Zincs and groundwire

One of motors comes with 4 zincs on it...the other has two.

Now back in the day when everybody was using wire line, you had to be careful about how many zincs you had total....and...also where they were placed.

The black box and Scotty manuals of the day didn't want you adding zincs at random for fear of creating "hotspots"
and messing up your "line voltage" setup.

Nowadays with braid I guess it's a much lesser issue......and adding zincs for protection isn't going to mess up anything.

BTW......how about adding zincs to trailer?......once mine's dunked it stays wet for quite awhile, even in the garage.
 
BTW......how about adding zincs to trailer?......once mine's dunked it stays wet for quite awhile, even in the garage.

No need for zincs on your trailer, especially if it's galvanized aluminum. The galvanization process adds a protective zinc coating to the alloy that also acts as a sacrificial anode.
 
Voltage in seawater
Zinc -1.05 V
Aluminum -1.10V
Magnesium -1.6V
So i guess the Aluminum anodes are better perorming than zinc and just below magnesium --but they last longer---the alum ones are an aluminum/indium alloy
I just put those pancake zincs on my trim tabs and was reading up on if I need to bond the tab motors now?? and how to do it
Boating is hard work.

My appologies at bringing this older thread back but I am still trying to access some informationon on anodes and have one big question on this topic. Staying Alive I noticed your nobility figures above and I understand that the lower nobility metal ( higher number) will sacrifice or corrode as an anode while it protects the higher nobility ( lower number) metal below the waterline on your boat ( such as your outboard motor)

A chart from a book I have found for saltwater in volts shows:

Magnesium at 1.58
Zinc 1.04
Cadmium .88
Steel .79
Aluminum .71
Lead .52
Brass .31
S. Steel .24
Silver .08
Gold .00

Your nobility showed Aluminum nobility in saltwater showed at 1.10V while my source said it was .71 in saltwater. Thats quite a difference so puzzling to me however my question is how can an aluminum anode act as a sacrificial anode to protect alumunim of an outboard motor ? It seems strange that Yamaha would switch to Aluminum anodes when the nobility chart shows Zinc as much less noble so should be a more effective metal for an anode. Understanding aluminum anodes have a mix of less noble metal in them, I suppose the answer could be that they work because they have zinc mixed in to them. My question still would be , why not just use a less noble metal like a zinc anode if you are trying to protect a aluminum outboard motor ? I am not sure why manufacturers suggest alluminum is a more effective anode when it is clearly a much more noble metal than zinc ?

Here is a link to another thread on the same topic - still some confusion made clear by the differing comments:
http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum...icial-Anode-Zinc-vs-Aluminum&highlight=anodes
 
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Thanks...

Well if you are confident in using aluminum anodes on your boat, which I think is aluminum hull, I suppose I shouldn't be concerned by using all Martyr aluminum anodes I just installed on my single 200 HPDI and twin 150 HPDI Yami's ! ....which are aluminum outboards !

Last year a local Yamaha dealer gave me a zinc leg anode and a aluminum under bracket handlebar anode for my 200 HPDI
( I didn't realize they had provided me with mixed anode metals) - In just less than a year the aluminum handle bar anode was very pitted with at least 50% gone while the zinc on the leg was only 20% gone even though I keep the leg in the down position. I suppose they both worked despite both zinc and aluminum being used at the same time.
 
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F.S.

try changing your wire over to 200lb Power pro braid tied to a rubber snubber.
you won't have any more break off's
I'm a firm believer :)
 
magnesium anodes- more money, but more protection----

Here's what Martyr says :
Magnesium anodes are not designed for prolonged use in sea water and if you are taking your boat into a salt water location for more than seven days (Fourteen days in any one year) you should consider changing the anodes. *Republished courtesy of MG Duff International *

