MY BOAT IS A 27 FOOT SLOOP WITH A WING KEEL, bought five years ago. Each time I haul out I have found my keel covered with patches of what from a distance look like ugly creamy-yellowy bubbles. At first I thought they were erupting from the lead keel itself, but then maybe not -- because on closer inspection they seem more like deposits of solid material adhering to the keel -- and some can be removed by my fingers (their underside is flat where they stick to the keel). The boats next to mine in the marina do not show them. SO BEFORE LAUNCHING THIS LAST SEASON I HAD THE KEEL SANDED AND SOME SHALLOW ABRASIONS FILLED WITH EPOXY -- I THEN PAINTED OVER THE WHOLE KEEL WITH EPOXY PRIOR TO PAINTING WITH ANTI-FOULING, BUT IT HAS MADE NO DIFFERENCE. I JUST HAULED AND IT LOOKS AS UGLY AS EVER. Could this be to do with electrolysis (our marina seems to have stray currents)? To help preserve my shaft anodes I drop a large zinc wired to my shrouds but I don't see why that should be the cause (however, the zinc is also crusted with a similar yelloish deposit). Could the keel be made of impure lead (is there such a thing as impure lead?). Do I need to cover the lead with some kind of protective paint prior to using anti-fouling, or is it OK to paint anti-fouling directly onto lead? The keel is a wing heel with a large area on the underside that is difficult to clean after hauling out and also difficult to cover entirely with anti-fouling, but I can't see why that should produce the problem. ANYBODY HAVE THE ANSWER?
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You nailed it....
water life likes a little bit of electricity. I bet you have your mast grounded to the keel and also grounded to the boat's electrical system. Add a mild short someplace and you got an attraction to life underwater. I used to have an electrolysis problem and would get several barnicals in 3 weeks on my prop and shaft. Note: I learned this because fishermen will actually buy little machines to provide the perfect electrical current to attract fish.
water life likes a little bit of electricity. I bet you have your mast grounded to the keel and also grounded to the boat's electrical system. Add a mild short someplace and you got an attraction to life underwater. I used to have an electrolysis problem and would get several barnicals in 3 weeks on my prop and shaft. Note: I learned this because fishermen will actually buy little machines to provide the perfect electrical current to attract fish.
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