Anti-fouling on engine mounts

vangrady

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I keep my boat in the salt water year round and consequently get a fair amount of weed and mussels growing on the bootom of the engine mounting brackets. Is there any harm in painting these with bottom paint to make the cleaning easier?

Many thanks guys.
 
You can get an epoxy primer and Trilux primecoat that is designed for that very purpose. You have to remove the paint (wire brush or sand), then epoxy coat, then 2 coats of primecoat. Do NOT paint the zinc.
 
DO NOT Use regular bottom paint. The previous owners yard of my rig was a dolt and used copper paint and the backets both look horrible and are pitted with corrosion. jh
 
I use the Trilux in the spray can, I remove no paint and use no primer. The black color blends in well with the dark Yamaha OEM color. If surface prep is your concern, take some Scotchbrite green and take off the shine, no need to rub hard.

Apply plenty of the Trilux, don't chinz.

Be sure to not paint the T&T rams nor zincs, just cover them in blue masking tape.

I also paint the gear case cone the same way, it stays in the water all the time. A few times a season I take a deck brush to the cone to clear it off, trilux is not perfect as bottom paints go.

Same practice is followed each new season.
 
I see in the latest catalogs spray Trilux come in clear too.
Don't know if it's the same formula as the color versions.
 
Trilux 33 works, but will actually turn slightly cloudy as the season goes on, but it keeps it all off. I asked many about why it gets cloudy, but I've been told it does that to everyone and does not have adverse effects. As mentioned above, do NOT use your regular bottom paint, it is not meant for this use.
 
or

When you jump in the water for a swim and do a lap around the boat to keep the water line clean, just take a scrub brush and brush off the build up? work just fine and elbow grease is free!
 
With no bottom paint on the brackets, you may get hard barnacles that have to be chiseled off (& some areas hard to access), no big deal, but it takes longer to clean end of season. Since I clean the bottom myself end of season, it matters, if I paid for cleaning perhaps not.

The trilux still leaves growth, just less of it.

I use one entire can of spray trilux for both engine brackets and the section of lower unit at the gear case that stays in the water. I get the can on sale less than $30. I use black same as my hull and drive bottom paint, don't notice it much vs the Yamaha dark blue/gray color.