You are correct though MRACER, in that magnesium is more active as an anode however that can act against you in saltwater ( as the Martyr is saying above ) because it requires so many changes per year when used in saltchuck that it can actually cause a situation where your boat is less protected ( when the anode is gone in 30 days and you can't get to your boat in time to haul it out to do a change). I have posted this before but for the sake of those reading this post I 'd be carefull using magnesium in saltwater because if you moor all year or even part of the year in saltwater you will need to be doing anode changes constantly. While Magnesium protects well and is a good choice for aluminum boats and fresh water boats, it degrades so fast in salt I personally know I couldn't keep up with the haul outs/changes 5-10+ times per year that would be required. Zinc or Aluminum anodes are capable of safe protection in the correct configurations so I'd rather be protected sufficiently and safely throughout the year with only 1 or 2 haul outs to replace anodes. I have a glass boats with aluminum outboards ( single and twins) .
 
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Hey Greg,
on my twins they have all been changed and are aluminum now, yammy dealer insists they are better.
curious tho why you leave the legs down in the water? I tilt mine up when at the slip,
I have noticed about half the guys leave theirs down and half tilt them up and out at the marina?
am I missing something
 
No I don't think your missing anything , it just depends on your situation. I leave mine down on my 228 Seafarer and up on the 232 Gulfstream .

Kept down on the 228 because :

1) I am in a 26' slip and I am already 28.5' LOA with leg down so keeps the leg and prop from being hit by neighbour
2) Marina asked me to keep it down or they wanted to move me farther out to 28' spot ( longer walk, more expensive)
3) Marina wanted to charge extra 2' per year more if I tilted up
3) Leg still slightly in the water when tilted up - if leg touches water better to have leg anode submerged and working
4) If you don't rinse your motor much better to keep impeller submerged
5) In winter keeps leg/impeller insulated from freezing up
6) An I/O is mostly submerged so why not an outboard?

The biggest drawback for me is all the growth on the leg and the possibility that it could get into water intake/cooling

For the twins on the 232 the legs are tilted up because we have a 46' spot with tons of width and we back in so legs protected
 
No I don't think your missing anything , it just depends on your situation. I leave mine down on my 228 Seafarer and up on the 232 Gulfstream .

Kept down on the 228 because :

1) I am in a 26' slip and I am already 28.5' LOA with leg down so keeps the leg and prop from being hit by neighbour
2) Marina asked me to keep it down or they wanted to move me farther out to 28' spot ( longer walk, more expensive)
3) Marina wanted to charge extra 2' per year more if I tilted up
3) Leg still slightly in the water when tilted up - if leg touches water better to have leg anode submerged and working
4) If you don't rinse your motor much better to keep impeller submerged
5) In winter keeps leg/impeller insulated from freezing up
6) An I/O is mostly submerged so why not an outboard?

The biggest drawback for me is all the growth on the leg and the possibility that it could get into water intake/cooling

For the twins on the 232 the legs are tilted up because we have a 46' spot with tons of width and we back in so legs protected
oh ok got it, thought I was missing something, I know if I leave them down for a week at mosquito creek they look like sasquatches hanging off the back, and I back in too so my pulpit does hang out a bit but they don't seem to care
Thanks Greg!
Tim
 
good point Peahead--I have an alluminum boat, so didn't feel aluminum anodes were properly effective...

Here's what Martyr says :
Magnesium anodes are not designed for prolonged use in sea water and if you are taking your boat into a salt water location for more than seven days (Fourteen days in any one year) you should consider changing the anodes. *Republished courtesy of MG Duff International *

You are correct though MRACER, in that magnesium is more active as an anode however that can act against you in saltwater ( as the Martyr is saying above ) because it requires so many changes per year when used in saltchuck that it can actually cause a situation where your boat is less protected ( when the anode is gone in 30 days and you can't get to your boat in time to haul it out to do a change). I have posted this before but for the sake of those reading this post I 'd be carefull using magnesium in saltwater because if you moor all year or even part of the year in saltwater you will need to be doing anode changes constantly. While Magnesium protects well and is a good choice for aluminum boats and fresh water boats, it degrades so fast in salt I personally know I couldn't keep up with the haul outs/changes 5-10+ times per year that would be required. Zinc or Aluminum anodes are capable of safe protection in the correct configurations so I'd rather be protected sufficiently and safely throughout the year with only 1 or 2 haul outs to replace anodes. I have a glass boats with aluminum outboards ( single and twins) .
 
