Good news, my zincs work :-D
- Thread starter Skipper
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You might want to take a wire brush to the grouper. All that whitish stuff is zinc oxide and other compounds that insulate the zinc from the water making the zinc less effective.
I chisel at it with a big flathead when it gets too fouled. Takes about 30 seconds.
An alternative to the fancy fish zinc artwork can be found here.
http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/crabzinc1.5lb.htm
At the rate that my lobster/crab anodes are sacrificing, my ashes will be keeping company with the lobsters and crabs on the sea bottom before I get through the order I purchased of a couple of years ago. Same as you, my hanging anodes last a long time.
http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/crabzinc1.5lb.htm
At the rate that my lobster/crab anodes are sacrificing, my ashes will be keeping company with the lobsters and crabs on the sea bottom before I get through the order I purchased of a couple of years ago. Same as you, my hanging anodes last a long time.
This is a magnesium anode on a 1" shaft at the end of one season and end of two seasons (5 months per season) in fresh water. I'll replace it this spring. Don't think it would last a full third season. Too much loss around the screws.
Someone on the site, maybe it was MaineSail, recently suggested applying a bit of nail polish or paint to the area over the screws to prevent that. I think I will try it on the next anode.
5 months
10 months
Someone on the site, maybe it was MaineSail, recently suggested applying a bit of nail polish or paint to the area over the screws to prevent that. I think I will try it on the next anode.
5 months
10 months
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We sailors can be an odd group. We think little of throwing down $15 for a 12 pack of craft beer that just ends up in the water we're sailing in, but try to stretch the life span of an anode that costs about the same. Once the anode starts to fail those electrons start looking for other sources of very expensive to replace metal.
And then there are those freshwater sailors who put a zinc on their prop shaft and 10 years later brag about how well it is holding up, looks like new they say.
And then there are those freshwater sailors who put a zinc on their prop shaft and 10 years later brag about how well it is holding up, looks like new they say.
Anyone who looks at my shaft zinc (anode) in the pic will agree it was on there a little long. This was my first year with this particular boat in this harbor, after moving her here from the east. Probably better to limit the shaft zinc time in use to 6 months.
Although, that's why I use the grouper, in case the other stops working before I notice. Hang it off the backstay, which is bonded to the engine/through hulls/other rigging.
Am in the water year round, so changing the zinc is more of a task than just buying it. I have my diver monitor /change if needed when he cleans the bottom, but he's only down there about once every three to four months - I keep the bottom clean with sailing ;-)
Sometimes we northern sailors forget that southern and warm water boats stay in the water for a year or more between haul outs. And those of us who take their masts down every fall don't always know why the rest of you get so nervous about taking the mast down.....
Yes, I agree "that puppy is done".
I've been trying to keep my posts a little shorter lately, but left out too much this time and didn't really make myself clear. Rest assured, I do normally replace the shaft anode annually. Last year, just before splash, I was set to change it and realized the new one I had in my hand was too heavy. It was zinc rather than magnesium (long story), so I left the old magnesium anode on and ended up with this two season comparison. It showed me how quickly an anode that is working can get to the point where it can just fall off, leaving you with no protection and that reminded me of the nail polish suggestion I had read a while back. Frugal sounding and likely over cautious for us northerners, but maybe a good idea for those lucky enough to have their boats in the water longer than five months a year. I was not even remotely considering trying to extend the use of that anode another season, if anyone thought that. Frugality is something I've never been accused of in my care of this boat! Belt and suspenders is.
The prop seems just fine, Gunni. No pitting and no pink. I clean it every spring and recently started applying LanoCote just before launch so cleaning is easier.
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Gunni,
I think this thread has pretty much run its course, but none-the-less, I don't want to hijack it. It may be a little early for a definitive "report", but I have started a new post in the Ask All Sailors section titled "How do you kept your prop clean?"