I've had my 272 for two 4 month seasons. Both years it had two new anodes on the shaft and both years they had been completely consumed, leaving only the bolts. It's impossible to tell how long they'd been gone and I am therefore concerned about the vulnerability of the shaft. My marina has shore power and several boats near mine are constantly plugged into the power outlet. I've read Nigel Calder on the theory, but I still have questions. (1)Has anyone had this problem and found a practical solution ? (2)What metal is used for the through-hulls of the 272? (3)Would adding a third anode on the shaft do any good? (4)Is the shore-power outlet the origin of the problem ?
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Just moved my 272
Hubert, I just moved my 272 from a marina in downtown Baltimore, where I presume there is lots of stray electrical activity, to one further out on a quiet creek, no significant shore power, or livaboards, etc. My (single) zinc, exactly one year old, was slightly more than just the bolts, but not much. The boat had been in the water all winter, so I'll do a controlled study this fall, when I haul it to paint the bottom and see how the new location compares. On the positive side, my one year old bottom paint looked great, and no growth other than barnacles on the bare prop shaft, and a few on the prop itself.
Hubert, I just moved my 272 from a marina in downtown Baltimore, where I presume there is lots of stray electrical activity, to one further out on a quiet creek, no significant shore power, or livaboards, etc. My (single) zinc, exactly one year old, was slightly more than just the bolts, but not much. The boat had been in the water all winter, so I'll do a controlled study this fall, when I haul it to paint the bottom and see how the new location compares. On the positive side, my one year old bottom paint looked great, and no growth other than barnacles on the bare prop shaft, and a few on the prop itself.
Current
Afternoon Hubert: You didn't say, but is your boat hooked up too? We (my dock mates & I) had a problem a couple of years ago and this is how we found the problem. Get yourself a digital multi-meter, it doesn't have to be a real expensive one. Set it on AC and ground the negative and drop the positive in the water at your boat. If there is any current in the water, it will read it. If your getting a reading, you can move it around behind every boat in your vicinity and the closer you get to the source, the reading will get larger. When you get the biggest reading, unplug the boat that your closest to and see if the current drops off. If it does, you have the boat responsible. If it is a shorepower hook up problem, it's the marinas obligation fo fix it. If it's coming from an individual boat, it's that owners responsibility. The marina needs to be notified no matter where the source is coming from. Not sure about your through hulls, probably bronze Edited after thought. Being hooked up to shore power is common at my marina. As a routine precaution though, we normally check the water for current several times a year a multi-meter just in case. Luck!
Afternoon Hubert: You didn't say, but is your boat hooked up too? We (my dock mates & I) had a problem a couple of years ago and this is how we found the problem. Get yourself a digital multi-meter, it doesn't have to be a real expensive one. Set it on AC and ground the negative and drop the positive in the water at your boat. If there is any current in the water, it will read it. If your getting a reading, you can move it around behind every boat in your vicinity and the closer you get to the source, the reading will get larger. When you get the biggest reading, unplug the boat that your closest to and see if the current drops off. If it does, you have the boat responsible. If it is a shorepower hook up problem, it's the marinas obligation fo fix it. If it's coming from an individual boat, it's that owners responsibility. The marina needs to be notified no matter where the source is coming from. Not sure about your through hulls, probably bronze Edited after thought. Being hooked up to shore power is common at my marina. As a routine precaution though, we normally check the water for current several times a year a multi-meter just in case. Luck!
where do you ground the negative
Sorry if this is a lame question but what do you ground the meter to?
Sorry if this is a lame question but what do you ground the meter to?
No Lame Question!!
Morning Richard: Sorry I didn't clear that up. I'm hooked up to shorepower, so I simply ground to the boarding ladder as it's bonded to the rest of all of my metal fixtures, thru hulls, mast, etc. If not hooked up to shore power, you can ground it to the common at the shorepower connection.
Morning Richard: Sorry I didn't clear that up. I'm hooked up to shorepower, so I simply ground to the boarding ladder as it's bonded to the rest of all of my metal fixtures, thru hulls, mast, etc. If not hooked up to shore power, you can ground it to the common at the shorepower connection.
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