Preventing Cavitation on a 37′ Propeller

Cavitation is a devastating phenomenon that has affected propellers and impellers since their invention. A spinning underwater propeller generates bubbles on the surface of the spinning blades. The high pressure zone created by a spinning propeller causes these bubbles to implode, leaving a temporary vacuum on the surface of the propeller where the bubble used to be. Water in the high pressure zone is immediately forced into the vacuum at a force of up to 60,000 PSI. Over time, these micro-occurances can completely destroy a propeller. This damage, which appears as craters on the surface of a propeller, is called cavitation.

Where many coatings attempt to address the symptoms of cavitation by being hard or flexible, Ionyx HoldFast Prop Coat solves the cause of cavitation – HoldFast Prop Coat prevents the bubbles from forming on the propeller’s surface. Once applied, our coating creates a hydrophilic surface. Hydrophilic means that water is attracted to the surface, as opposed to being pushed away (hydrophobic). This counter-intuitive approach is successful because the coating creates a shield of water on the surface. This protects the propeller in two ways: the permanent water shield occupies the space where bubbles would ordinarily form; if bubbles do form near the propeller surface and implode, the force of the water entering the vacuum is dissipated from the water shield attracted to the coating. After 3 years, zero cavitation damage has occurred. Problem Solved.