Propspeed: Keeping Assets Golden by Controlling Underwater Corroding

Story and select photos by DinaRella / Additional photos courtesy of Propspeed

Passing down the purple-carpeted pathway to Propspeed at booth PAN 336 at the 2022 Cannes Boat Show an hour before the 3 p.m. scheduled demonstration on how the product tackles the negative impact of marine growth on your running gear, I didn’t expect to meet CEO Chris Baird, nor was I expecting him to do the live demo in the corrosion protection tank early just for little American me. But the friendly New Zealander did; he was also genuinely excited to tell me all there was to know about the underwater foul-release coating line, tried and tested around the world for over 21 years.

Propspeed’s ultra-slick topcoat is specially formulated to prevent marine growth from bonding to metal surfaces and to thwart fouling below the waterline for planing vessels cruising up to 60 mph. By electrically isolating the metal, this reduces the risk of corrosion, as well as, limits the exchange between the ions and the gases contained in the water and the metal. Basically, if a reaction can’t occur, there will be no corrosion.

The three-stage process completed by a professional applicator sent from Propspeed’s worldwide network starts by a first and second coating of a metal etching primer, followed by the final third layer of slick clear top coat that marine growth finds difficult to hang on to. Prior to the first-time application of Propspeed, the metal surface must be abraded to an 80 grit profile to form a mechanical bond. This is achieved by using a dual-action sander, or by hand with wet and dry 80 grit sandpaper. Once the surface has been sanded, the next critical step involves the chemical preparation of the metal surface, done by applying a special solution over all areas that will be coated.



The benefits from protecting your critical and costly underwater components starting with the outdrives, pod drives and props, to the trim tabs, shafts, struts, stabilizers, bow and stern thrusters, rudders, sea chests, and keel coolers, result in enhanced boat efficiency, lower fuel costs, and a decrease in fuel burn. Did I mention improved performance at higher speeds? Maintenance costs also come down because you don’t need to call a diver or head down there with your scuba gear.

When applied and maintained properly, Propspeed can protect your underwater metals for 12 to 24 months, and in some cases, even longer. The longevity before re-coating really depends on three variables: location, temperature and vessel usage. A watercraft in Maine or Washington might not need another application as soon as a Florida one would. Additionally, Propspeed coated assets can remain out of the water for extended periods of time with no negative or adverse effects on performance, and when hauling, if the clear coat still appears shiny and looks to be in good condition, you don’t need to re-apply.

A question popped up about just using anti-fouling paint on everything, to which the answer was… because the paint burns off high speed props this is not an option; not to mention, the long term impact on humans and the fact that, the paint constantly releases new toxins. As well, Propspeed is environmentally friendly and non-toxic to marine life since it’s a foul-release coating, not an anti-foulant.




I visited the Propspeed booth again last month at the Fort Lauderdale show to clarify a few questions from Cannes, and upon meeting the U.S. based reps, I left with another lesson – this time on two more of Propspeed’s highly rated products: Lightspeed and Foulfree.

Underwater lights are just as susceptible to fouling and this leads to reduced visibility… in other words, you’re not seeing the most out of your assets. Literally! What’s more, as a result of attempting to remove barnacles and scraping away hard marine growth, lighting components are frequently damaged. Lightspeed protects your aesthetic features and ensures there is no drop in lumen output, no shift in color or adverse effects on the lighting system performance with transmittance. The meticulously tested product is also proudly endorsed by Luminshore.

The next discovery on tap was Foulfree, the airmar-certified transducer foul-release coating. When fouling occurs on the face of transducers it reduces their sensitivity, and decreases bottom-echo returns and positive fish targets. Applying Foulfree keeps transducers clean, free of marine growth and streamlines the water flow over their faces in order to provide the clearest sonar images possible. Additionally, transducers perform best with minimal turbulence over their surface during operation.

Whether it is Propspeed, Lightspeed or Foulfree – no matter what you are in the market for, the array of products are available for purchase in multiple locations from West Marine to online at Amazon. And from the looks of the crowds visiting the booth during both boat shows, its two-decade long reputation clearly speaks for itself. Apparently I was late to the party with my discovery!