DF300 and antifouling paint

[white diamond]

I would like to leave my boat in the water but the motor will not tilt completely out of the water. The lower water intake is completely under water and the upper water intake is half in the water. Will using a spray paint and spraying into the intakes keep growth from clogging them? Is that my only option? Any ideas would be appreciated.

[joepizz]

same issue

I have twin 300's that stay in the water. I've had issues with barnacles in the intakes since 80 hours. Any ideas as to how to keep the intakes clean would be so so appreciated.

[Solarman]

There are only a couple options I'm familiar with.

A large rubber type boot to go over the foot - bulky and a real pain, but they work, plus can fill with fresh water to flush if it goes high enough up midsection, then tilt up pouring as much fresh water out.

A float-on type dock that will lift the entire boat out of the water, there are several different designs. These do work very well. And no need to paint bottom of boat with heavy lead paint, it's all out of water.

And last option: mounting motors on hydraulic jack plates that will raise motors up a foot or more before tilting.

My thoughts, the float-on dock is best option for ease and will last many years.

Good luck.

[joepizz]

ideas

my marina won't allow for a floating dock.
The boot idea sounds good, and I certainly can imagine what one would look like however I have not seen one. An even bigger issue would be the barnacles and crud now developing on the boot! Still, if you know of a boot that would be durable, I would love to know about it.

[white diamond]

The boot gave me an idea. How about an extra large laundry bag? Would the barnacles grow on the outside of the bag and not the motor? They are cheep enough to buy several a season.

[joepizz]

getting smarter

I asked the diver who cleans the bottom to go ahead and unscrew and clean. this is after 3 months of having them totally cleaned. I have the boat in possibly one of the worse marinas for biological growth. many boats have bottom paint last no longer than 9 months ( I had to switch to petit Trinidad)

see pics

[Solarman]

If you use a laundry bag, add a commercial heavy duty, thick as possible, trash bag on the outside of it. This should keep the water from getting through the canvas laundry bag, or coat the laundry bag with a waterproof sealer. You could possibly get by with one bag per year? But you need to keep the water out.

Good luck. Post back what you do.

[white diamond]

Joepizz, do you spray antifoul on the inside before reinstalling? What brand paint were you using?

[joepizz]

primer

I didn't. The diver did the take down while I was gone. I was also concerned that the antifouling could make the plastic brittle ( I have an email into pettit for that). Nonetheless, there were barnacles on the metal shaft past the screens, so unless I paint the inside, I don't think doing the screens is going to help. Furthermore I think that could affect my warranty.

I flush with salt away every time from now on as this should theoretically help as the barnacles will not appreciate the different salinity. But as you can see, after just three months, the engine was not happy. At 4500 RPM, the port ran at 160 degrees while starboard ran at 149-151. Probably has to do with where the barnacles attached and how it affected the flow. At lower speeds, the engines were at the same temp.
Best solution I think is just going to be the diver unscrewing every 8 weeks.

2004 Intrepid 348 Walkaround.

[joepizz]

Problem not solved- still overheating

So the problem is not solved. My port engine still running 11 degrees hotter than the starboard.

I think debris must have gotten by the impeller and is causing the thermostats to stick or something. Sometimes a very slow troll will cause the temp to go up. Or going in reverse.
I've also read about a poppit valve. Can anyone suggest a do it yourself solution? Is there a way to flush the thermostat and or look for debris?

Joe