I bought a new SeaPro with a 200 Yamaha FI in March and keep it on a
trailer in an enclosed storage building. On weekends I launch and
leave it in the water until Sunday. The trim tab is a sacrificial
anode and is deteriorating rapidly - lots of pock marks. I've done
some searches and found sites on what electrolysis is but haven't
found a site that describes where the problem can originate or how to
correct for it. The dealer felt there was a charge in the water but
also suggested I turn off the Perko every time I dock and tilt the
motor out of the water in case the problem was caused by something
internal. I would appreciate any advice anyone may have. I have built
a temporary pier with power but all power lines are above water and in
conduit (pier is on 4 X 4 treated pilings and I usually dock the boat
15 -25 feet from the pier. There is a power service pole approx. 20
feet from the waters edge and has a grounding rod. Neighbors have
electricity on their piers but none are within 70 feet or so. I have
plugged in my on board battery charger overnight on a couple of
occasions when the boat was in the water. The boat has 3 batteries,
trolling motor, VHF, GPS, Hydraulic Jack Plate (Aluminum), Electric
Trim Tabs, on board 3 bank charger and aerator. That's about all I
know of that could affect it but would be happy to provide any other
info if someone has any thoughts on what could be causing it and what
I can do to stop it. I can raise and tilt the motor completely out of
the water and turn off the Perko switch each time but that's a pain in
the rear (not to mention I'm prone to forget). Thanks in advance for
any advice you might have. Take care.

Tom..................

http://yachtsurvey.com/corrosion_in_marinas.htm

http://yachtsurvey.com/corrosion.htm


"Tom" wrote in message
...
I bought a new SeaPro with a 200 Yamaha FI in March and keep it on a
trailer in an enclosed storage building. On weekends I launch and
leave it in the water until Sunday. The trim tab is a sacrificial
anode and is deteriorating rapidly - lots of pock marks. I've done
some searches and found sites on what electrolysis is but haven't
found a site that describes where the problem can originate or how to
correct for it. The dealer felt there was a charge in the water but
also suggested I turn off the Perko every time I dock and tilt the
motor out of the water in case the problem was caused by something
internal. I would appreciate any advice anyone may have. I have built
a temporary pier with power but all power lines are above water and in
conduit (pier is on 4 X 4 treated pilings and I usually dock the boat
15 -25 feet from the pier. There is a power service pole approx. 20
feet from the waters edge and has a grounding rod. Neighbors have
electricity on their piers but none are within 70 feet or so. I have
plugged in my on board battery charger overnight on a couple of
occasions when the boat was in the water. The boat has 3 batteries,
trolling motor, VHF, GPS, Hydraulic Jack Plate (Aluminum), Electric
Trim Tabs, on board 3 bank charger and aerator. That's about all I
know of that could affect it but would be happy to provide any other
info if someone has any thoughts on what could be causing it and what
I can do to stop it. I can raise and tilt the motor completely out of
the water and turn off the Perko switch each time but that's a pain in
the rear (not to mention I'm prone to forget). Thanks in advance for
any advice you might have. Take care.

Tom..................

By Perko, I presume you mean battery switch. I shut off all the
batteries on my boats when I'm not using them. You might want to wire up
a bilge pump/electric float directly to the battery if it isn't already,
so that any water that gets below the deck can be pumped out. But that
isn't much of a worry on a SeaPro at a dock.

I would definitely tip the engine out of the water, too, when the boat
is docked overnight. If you are in a theft area, buy a prop lock nut.

Are you in fresh or salt water? That determines what sort of sacrificial
electrode you need.

You are correct on the battery switch. I also neglected to mention the
bilge pump (auto and manual) is already installed. Tilting the engine
is really not a problem and so far theft has not been a problem - I
usually leave fishing tackle in the boat when docked but I'm sure I'll
regret that someday.The water would best be described as brackish I
guess - we're at the end of the bay off of the Intracoastal Waterway
and within a few hundred yards of a cut to the Gulf but also fed by a
freshwater creek.

Sounds like stray current causing faster than normal sacrificing of the
anode. IMO, best solution is to raise your OB out of the water.

You should also report the problem to marina management and to adjacent boat
owners so they may take appropriate action.

