like this for years and leave my boat in from APril to December here in Joisey with little to no barnicle growth.
I'm slightly concerned about the whitish film. I hope it's just antifoul paint gone awry. After a long hard run, I'd doublecheck that the drives aren't getting hot. One of the warning signs of this is a white chalky buildup on the top of the drive.
If the white stuff is all over then it's most likely not a heat related problem.
jobowker, Thanks for the heads up. I will look at the drives better when the boat is pulled early next week. The drives are new and the oil resevoir is where it needs to be. I hope they are not over-heating. (the white stuff is on both drives)
B-Faithfull - How do your zincs look? Not to be an alarmist but, if you zincs are corroding fast it could be zinc dust that is all over your drive. Do you have a mercathode? Is it working properly?
Galvanic corrosion is a bigger problem than barnacles. And if in removing the barnacles you've gotten down to bare metal that also promotes corrosion since you've got more exposed aluminum.
I am surprised will all that I have been told that my zincs are desolving very slowly. I check them regularly with all the bad press about the Bravo III's. There is very little current and there is not electricity run to my pier; both of which are in my favor. I also do have a mercathode system on the boat.
I/O Drive Paint 
If you can't get any of that stuff I don't know what to reccomend since it's the only stuff I have used with good results.
