[C320-list] Zinc Or Aluminum Anode For Mid Chesapeake?

[Bruce Hunter]

I can understand the commitment to zinc, most of us have used it our entire boating history and it has been used for centuries by countless seamen but the aluminum anode is not pure aluminum which would be useless as an anode, the aluminum anode due to the way its manufactured is actually less noble than a zinc anode. I've been reading tons of information on this due to my obsessiveness when it comes to my boats. Aluminum anodes are backed as a best choice for brakish water by article after article but the argument for zinc has one argument..."it's what we have always used". 
 
This reminds me of when synthetic motor oil was really getting popular in the early '90s, I had just bought my Harley in '93 and after 5,000 miles I went to synthetic, many people told me that it was a bad idea because synthetic was TOO slippery! Even HD itself advised against it...until they started selling it. I bought that Harley new, picked it up 20 years ago on April 1st 1993 (Wow time flies) she's in the garage waiting to go out right now, but I need to go and get the boat ready for the season.
     
Here is an interesting article that sums up a lot of different articles on the subject.
 
 http://www.martyranodes.com/content/martyr-resources/Aluminum%20Anodes.pdf
 
Bruce,
Nautitime #719

From: "marshall at merry-thought.com" <marshall at merry-thought.com>
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com 
Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 7:27 PM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Zinc Or Aluminum Anode For Mid Chesapeake?

  I just purchased my zinc (zincs) for the season.  Visited Fawcetts in
  Annaoplis, couldn't buy an aluminum sacrificial anode if I wanted to.
  An old salt in the store whose lead keel weighed almost as much as a
  c-320 could not understand why you would want to buy an anode more
  noble than  zinc which aluminum is.  I have sailed the Chesapake for 35
  years.  No problems with zinc.  Stick with what works.

  Marshall



  Marshall & Diane Lucas

  & The Merrythought Poodles

  SV Catalina 320 #`1037 Merrythought





  -------- Original Message --------
  Subject: Re: [C320-list] Zinc Or Aluminum Anode For Mid Chesapeake?
  From: Bruce Hunter <[1]swampcreek42 at yahoo.com>
  Date: Wed, March 06, 2013 9:47 pm
  To: "[2]C320-List at Catalina320.com" <[3]C320-List at Catalina320.com>
  OK, I believe I have it down. On the Chesapeake from the head to just
  North of Baltimore is considered "fresh"Then there are 3 classes of
  brackish below that point. It is Oligohine where the salinity is .5 to
  10 ppt (parts per thousand) is from north of Baltimore to the Bay
  Bridge. It is Mesohaline (salinity 10.7-18.0ppt) from the Bay Bridge to
  the Rappanannock (medium salinity). It is Polyhaline (18.7-36ppt)  from
  the Rappohannock to the ocean (36ppt is ocean water). So if Aluminum
  alloy anodes are made for brackish water the Chesapeake is definitely
  the place to use them.  Also, I read a zinc anode can form a layer of
  zinc oxide insulating itself, then the protected metal will
  deteriorate. So upon reading this I've ordered all aluminum
  alloy anodes (Non Chinese) and will put on our boat.

  Bruce
  Nauti Time #719
  From: Tony Murphy <[4]tony at midwestphysics.com>
  To: "[5]C320-List at Catalina320.com" <[6]C320-List at Catalina320.com>
  Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 5:05 PM
  Subject: Re: [C320-list] Zinc Or Aluminum Anode For Mid Chesapeake?
  Geesh... I've heard it all now!!
  Does this manager have a clue? Does he realize that Zinc and Magnesium
  are the environment???  These are naturally occurring elements...
  Tony
  Bella Sol #886
  Sent from my iPhone
  On Mar 6, 2013, at 3:05 PM, Warren Updike <[7]wupdike at hotmail.com>
  wrote:
  > The manager at our store said aluminum is less damaging to the
  environment than are lead annodes. They are only stocking aluminum now.
  >
  > -----Original Message-----
  > From: Bruce [[8]mailto:swampcreek42 at yahoo.com]
  > Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2013 1:56 PM
  > To: [9]C320-List at Catalina320.com
  > Subject: Re: [C320-list] Zinc Or Aluminum Anode For Mid Chesapeake?
  >
  >> From what I've been reading, the less conductive the water the less
  noble the anode should be so the order goes zinc, aluminum, magnesium.
  Zinc for salt, aluminum for brackish and salt, magnesium for fresh. I
  guess I might be reading into this too much but now I have to get to
  the bottom of it. Thanks for the tip on Chinese abides from WM, I'll
  remember that.
  >
  > Bruce
  > #719
  >
  > Marshall <[10]marshall at merry-thought.com> wrote:
  >
  >> Everyone that I know on the Chesapeake including myself use zinc. My
  boat is across from Annapolis. To my knowledge boaters in the Northern
  part of the bay use zinc. I would avoid the Chinese made Worst Marine
  zincs. I am going to check out Fawcetts. Defemder also sells non
  Chinese zincs.
  >>
  >> Marshall
  >>
  >> Bruce <[11]swampcreek42 at yahoo.com> wrote:
  >>
  >>> I was about to order a new anode For our FOF prop when I saw that
  >>> aluminum alloy is decided for brackish water. I used to just put
  zinc
  >>> on everything and not think twice but being that the mid Chesapeake
  is
  >>> brackish I'm thinking that I should replace the prop AND shaft
  abides
  >>> with aluminum alloy. Any thoughts?
  >>
  >> --
  >> Sent from my Razor Max with K-9 Mail
  >>
  >> Marshall
  >>
  >> Marshall, Diane &
  >> The Merrythought Poodles
  >> SV C-320 Merrythought  #1037
  >
  >

References

  1. mailto:swampcreek42 at yahoo.com
  2. mailto:C320-List at Catalina320.com
  3. mailto:C320-List at Catalina320.com
  4. mailto:tony at midwestphysics.com
  5. mailto:C320-List at Catalina320.com
  6. mailto:C320-List at Catalina320.com
  7. mailto:wupdike at hotmail.com
  8. mailto:swampcreek42 at yahoo.com
  9. mailto:C320-List at Catalina320.com
  10. mailto:marshall at merry-thought.com
  11. mailto:swampcreek42 at yahoo.com