From lake water to salt water questions

[Xavierp]

Hi friends
Moving my boat from Lake Michigan to sail in the Bahamas. Fresh water to salt water obviously
Boat is 2018 Jeanneau 419

What should I replace, update?
Propeller anode?….
Current Bottom paint is VC17
Diesel Yanmar engine

Thx!

[dougweibel]

Depends on what anodes you have now. If aluminum they will suffice in the Bahamas.

I have no knowledge of how well VC17 will perform. Depending on your plans if it is in good shape I'd probably give it a try for a season. If it is horrible there are a couple boatyards in the Bahamas where you can get a bottom job for reasonable $

Pretty much everyone running around in the tropics has a Yanmar, Perkins, Volvo, etc. etc. diesel engine. Not sure what your particular concern is.

[capt jgw]

Assuming the engine is fresh water cooled there should be no problem. Keep an eye on it's anodes though, they'll waste a lot faster in salt water.
I've never tried VC17 in salt, but I have read that it's not too good so you might want to change to something else. Problem is you have to sand it all off, you can't just paint another product over top. It's comes off easily though. Unrelated to your questions, you find that you're stainless steel parts like lifeline stanchions will get surface rust. You may never have had to polish them in fresh but you'll be doing it often in salt water. Your sails and canvas will degrade faster, not because of the salt but due to the more intense sunlight and possibility of year round use. Great Lakes boats live a much easier life than tropical saltys.

[Kettlewell]

You'll want good sun protection for the cockpit and crew, like a bimini and dodger.

[Gary Mc]

VC17 is not suitable for the tropics, but you may be able to get a lot of it off with a solvent. It is basically a very thin layer of copper.



If your Yanmar has a closed loop heat exchanger, then bonus and there are no anodes to worry about. If not just keep an eye on your anode.


Good luck

[GordMay]

Interlux “VC 17m” is suitable for use in fresh water, or low fouling, cold, salt water.
“VC Offshore”, & “VC Offshore Regatta”, & “VC Performance Epoxy” are all suitable for use in both fresh and salt water.
➥ https://www.interlux.com/en/us/boat-paint/antifouling