In-water or dry dock – when is the best time to polish your propeller?
It’s already well known that regular propeller polishing can help achieve better fuel efficiency and most vessels will have a standard maintenance programme in place to do this – typically six to 12 months. However when the vessel is in dry dock a decision is often made to polish the propeller so what’s the difference? Jean-Paul Engels shares his thoughts…
In-water polishing
A propeller, which is maintained and polished in-water, will be delivered with an average surface finish of 1 micron or better (Rupert Grade A). This very fine finish is possible due to the rotation of the polishing pad creating a centrifugal suction of up to 120kg/cm2, which is holding the polishing pad 100 per cent flush to the propeller blade surface. The water creates the necessary cooling to achieve a surface finish, which is much finer than can be achieved in a dry environment.
