Preventing Corrosion In Salt Water

aero3113aero3113 Member Posts: 9,042 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited April 2017 in General Boating Discussions
Anyone ever tie a hunk of aluminum off of the dock to prevent corrosion from forming on the boat? Would this help with galvanic corrosion and stray currents or would the aluminum need to be grounded to the boat?
2008 330EC
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  • Cableguy GregCableguy Greg Member Posts: 5,025 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have a large magnesium anode that I sometimes hang off the back of my boat when I remember. It is connected to the neg on my battery. I got it at boatzincs.com
    2008 280 Express Cruiser, 6.2MPI, B3, Pittsburgh, PA "Blue Ayes"
    Go Steelers!!!
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  • Liberty44140Liberty44140 Member Posts: 4,379 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Yea at our old marina there was a 50 ft aluminum sailboat. This was on a flowing river with a lot of electrolysis. They dangled anodes on a line in to the water at both the bow and stern to help prevent corrosion on the hull and keel. 
    07' Cruisers 390 (Previous Rinker's: 06' 342EC & 01' 310FV)

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  • Cableguy GregCableguy Greg Member Posts: 5,025 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You could also check your mercathode along with possibly doubling it. I replaced my anode this year. The wires leading into it were corroded, so I suspect that was causing some problems.
    2008 280 Express Cruiser, 6.2MPI, B3, Pittsburgh, PA "Blue Ayes"
    Go Steelers!!!
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  • MarkBMarkB Member Posts: 3,973 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It has to be grounded to save your metal.  If not, it's just another piece of metal in the water, and think there's enough current to chew that and your own metal up. If it's grounded, any and all current that hits the GROUNDED metal parts will go after the less noble (less stable) metal.

    Boat Name: King Kong

    "Boat + Water = Fun"

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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,747 mod
    Not just bonded -- it has to be bonded to the parts of your boat that are prone to corrosion.  Tying it to the dock would do nothing.  
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  • raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,501 admin
    I would not put anything in the water. Your just adding to a corrosion problem by putting more metal in the water. If your boat is zinc'ed properly and your mercathode system is working you should be good to go. IMO adding metal is a bad move....
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
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  • aero3113aero3113 Member Posts: 9,042 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't think my boat has a galvanic isolator. I will have to pull the panel and see if I see one hooked up to the ground wire. If I don't have one installed is Quicksilver a good unit to get? Is it necessary to get the model with a monitor and alarm? I also don't have a Mercathode system.
    2008 330EC
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  • aero3113aero3113 Member Posts: 9,042 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Al, do you ever see those diods go bad? It just seems that my anods go quickly. The ones on the cavitation plate of the drive and the hydraulic rams don't even last the full season. The others are about 50% when the boat is pulled out. (May-September). 
    2008 330EC
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  • craigswardmtbcraigswardmtb Member Posts: 1,015 ✭✭✭
    Mine are usually at 60-70% at the end of the season. The large one closest to the transom/mercathode is usually 50%.  We are in similar waters. Maybe you have some stray current. 
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