WaIIy wrote:
On Sun, 2 Jan 2005 08:54:52 -0500, "Charles T. Low"
[withoutUN] wrote:


One old suggestion - so I don't know if it's still considered valid - was to
use your boat regularly. The early life cycle stage of the organism doesn't
attach very strongly, so moving the boat through the water at a few knots of
speed dislodges them. A brochure from the MNR years ago said to operate your
boat every week in warm water and every two weeks in cooler water.

I haven't heard of anyone with big engine problems, but that's also a
concern - the little critters blocking up your cooling water flow. Regular
running should work for that too.

====

Charles T. Low


Very good advice , Charles. I noticed the little creatures attach when
you let a boat sit for a while. I had an Alpha One on one boat and they
clogged the cooling inlets one time.



I don't think we have zebra mussels downunder... yet:-) However a few
years ago they did find an infestation at a Darwin marina (popular with
long distance cruising yachts, who were the most likely suspects)

The answer there was a bit scary but apparently worked:-) They sealed
the marina entrance & dumped something like 100 tonnes of chlorine in
along with a good dose of copper sulphate.

Everybody got a free bottom clean because on the news at the time, it
seemed to be killing literally everything in the marina water.

Probably a bit extreme for your sterndrives I guess but hey, if they
really do bother you:-)

K