Preferred Finish on Outdrive Lower Unit

[Bucketlist]

I feel a bit silly asking this question........ my outdrive is painted in mercury Phanotm black. I repaint the lower unit skeg each year since I frequently run the boat in shallow water up through the reserve area and up through Needles. As careful as I am, the lower 3" of the skeg is usually down to primer and raw aluminum by end of season from sand abrasion. So here is my question..........I am tired of painting the outdrive and wonder if i have just the lower sandblasted raw, how will the aluminum finish hold / look up when it runs through sand again? The boat is stored in indoor storage mostly and moored only a few days in a slip overnight. I have aslo read that some people spray the outdrive with WD40. Thoughts from those that have an unfinished lower unit?

 

[RCDave]

Unpainted is fine in fresh water. Sportmasters run around unpainted.

If you stay with paint, apply marine zinc primer before paint. It should last a little longer that way