What is this and is it bad?

JakesRinker300

Algae? Can this be cleaned?

aero3113

The Algae should just scrub off but if there is corrosion, make sure your anodes are the correct type. Zinc for salt, magnesium for fresh. Yes, you would have to sand down the corroded areas, prime and paint.

GMSLITHO

Maybe pull the drive and have it pressure tested and chance the water pump clean it all up and new paint 

Spyderweb

If pitting is very deep, could fill with JB Weld, sand, then prime and paint.  

YYZRC

I would remove the hydrofoil.

JakesRinker300

Is this not a stock item?  Boat is new to me so I wouldn’t know. 

YYZRC said:

I would remove the hydrofoil.

Willhound

Not stock. A previous owner installed it in the mistaken belief it would help them get on plane faster, maybe save some fuel. Reality is it places extra stress on the drive and if your trim tabs are working properly and you learn how to trim your drive angle and load the boat properly for weight balance, you don't need it. 

GMSLITHO

I would agree if the boat didn’t have trim tabs you might want to leave it on but with the tabs you really don’t need it 

PickleRick

Hydrofoil also helps with low speed/no wake wandering.  The hill marine prop plus hydrofoil made my boat much better at all speeds. 

Even with trim tabs it's a bandaid to help an under powered boat get up on plane quicker.  in my case a 225 hp turbo diesel in a 10,000 lbs boat with 900 hrs.

Spyderweb

My dad had a 20’ cuddy with underpowered 4 cylinder, no trim tabs.  I added a foil and it noticeably improved hole shot.  Cheap fix.  I would recommend it for similar situations. 

JakesRinker300

Sooooo could this be what’s causing my pitting? 

JakesRinker300

Cableguy Greg

JakesRinker300 said:

What type of water are you in? Those anodes need replaced for sure. 

aero3113

@JakesRinker300 they say when the anodes are 50% or more gone then you should replace them. They really aren’t as bad as you think. But you might have a stray current in your marina. How long have they been on?

aero3113

Remember they are there to get eaten and not look pretty.

JakesRinker300

Fresh water. With the amount of erosion on these could it be what’s causing the pitting on the drives?

aero3113

@JakesRinker300
look at my other posts I posted just before you, I think you missed them. There’s probably a stray current near your slip causing the issue.

JakesRinker300

Not sure Aero. We bought the boat last fall and this is the first time I’ve really had a close look at them. I’ve replaced them with new magnesium sets. I’ll be able now to monitor how quickly they’re degrading. 

aero3113 said:

@JakesRinker300 they say when the anodes are 50% or more gone then you should replace them. They really aren’t as bad as you think. But you might have a stray current in your marina. How long have they been on?

Cableguy Greg

Replace with magnesium anodes at least once a year. Check the Mercathode system to see if the puck on the bottom of the transom assembly is still working. I was getting some corrosion on my drive. I pulled the Mercathode and the wires had disintegrated. I replaced it and most corrosion issues went away. You can also double the controller if you need extra protection. 

LaRea

 @aero3113 is on point.  There is a boat near you dumping AC current into the water.  Look for an older boat within 1-2 slips of you ... a crappy, ill-maintained boat, with a crappy shore power cord, owned by a cheapskate boater.  

Spyderweb

I agree with @aero3113 on the 50%.  Not to say there might be a Mercathode problem or stray current issue to look into, but you’d be surprised how bad 50% looks.  I’ve weighed my anodes and compared them to new.  I wouldn’t be surprised those are still 70-80% original weight.

MarkB

Cableguy Greg said:

JakesRinker300 said:

What type of water are you in? Those anodes need replaced for sure. 

Oh yes ... looks like there could have been poor contact already ...

J3ff

Mine look way worse than that, 10 months in, in salt water.. the trim ram one on the sunny side is almost all gone.