Butch
"Tom" wrote in message
...
I bought a new SeaPro with a 200 Yamaha FI in March and keep it on a
trailer in an enclosed storage building. On weekends I launch and
leave it in the water until Sunday. The trim tab is a sacrificial
anode and is deteriorating rapidly - lots of pock marks. I've done
some searches and found sites on what electrolysis is but haven't
found a site that describes where the problem can originate or how to
correct for it. The dealer felt there was a charge in the water but
also suggested I turn off the Perko every time I dock and tilt the
motor out of the water in case the problem was caused by something
internal. I would appreciate any advice anyone may have. I have built
a temporary pier with power but all power lines are above water and in
conduit (pier is on 4 X 4 treated pilings and I usually dock the boat
15 -25 feet from the pier. There is a power service pole approx. 20
feet from the waters edge and has a grounding rod. Neighbors have
electricity on their piers but none are within 70 feet or so. I have
plugged in my on board battery charger overnight on a couple of
occasions when the boat was in the water. The boat has 3 batteries,
trolling motor, VHF, GPS, Hydraulic Jack Plate (Aluminum), Electric
Trim Tabs, on board 3 bank charger and aerator. That's about all I
know of that could affect it but would be happy to provide any other
info if someone has any thoughts on what could be causing it and what
I can do to stop it. I can raise and tilt the motor completely out of
the water and turn off the Perko switch each time but that's a pain in
the rear (not to mention I'm prone to forget). Thanks in advance for
any advice you might have. Take care.

Tom..................

On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 17:56:58 GMT, "Butch Davis"
wrote:

Sounds like stray current causing faster than normal sacrificing of the
anode. IMO, best solution is to raise your OB out of the water.

You should also report the problem to marina management and to adjacent boat
owners so they may take appropriate action.
Thanks Butch - looks like I'll be tilting the motor from now on. This
is at a private residence and not a marina. The nearest boat is
approx. 70 feet away and lives in a sling (only seen it in the water
once in the last 10 months) and next closest is at least 250 feet
away. Only time I have connected to shore power is when I plug in my
on-board charger when I run the aerator overnight or if I've used the
trolling motor extensively. Any ideas where the stray current could be
coming from?

On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 13:28:33 -0400, "*JimH*" wrote:

http://yachtsurvey.com/corrosion_in_marinas.htm

http://yachtsurvey.com/corrosion.htm

Thanks Jim, I had found the second one but glad to see the first. I
knew I would leave out some information - this is at a private
residence not a marina and the boat is only attached to shore power
when I plug in the built in battery charger (which may be the
culprit). I've only done that a few times when I've used the trolling
motor extensively or want to run the aerator overnight. Otherwise the
only connection to land is via rope.

Tom wrote:
On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 17:56:58 GMT, "Butch Davis"
wrote:

Sounds like stray current causing faster than normal sacrificing of the
anode. IMO, best solution is to raise your OB out of the water.

You should also report the problem to marina management and to adjacent boat
owners so they may take appropriate action.
Thanks Butch - looks like I'll be tilting the motor from now on. This
is at a private residence and not a marina. The nearest boat is
approx. 70 feet away and lives in a sling (only seen it in the water
once in the last 10 months) and next closest is at least 250 feet
away. Only time I have connected to shore power is when I plug in my
on-board charger when I run the aerator overnight or if I've used the
trolling motor extensively. Any ideas where the stray current could be
coming from?

It may not be a stray current problem at all. Your anode is "supposed"
to develop pock marks and become used up, and you would have much
greater cause to worry it were not.

All you need to create a current is two dissimilar types of metal
sharing a common, conductive medium. No shorepower or even on-board
battery power is required, and it may have nothing to do with a
miswired dock or miswired nearby boat. Conditions could be perfect, and
you would still develop pock marks in the anode. Some metal object that
is more "noble" than you anode is sucking the electrons out of it-
which is a good thing- because if the anode were not on duty those
electrons would be sucked out of something structural or functional
instead. People who are thrilled because they never have to replace
their anodes
are likely to have a rude and expensive awakening when they realize
that a faulty ground or bonding system on the boat was actually
sacrficing something else all along and instead.

If you suspect stray current, construct a half-cell and test for it.

wrote in message
ups.com...


Tom wrote:
On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 17:56:58 GMT, "Butch Davis"
wrote:

Sounds like stray current causing faster than normal sacrificing of the
anode. IMO, best solution is to raise your OB out of the water.

