Tell Me About This Zinc

[John Stone]

Attached are a couple pictures of the zinc that was on the Far Reach for about a year. About six months in brackish water of NC and about six months in the clear water of the Atlantic and about six months in the Virgin Islands. I'm going to install a new one but I am curious about it. How does it compare to your experiences? Any random thoughts about it?

In the water about 7 months:

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In the water about 4 months:

IMG_3768.png

After about a year:

IMG_3763.jpeg

[keneasley]

Pretty similar to what mine looks like after a six-month season moored in Long Island Sound.
Somewhat less than 1/2 used up is what mine looks like.

[Jim Walsh]

It’s in exceptional shape, clearly you have no stray current of your own and those around you have none either.

[John Stone]

Thanks Ken and Jim. I have nothing to compare it too. No zincs when I didn't have an engine. Things were a lot simpler then though I like the engine fine. I hated to give up the space though to be honest it was minimal.

[jen1722terry]

I have a question about zincs, or rather about aluminum anodes that contain no zinc.

We started using aluminum on our prop shaft back in 2015. We took our 31 over to our other home in Nova Scotia and moored it in front of our house. The water off our place is brackish, more or less, depending on the tide.

We were told by some of the locals to use aluminum anodes, which perform better in fresh or brackish water. We did and the anode worked fine.

We now use aluminum all the time, even though our boat has been in mid-coast Maine for 8 years. Again, the anode performs well.

So my question is: is there any downside to using aluminum as a prop anode in salt water (other than a small difference in cost).

Thanks so much, in advance