Prop Speed and Foul-Release Coatings: Worth It?
By Tomas Iglesias, Yacht service diver, South Florida. Reviewed by Amanda McCallister, editor.
Propeller Removal & Repair | Hull & Bottom Cleaning Last Tuesday, I was wedged under a 68-foot Hatteras in Fort Lauderdale, chipping barnacles off a pair of 4-blade Michigan props with a putty knife. The owner leaned over the rail and shouted, 'So, is Propspeed actually worth it?' I didn't answer right away. I was breathing through a snorkel and holding a $900 prop in my hands. I've spent fifteen years diving on props, shafts, and running gear from Miami to Palm Beach. I've seen every kind of coating, from old-school bronze paint to five-layer ceramic jobs. Most boats down here get a haul and bottom job once a year, and then about six weeks later I'm back underwater scraping grass off the running gear. The question is never 'does any of this stuff work?' It's 'does it work for the cost?' This isn't a sponsored pitch. I'm just a guy who's paid to fix the mess when a coating fails. But after years of watching Propspeed and the alternatives, I've got a pretty solid opinion. Call it field research.
What Propspeed actually is (and what it isn't)
Is it worth it? Depends on the boat and the habit. If your boat sits on a trailer or in fresh water, you're throwing money at a problem you don't have. If you run every single day, the friction of moving water already keeps most of the growth off. The worst case is a boat that sits two weeks at a dock in Lauderdale, then runs an hour and sits again. That's the scenario Propspeed saves you. If you're a bare-boat charter operation that hauls every six months anyway, the math gets thin because you're paying to re-apply after every haul. Propspeed only makes sense if you can get two or three seasons without touching the running gear. Once in a while I get a superyacht captain who wants the coolest newest coating just because the owner read about it in a magazine. And I'll say, honestly, if you've got a 200-foot yacht that never goes out, you could coat the props in diamond dust and it won't matter. What matters is whether the hull gets cleaned regularly and the anode zincs are actually working. The best coating in the world won't beat a neglected zinc. So, worth it? On a southern Florida boat that lives in a slip, gets used a few times a week, and is kept out of the water every other year, yes. On a trailer boat in Michigan, no. Call it a marine opine, but I've scraped enough hulls to have one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Propspeed last on a boat kept in Fort Lauderdale? In my experience, two seasons is typical if it's applied right and the boat runs at least a couple times a month. Some boats get three. If it's a center console that sits in a slip all April, don't expect miracles. The coating doesn't wear off fast, but it becomes less slick over time as the surface gets microscopically roughened by sand and debris. Can you apply Propspeed to aluminum props or outboard lower units? Yes, it's safe on aluminum. But the prep is even more critical. Aluminum is reactive, and any scrap in the prep creates a galvanic cell underwater. Follow the instructions to the letter—degrease with a solvent that evaporates completely, then apply the primer the same day. Does Propspeed work on the hull, or only running gear? It's designed for underwater metals, not full hulls. Some people put it on trim tabs and bow thrusters. But for a fiberglass hull, you'd want a normal bottom paint. Propspeed on the hull would be a waste of money and a nightmare to prep. Is it true Propspeed makes the boat faster? It doesn't add horsepower, but a clean prop runs better. After a proper coating job, I've seen boats pick up 1-2 knots at cruise speed. That's not racing science, just clean running gear. But the main payoff is not having to pay a diver like me every few weeks.