Engine Corrosion and other fun things

[Donald Tyson]

The list goes on and on and I haven't even approached electronics yet. Thankful to the previous owners for leaving me with a pretty complete and dependable boat.
Yesterday I installed the Bimini. Done!
Today I will install a better spare tire carrier.
I'll also replace the damaged rubber or plastic blades on the starboard prop.

While Clamoring around one the motors I noticed some blooming corrosion. You know, the white fluffy stuff in key areas and bolt head on the sides of the twin 40 Honda's.

A little history: I spent most of my midlife as an insect and disease specialist in a very large tree nursery. I sprayed a lot of very corrosive stuff all about and therefore developed some rusty spots. Initially I just washed them with soapy water and they would break out again before long. As my skills progressed I added auto wax and other coatings and they helped the protection. One Day I was handed an aerosol can of penetrating oil that claimed to be an anticorrosive in addition to an oil (it contained Toluene and Butyl in an aerosol form). This stuff was a game changer. Bolt heads, sheet metal, electrical connections, hydraulics and much more were coated and protected by this miracle spray.
Colleagues were jealous because my equipment looked so clean but it was just the affects of this product sprayed onto my John Deere, Ford and other tractors and sprayers. This was the 80's and I just bet this product did not care for the environment.

Jumping forward to my twin motors.....I'm looking for a similar product whereby I can wash and clean my motors and, when dry, spray them down with a similar product that I used so many years ago.

Online I see Quicksilver, Yamalube and CRC among many others. Not looking for paint but just a protective coating which in addition to zincs will leave me with a season of worry free corrosion resistance.

What do you use?

[Karl Konecny]

There is a great product made to protect gun barrels called Barricade by Birchwood Casey, it comes in a spray can. It has protected my old shotgun when hunting ducks in tidal flats and I have used it on sensitive instruments while dyno testing underwater motors for work. I have not tried this on boat motor parts but I think it work well. Has anyone tried it?

[Pacificcoast101]

CRC 06026 Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor, 10 Wt Oz

I sprayed my motors when I repowered two years ago. They still look brand new.

[Tom Hruby]

As a marine ecologist I like to use products that are not toxic or environmentally hazardous. Many of the corrosion inhibiting products are toxic and made from petroleum. Luckily there is a line of marine corrosion inhibitors that really work, have been around for almost a century, and are safe. These are based on Lanolin. Some products that are based on lanolin include - Lanocote, Corrosion XHD, and Fluid Film.

[Donald Tyson]

Thanks Tom, Oh great so I can soften My skin while protecting the engines, lol, Remember Madge in the Palmolive dish soap commercials. Any Idea how it compares in price? While I'm not terribly convinced that any of these are used enough to matter for the environment, when used as directed, But why not encourage use of safer products when they're effective and also competitively priced? Fluid film is very competitive, Corrosion XHD seems just a bit pricey as does Lanacote. I'm also fond of T9 Boeshield, I use it on my fishing reels, but there doesn't seem to be much about it regarding the environment.

[Donald Tyson]

Thanks Tom, Oh great so I can soften My skin while protecting the engines, lol, Remember Madge in the Palmolive dish soap commercials. Any Idea how it compares in price? While I'm not terribly convinced that any of these are used enough to matter for the environment, when used as directed, But why not encourage use of safer products when they're effective and also competitively priced? Fluid film is very competitive, Corrosion XHD seems just a bit pricey as does Lanacote. I'm also fond of T9 Boeshield, I use it on my fishing reels, but there doesn't seem to be much about it regarding the environment.

[gstraub]

I've used FluidFilm on the galvanized rigging of an old sailboat with good success.

[Donald Tyson]

Fluid film is the most affordable, (none are terribly expensive). Thanks for the testimonial.

It was the 90's last I saw galvanized rigging...sort of glad I never dealt with it.

[Donald Tyson]

Would saltaway work if sprayed onto the outboard or does it wear off too quickly?

[ssobol]

[Tom Hruby]

Don,
I looked up salt-away and all it does is dissolve different kinds of salt deposits, especially those that build up in hot engines. It does not protect against oxidation (rusting).

Yes, the lanolin based protectants use the same stuff found in the high end hand creams. But, joking aside, I would not use it without putting on rubber gloves first. The lanolin used in Lanocote and others is the raw lanolin as it comes off the fleece, and it smells pretty bad (like wet sheep!). It is used because it sticks tenaciously to everything including hands, and will not wash off for several days no matter how hard you scrub. I'd rather not have my hands smell like wet sheep for two days!

[Donald Tyson]

Okay Tom. I'll wear gloves. Darn Sheep.
I was wondering it you could find info on T9 Boeshield Corrosion and Rust preventer. I'd like to use it on my steering and throttle cables. Currently I use their original formula to clean and lube vintage reel and it is simply fab. Anyway I was not able or didn't understand the product as it relates to the environment.

[thataway]

T9 Boeshield Corrosion and Rust preventer depends on the application, and there are various products. The waxy type I use on flat surfaces. Thru the years, I have a big collection of LPS, PB Blaster, Dupont, etf. Penetrating oils, Bioshild, and every other brand. I would more likely to use LPS#2 or #3 on those cables. If you can lube them. Many are closed and you cannot lube the actual push pull cable. But that is just my spin on it, which includes protecting motor bikes on 40,000 miles on the deck of a sailboat. (With Sunbrella bottom up and top down covers, but salt spray, and occasionally a full douse with a wave.

[Tom Hruby]

Here is part of the material safety data sheet for Boeshield. Looks pretty hazardous.

· 2.1 Classification of the substance or mixture
· Classification according to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008
GHS02 flame
Flam. Aerosol 2 H223-H229 Flammable aerosol. Pressurised container: May burst if heated. Asp. Tox. 1 H304 May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways. · 2.2 Label elements
· Labelling according to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008
The product is classified and labelled according to the CLP regulation. · Hazard pictograms
GHS02
· Signal word Warning
· Hazard-determining components of labelling:
Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light
Naphtha (petroleum), hydrotreated heavy
White Mineral Oil · Hazard statements
H223-H229 Flammable aerosol. Pressurised container: May burst if heated.[u]

[Tom Hruby]

Don, You also mentioned the cost of some of these products. Actually Lanocote is the least expensive. A 4 oz tub costs about $14 and lasts forever. I put on rubber gloves and warm the item with a heat gun, then rub some lanocote on the item. My tub is now 20 years old and I am only half way through it. This also avoids a lot of overspray that then has to be removed.