Anodes

RichRab

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
249
I have kept my boat at the same dock for about 9 years with gen 2 drive and usually by the end of the season they are gone. Last year I moved about 2 miles down off Atlantic city in the same bay and the zincs still look new. Nothing had any signs of corrosion. Boats on both sides of me have batt chargers and I don't.
 

JoLin

Vice Admiral
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Aug 18, 2007
Messages
5,146
Nothing very mysterious, really. There was an issue at your old dock- either a neighboring boat was leaking current into the water or the dockside power electrical installation was screwy and doing the same thing.

My zincs were in good shape when I launched the boat last Springl. When I hauled it in the Fall they were badly eaten up. I've been at the same dock for 3 years and never saw the zincs get eaten away in one season. Just by chance I replaced the zincs in the Fall while the batteries were still hooked up. A week later I noticed white powder on both the trim tab zincs. WTF? I pulled out my DVOM and got a reading of 0.7 volts on the surface of the tabs! Disconnected the port side battery- no change. Disconnected the starboard side battery and the voltage dropped to zero.

So, I have some 'tracking down' to do. It was leakage from my own boat that ate up my zincs last year...
 
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gm280

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
14,585
Since the zinc tabs are actually sacrificial, they are doing their jobs well. But if you are having them ate up that quickly, you need to search and find the problem. Stray voltage will continue and once the zinc is gone, other metals are fair game...
 

alldodge

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Mar 8, 2009
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Most of the time when your zincs start getting eaten up quickly its not your boat, its either the dock or another boat near by. If a boat near by has a bad ground to shore in most cases the boat will not be bothered even though a dangerous condition exist. The stray currents the boat is releasing are going to a boat with a good ground, yours. The same thing happens when the dock starts loosing ground. now if its the dock then there should be other boats being effected.
 

RichRab

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
249
Maybe I was not clear. My zincs still look brand new, nothing on the boat is corroded. Why did they not get eaten up even a little bit?
 

alldodge

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Maybe I was not clear. My zincs still look brand new, nothing on the boat is corroded. Why did they not get eaten up even a little bit?

Sorry I flipped your question around. So you now either have a bad ground and are leaking current from your boat using a ground on another boat.dock, or the dock your currently at has a much better electrical setup then the one you were at.

I would bet your at a better doc now
 

Bondo

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Apr 17, 2002
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70,465
Maybe I was not clear. My zincs still look brand new, nothing on the boat is corroded. Why did they not get eaten up even a little bit?

Ayuh,.... Sounds like yer boat is well bonded, 'n both yer boat, as well as the other boats in the marina, 'n the marina ain't leakin' electrical power,...

What's not to love,..??

The zinc's on my tinbarge look exactly like they did when I put 'em on, 16 or 17 years ago,.....
 
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RichRab

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
249
The ironic part is that the old dock did not have power and now boats on both sides right next to me are plugged in. Thank you. RR
 
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