Painting motor bracket - how important?

curioustraveler

Good morning C-Brats.

Well this lock-down has really delayed the launch of my new boat. She's sitting up at the yard, halfway through a fiberglass repair and the marina shut down. I'm thinking about bringing her home to knock out a few other projects while the marina's closed.

How important is painting the portion of the motor bracket that stays submerged? I've asked around and no one seems to think it's crucial. The one's I've spoken to, and that I've read about on here, say if I'm going to do it I need to follow a complicated process of removing the factory paint, prepping the surface, priming, and painting. Other's just tell me pressure washing it when I haul her at the end of the season is good enough. If this is the case, I'd rather just do that.

The only experience I have with this is a little runabout I used to own. I painted the bracket with Trilux 33 and it was absolutely covered in growth at the end of the season. Had to pressure wash anyways.

How many of you paint your bracket and is it really that important?

tsturm

curioustraveler · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 10:46 am Post subject:

That's what I figured and is why I'm wondering if I should just skip it and plan on pressure washing the bracket each year.

hardee · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 2:10 pm Post subject:

I just had the bottom paint done on SleepyC for the first time. It was done at Bitter End Boat Works in Bellingham. Jessie has a good reputation and knows what he is doing and they do things right. He told me they could paint it, but did not recommend it. When they did the barrier coats, they painted right up to the brackets, but with the bottom paint (Petit Vivid) they left a 1" space all around. On the trim tabs, they painted the actuators, but not the stainless fins themselves. They did not paint the outboard legs. My boat does not live in the water year around or full season, but lives on the trailer, however, I intend to be in the water for extended, (3 weeks plus) time blocks, up to 3 months so the painting was done with Jessie knowing that and applying his expertise.

He did agree that some diaper rash ointment (Desitin) on the Trim tabs seemed like a good idea.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

journey on · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 2:17 pm Post subject:

Why is your outboard bracket in the water unless you're using the kicker? Are you talking about the main engine?

I have an outboard bracket on Journey On and the outboard bracket is never in the water, up or down. Neither is the main engine. Journey On is a 25 but the relative placement of the bracket is the same, dictated by the outboard motor.

Boris

hardee · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 3:32 pm Post subject:

Boris, on my boat I raised the waterline about 4.5 inches from where the factory line was, up to the next chin bottom, and so that puts the brackets for the twin Yami's well down into the water. On the transom, the line is up to the trim tab actuator brackets on the transom.

This pix is from before the waterline was raised.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

journey on · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 8:22 pm Post subject:

Harvey, if you're going to hang that much weight on the boat's transom, I believe it would be underwater.

Just sayen.

Boris

PS Sorry I couldn't resist. I know how much you love your twins.

ssobol · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 8:31 pm Post subject:

Part of my bracket is in the water when the boat is at rest. This includes most of the trim cylinders.

curioustraveler · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 9:25 pm Post subject:

I haven't seen her in the water yet but I assume, based on the bottom paint, that the lower four inches of my bracket will be in the water at rest. I don't know if it's worth all the effort of painting just the bottom few inches or if pressure washing will suffice?

hardee · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2020 11:19 pm Post subject:

srbaum · Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 6:31 am Post subject:

Curioustraveler,
Do you intend to leave the boat in the water throughout the season, or will you trailer it and only leave it in for a day or so, when being used?

curioustraveler · Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:37 am Post subject:

She'll be in the water full time.

jennykatz · Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 9:18 am Post subject: Painting eng

Living in SW Florida we keep our boat in the water for 10 months a year .ive been painting the engine with WM special paint for engine and out drives I usually paint about an inch higher then bottom paint .much easier to pressure wash the gunk off BTW the Salinity in SW Florida is probably the worst in the USA

srbaum · Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 9:30 am Post subject:

Curioustravler,
Okay...With keeping it in the water in the Chesapeake Bay, the zincs will aid in prevention of electrolysis the the (seawater exposed) painted bracket that is in the water, but overtime, the marine growth, will cause the paint system to fail, then there will be no barrier to the exposed metal. Over time the bracket will start looking pretty bad, by future growth and eventual electrolysis.
Stay diligent on the zincs on the bracket, lower unit and in the engine cooling system. Prime and paint the lower few inches of the bracket, with an antifouling paint designed for aluminum surfaces.

curioustraveler · Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:26 am Post subject:

I grabbed some PropCoat based on a recommendation from the marina. The application instructions say to sand down to bare metal and then apply. I'll see what I can do with my Dremel and little electric sander but a good scuffing may be about the best I'm going to get.