Osborne’s Barnacle Dissolver
Osborne Propellers Ltd of North Vancouver has developed an innovative product for boat owners to remove barnacles and marine growth from their propellers returning a near factory polished finish. Their new Product; “Osborne’s Barnacle Dissolver” is made using organic acid salts and is much safer and easier to use than muriatic acid as the active ingredient in the product is non-corrosive to skin.
The solution comes in a simple to use spray formulation and has been packaged for consumer use in Canada and the US. With this cleaner and simple tools (scotchbrite pad, scraper and sanding sponge) anyone can remove stubborn barnacles and marine growth easily and make their propellers shine like new.
After hearing the question “How do I get barnacles off of my propellers?” a few thousand times Osborne propellers in North Vancouver BC finally decided it was time for someone in the industry to tackle the problem and developed a product that a boat owner could use.
While they love working on propellers and their business relies on people bringing in their damaged propellers; Osborne realized that it really doesn’t make sense for undamaged propellers to be ground and balanced every year. The repair or tune-up process removes material to polish and balance the propeller making the propellers thinner. While a shop like Osborne removes the least amount of material possible using specialized polishing tools they’re still removing material.
Cumulative material removal after multiple repairs will make the propellers thinner. Thinner propellers are more susceptible to corrosion and electrolysis damage and don’t stand up as well to mechanical damage as a heavier propeller would. In short – removing material from a propeller just for a cleaning can shorten the useful life of the propellers so finding a way to remove barnacles and other marine growth without removing the base material had been on Osborne’s“to do” list for several years.
Osborne’s Barnacle Dissolver took a year and a half to develop and test with Osborne working closely with the Chemical company who formulated the product for Osborne.
The Product is an effective alternative to Hydrochloric acid but doesn’t release noxious fumes when it is working. The product is packaged in a spray bottle container making it very easy to use and control where the product is being applied. You simply spray it onto the propeller, let it sit for 30-45 seconds and then scrape off barnacles and other growth with a conventional paint scraper.
To polish the propellers the product is again sprayed onto the propellers and then a scotchbrite pad and sanding sponge (60 grit) are used to bring out the shine. After rinsing well with water your propellers should shine like new.
The product was quietly released at the Vancouver International Boat show in January 2015 to a very receptive boating audience. Currently the product is available directly through Osborne Propellers but you may be able to find it on the shelves of your local marine store soon as Osborne is actively working on distribution in the US and Canadian Markets.
