Okay, I have a rather odd question, here folks. I’m stalled on my modeling projects, so right now I am in a research phase. Specifically, I’ve been researching the Kawanishi Mavis and Emily flying boats, but I think my questions apply to any type of plane in the water.
Do metal seaplanes and floatplanes collect barnacles when they are in the water, or does the speed and force of their takeoff and landing clean them off? I’ve never lived on the ocean, seen a floatplane, or even been on a boat bigger than a canoe, so I have no firsthand experience with this. I tried looking at pictures, but nothing ever shows the bottom of the hull or floats. So, does anyone know?[%-)]
Live in the desert but spent alot of time around/aboard ships courtesy of Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children. Float/sea planes don’t really stand still long enough for barnacles to attach themselves. There will be some vegetatative growth depending on climate and or water temp which usually is cleaned off on a regular basis. The biggest factor here is the aircraft’s structure and how sea water affects it. Aluminum, magnesium, et al don’t really like sea water. Corrosion control is the biggest maintainence headache for any naval aviation branch. that’s why they have beaching dollys or wheels, to get OUT of the water on a regular basis.
That’s why we sprayed the chain as we weighed anchor, or swabbed the deck, or chipped paint, or, well you get the idea. Big ships in a modern navy are also usually “on the go” and the above applies to them also.
My understanding is that seaplanes are treated below the waterline with an anti-fouling coating similar to that used on boats and ships to prevent/reduce marine growth.
I mentioned it once before but it applies here as well, what the aircraft look like at the start of a cruise and what they look like after are two different things…
You can paint a prototypically correct color scheme, but in my opinion, say on an F18 spray that sucker lt. ghost gray. Then go back with an airbrush and spray several darker shades of gray around panel lines, you know where the rivets are? Highlight the panel lines, and aoila’, your typical corrosion control seaman at work! Of all things, rivets exhibit the most corrosion and because they’re rivets, and hold the darn thing together, They are CONSTANTLY examined and touched up,…with a spray can.
Well, I suppose that answers that! Thanks a lot, agentg and Phil_H. [:)] I figured I would be far more worried about aluminum oxide corrosion, but I wasn’t sure about the barnacles. I would think that the typical Japanese naval aviator/corrosion control person in 1945 would have had even less time to deal with accumulations like barnacles and rust.
Bondoman lives down the street from some seaplane mechanics, and has offered to ask them about this over some [#toast], so we’ll soon have the straight scoop on barnacles.