I have used a wax type polish on my brushed stainless steel Bravo 3 props. The results were a shinier prop. The drawbacks, it takes elbow grease and time, and lasts about 2 revolutions of the prop!
Yup -- wax the be jeepers out of it and then take a power washer to it. Same effect and as was stated, the wax is gone in a heartbeat. Spend your time on the boat.
I don't think they make a wax that would stand up to both the water pressure, exhaust and heat that would last more than a few minutes. Beyond it looking good in your driveway, there's no reason to bother.
Maybe it would be a good idea. That would mean you are paying very close attention to the condition and surface of your prop, there for when it became roughed up you would take it to a prop shop and have it properly repaired and refinished. That would keep prop efficency at peak and give you more fun in return. Unfortunatly there are very few finishes which could stand up to the enviroment a prop lives in. I would bet that the submarine forces have coatings on the propellers we don't know about yet that help with flow and cavitation and all the other stuff.
Actually you don't want the prop to be slippy. You want it to actually grab as much water as possible. Race props have an area with a brushed finish to help reduce slip.
Actually you don't want the prop to be slippy. You want it to actually grab as much water as possible. Race props have an area with a brushed finish to help reduce slip.
I would have thought that smooth would reduce the source of bubble nucleation sites and thus reduce the onset of cavitation. I know that our merchant ship was layed up for a while and barnicles formed. It reduce our speed about 5 knots until we got to a yard and had it scrapped and buffed.
There is an electro polishing process that makes heat exchanger tube slick enough to reduce fouling formation and make cleaning easier. curious what it would do for a prop.
That would be interesting to try. Most really great race props have a brushed finish on the blade where they want the water to hold for less slip. The more water a prop can hold, the "thicker" the water seems. Kinda like the difference between salt water and fresh. Less slip means more speed.