IF and this is a HUGE IF if your leg can completely get out of the water your good but if it is still in the water your going to have issues as now you have no zinc what so ever working as the charge is still there eating your leg not your zincs. My mech buddy comments everytime when we walk down the dock about it and jokes about putting a card as in time the leg will be pooched ..
If it wont completely come out leave it in and if your concerted about growth clean it or go fishing more!!!!!! worst is when it sits just barely out and the drain screw is under water as it will corrode right there badly SS into alum. it will weaken the thread area.

good luck Wolf
 
IF and this is a HUGE IF if your leg can completely get out of the water your good but if it is still in the water your going to have issues as now you have no zinc what so ever working as the charge is still there eating your leg not your zincs. My mech buddy comments everytime when we walk down the dock about it and jokes about putting a card as in time the leg will be pooched ..
If it wont completely come out leave it in and if your concerted about growth clean it or go fishing more!!!!!! worst is when it sits just barely out and the drain screw is under water as it will corrode right there badly SS into alum. it will weaken the thread area.

good luck Wolf

Yep as in my #3 listed above.......however as I understand the handlebar anode that is under the bracket of the outboard and underwater will still help to protect the leg portion of ther motor touching the water (to some extent) , would it not ?
 
I does of course but the weakest link is 5 ft away current has no pattern it goes to the weakest spot and that distance is to far and sitting in the water at the SS screw and the alum housing it will corrode the threads away or bad pitting there as what usually happens people inadvertently scrape the crap out of the paint that was there unscrewing that said screw, ive helped my buddy a few times and have seen some bad lower legs.

If your concerned about growth and your boat sits that long (need to get out more just saying) or what ive seen people doing now is covering with a black canvas to stop any sun getting to it.
Or hey lower the leg so its protected???

Wolf
 
I just replaced my anodes today. I picked up some zincs from Trotac. I had aluminum and zinc mix on my yamaha and it was obvious which were which. Trevor suggested running all zincs. Are zincs a good option for majority salt water use? Do I have to clean them often? I cleaned bolts well and applied some dielectric grease to anodes and bolts before installing. Was this a bad idea? Thought it would help with continuity to motor and therefore better protection.
 
IF they are all white and crusty then yes Clean them but get a S/S wire brush.I was told from Malcolm R years ago dont know why but thats what I do.
 
My zincs last about 4 to 5 months. I have my boat in a slip so its in the water a most of the time. You can burn through them if other boats around you are not protected properly, meaning your zincs will take up the slack from the other boats. Something to look out for.
 
My zincs last about 4 to 5 months. I have my boat in a slip so its in the water a most of the time. You can burn through them if other boats around you are not protected properly, meaning your zincs will take up the slack from the other boats. Something to look out for.

Interesting point. Not sure how much effect an anode 10' away has ? I suppose its true that you are better protected if both your neighbours were close beside you and all had great anodes all working effectively but I think (as WOLF mentions above) if your leg is 8-10' away from someone elses anodes I am not sure how much your neighbour's anodes ( or lack thereof) would effect you.
The main reason you would burn through anodes quickly in a marina is because there is lots of stray electrical current leaking into that marina from either the marina's electrcal or boaters sloppy ext cords/shore pwr. How much or little your neighbors anode help I think would really depend how far away they are.
 
just ask around your marina, I've been told by a few there now that Mosquito Creek is a "hot" marina.
but I have noticed also that they have cleaned up and kicked out a lot if not all of the older run down and derelict stuff this year
so that may change now too, little less current in the water
 
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