Cleaning your propeller

It is not necessary to paint your propeller, however you must keep it clean.  Propeller blades work with attached water flow.  As little as 1mm of growth on a blade will lose approximately 12% of its efficiency so it is important to keep the blades clean.

You can clean your propeller with an acid cleaner such as Barnacle Buster – the MSDS says 85% phosphoric acid with concentration of 5%-20%.  Scotchbright, wire brush/wheel, bead blaster or 120 grit paper may be used however do not “attack” the blade edges.  Ensure there is no growth on the blade gear teeth.

After cleaning your propeller put a light coating of a lithium based waterproof grease on any contact moving parts.  This stops surface oxidizing and ensures smooth operation at launch in the spring.  If you have disassembled a propeller make sure any assembly threads are greased so that any calcium build up is negated in the thread.