You should also report the problem to marina management and to adjacent
boat
owners so they may take appropriate action.
Thanks Butch - looks like I'll be tilting the motor from now on. This
is at a private residence and not a marina. The nearest boat is
approx. 70 feet away and lives in a sling (only seen it in the water
once in the last 10 months) and next closest is at least 250 feet
away. Only time I have connected to shore power is when I plug in my
on-board charger when I run the aerator overnight or if I've used the
trolling motor extensively. Any ideas where the stray current could be
coming from?

It may not be a stray current problem at all. Your anode is "supposed"
to develop pock marks and become used up, and you would have much
greater cause to worry it were not.

All you need to create a current is two dissimilar types of metal
sharing a common, conductive medium. No shorepower or even on-board
battery power is required, and it may have nothing to do with a
miswired dock or miswired nearby boat. Conditions could be perfect, and
you would still develop pock marks in the anode. Some metal object that
is more "noble" than you anode is sucking the electrons out of it-
which is a good thing- because if the anode were not on duty those
electrons would be sucked out of something structural or functional
instead. People who are thrilled because they never have to replace
their anodes
are likely to have a rude and expensive awakening when they realize
that a faulty ground or bonding system on the boat was actually
sacrficing something else all along and instead.

If you suspect stray current, construct a half-cell and test for it.



Tom, can you post a picture of the anode to show just how much it has
deteriorated since March?

Your definition of "deteriorating rapidly" may be what could be quite
normal, as Chuck pointed out.

I would definitely trim the unit out of the water when the boat is docked as
that would be the best solution. Raising it is a one minute project (not
labor intensive other than to your thumb) and it will keep you lower unit
from looking newer.

As others have said it is also a good practice to turn the battery switch to
"off".

"*JimH*" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
ups.com...


Tom wrote:
On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 17:56:58 GMT, "Butch Davis"
wrote:

Sounds like stray current causing faster than normal sacrificing of the
anode. IMO, best solution is to raise your OB out of the water.

You should also report the problem to marina management and to adjacent
boat
owners so they may take appropriate action.
Thanks Butch - looks like I'll be tilting the motor from now on. This
is at a private residence and not a marina. The nearest boat is
approx. 70 feet away and lives in a sling (only seen it in the water
once in the last 10 months) and next closest is at least 250 feet
away. Only time I have connected to shore power is when I plug in my
on-board charger when I run the aerator overnight or if I've used the
trolling motor extensively. Any ideas where the stray current could be
coming from?

It may not be a stray current problem at all. Your anode is "supposed"
to develop pock marks and become used up, and you would have much
greater cause to worry it were not.

All you need to create a current is two dissimilar types of metal
sharing a common, conductive medium. No shorepower or even on-board
battery power is required, and it may have nothing to do with a
miswired dock or miswired nearby boat. Conditions could be perfect, and
you would still develop pock marks in the anode. Some metal object that
is more "noble" than you anode is sucking the electrons out of it-
which is a good thing- because if the anode were not on duty those
electrons would be sucked out of something structural or functional
instead. People who are thrilled because they never have to replace
their anodes
are likely to have a rude and expensive awakening when they realize
that a faulty ground or bonding system on the boat was actually
sacrficing something else all along and instead.

If you suspect stray current, construct a half-cell and test for it.



Tom, can you post a picture of the anode to show just how much it has
deteriorated since March?

Your definition of "deteriorating rapidly" may be what could be quite
normal, as Chuck pointed out.

I would definitely trim the unit out of the water when the boat is docked
as that would be the best solution. Raising it is a one minute project
(not labor intensive other than to your thumb) and it will keep your lower
unit looking newer.

As others have said it is also a good practice to turn the battery switch
to "off".


Edit. Not 'from looking newer' but 'looking newer'. Doh!

In article ,
says...

I bought a new SeaPro with a 200 Yamaha FI in March and keep it on a
trailer in an enclosed storage building. On weekends I launch and
leave it in the water until Sunday. The trim tab is a sacrificial
anode and is deteriorating rapidly - lots of pock marks. I've done
some searches and found sites on what electrolysis is but haven't


If you have a stainless prop you may find a high rate of anode
deterioration. The stainless prop/ aluminum case/ zinc anode
are your source of current flow in brackish or salt water.

Raise the motor.