| Paint Tips If you paint your lower unit (outboard or sterndrive) with antifouling paint, don't use the same coating that you put on the hull. Antifouling paints that contain copper or mercury can damage your drive. The correct antifouling paints to use contain tin. However, don't expect to find gallon-sized containers of this stuff. The EPA banned the use of tributyltin by anyone except state-licensed repair shops, and the organization prohibited its use on boats under 25 meters in length, exempting only aluminum-hulled vessels or alminum fittings and drives. Antifouling paints are available; just be sure that they're designed specifically for aluminum. Paints for aluminum propellers are available as well. Be sure to prime surfaces first and take care not to paint over sacrificial zincs. Bare, metal-to-metal electrical contact between the zinc and the drive is essential. |
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