Prop unwashed
Marine fouling on propellers is particularly problematic because it takes so little of it to ruin the drive’s performance. Just a small amount of shell on the blades can easily knock a knot off boat speed, so some means of discouraging accumulations are highly desirable. There is no shortage of solutions, some of the folklore variety, some with a more scientific basis, but in the end there are always drawbacks.
The very function of a propeller, in which water flows at high rates across its surface, leads to erosion of the softer coatings that are claimed to work, such as udder cream, lanolin or conventional hull antifouling paint, none of which will survive more than a dozen or so hours of motoring. Harder specialist products work well for a time but can tend to flake and chip rather easily and
