Never seen anything like this.
 

:hitfan: New problem. I had the boat in the water (salt) for two night.

Every Stainless part on the outdrives are totaly corroded. It's like they were in the water for 20 years. (pics to come soon)
Merchatode thing ? even the props have a heavy grey hase. It will come off with a lot of scraping. What is the best way to clean this off? Chemicals ?? ( any chemists out there??) And what will couse this? In two days/nights? at a poker run??

Usually any of the metal poishes on the market will take the dull haze off. You shouldn't have any corrossion that fast!!

I like Flitz or Blue Magic. For larger parts get the buffing ball that goes on adrill or the mini buffer. They work great.

best thing to use is Lime Away and put it in a spray bottle it helps to atomize it a bit

It will foam and rinse off You may need to wipe a bit but most will rinse off

This happened to me also. Brand new boat and maiden voyage was to Key West for races from Miami. Went to Key West returned to Miami. Loaded on a trailer and presto, everything was thick coated. I had to use elbo grease to remove it all. Hasn't happened again in 2 years in Texas Gulf Coast waters. Must be something in south Florida waters.

I usee vinagar to demove the stuff

Thanks..
Tried vinagar, Lime away, Braso, (mtl. polisher) silver/jewelry cleaner,, calcium removal and muriatic assid. Nothing desolves this. It's like electrolilis on all the parts.

No one else had the problem. I noticed when I pulled the boat out.
Ohh.. sand paper works, but dulls anything thats was once shiny. Fittings, screws, prop, tie bar, nuts and bolts. I don't now what coused it, and how to prevent it.

MarinMax said it's from other boats, the dock, something in the water. Electric eal. Full moon and Sun spots. But not one word about they possibly missed some electrical connection last week while did some service and testing on the boat. New fuel pumps were instaled. (high and low pressure)

Merc is aware of the problem and checking it out. No one else had the same corrosion problem around me. Some 50-60 boats. I think the merchathode system is fried by the service tech. somehow. Still have no good way to remove this chittt..

I get it when I go to salt water ,. the only thing I thinks it looks like a dried lawyer of salt. I used a rag and wd40 it lossened up for me .or some 0000 steel wool

Spray a light acidic solution on the dry stainless parts and watch the corrosion and lime disappear. Don't get it on your clothes, instant holes!

That is most unfortunate, it was most likely caused by boat with mis wired shore power or a dock power problem. I have experienced this first hand and witnessed stainless nuts completely eroded away. A couple days more would have blistered your paint and made it look like popcorn. Most Insurance coverages exempt damage from stray current, check your policy. Unfortunately the damage is done and it will be hard to return to original condition. Replace all the little pieces that have clips or poly lock nuts. May be the marina was coverage that may help you. Does your boat have shore power? the boat that caused all the problems I witnessed had a shore power ground grounded to 12 volt ground and was tied next to our customers boat.
I'm sorry, no body deserves that.
Jim

>> MobilMercMan..
Thanks Jim. I will check on my insurance and Hyatt's.

JohnB... Strip.. THanks.. Tried acid. Limeaway. and HD industrial cchiiit.. The corrosion is to deep, and thick.
Steel wool seems to work with a lot of muscle, and wire brush. but scratches everything. Finger nails are the best, but I have non left.

:throw:

Grrrrrr

Are you sure muriatic acid won't take that off. Use a stronger ratio.

Kennyo..

Straight from the bottle. Melts everything in site, but this corrosion cchittt. THe steel wool and rags I try were smoking .

Just an idea, try contacting an electro plating company, maybe there is something they can do to treat the parts individually.

If it is electrolysis it eroded the bare metal, so there is nothing to clean off, the surface is etched away, the white popcorn crusty stuff is whats left of the metal. The pieces will need to be polished, resurfaced or replaced. You are lucky it didn't start to damage the painted surfaces. It would be a good idea to pull your props and check the carrier around the prop shaft seals. Also make sure the clamps holding your bellows weren't eatin away.
Jim

It is electrolysis. Both the dealer, Merc. and Hyatt, dock master confirmed it. Hyatt denies that's a dock/electric current around the cok issue. Some parts will need to be replaced. I am changng all the nuts and bolts I can remove. I will remove the drives to see any problems. The props are off, (being scruubbed by my GF and Son. lol). THere are somoe blistering on the drives but not bad yet. I will do some touch up.

THanks for the input, any further suggestoins will be appreciated. For now.. I will avoid all docks, especcially the Sarasota Hyaat. SO much for the Sarasota season finalle poker run. I have to sleep in the boat. :cool-smiley-027:

Mild muriatic acid and water solution will take it off. Mix it in a garden sprayer and rinse it off.Mine looked the same earlier this year. Have you checked your Mercathode?

Mercury has a electrode tester that attaches to a VOA meter. # 91-76675T 1 sells for about $117. It allows you to test your mercathode. It will also let you test dock sites if your determined to do so. Your mercathode system will protect your boat from a normal amount of stray current but not an extreme case like with dock or shore power problems. I doubt anyone will fess up and the source will be hard to impossible find or prove. All you can do is be aware of your surroundings.
Jim

if it is not etched then try on off acid. and if you find the clamps around your bellows carroded away you may want to inspect the input shafts for water penetration.

more than likely you should be fine. and for next time bring a couple of those expendable goldfish you hang over the side to visiting marinas. they do help.

good luck.

happens to me at the Hyatt every time, also Clearwater, Key West, Marathon, Cabbage Key, etc. Muratic Acid will wash it away. Get a New Bottle at Home Depot. Wear Gloves

THanks Jim and monstaaa

I like the goldfish idea, but I think I'l get that prob thing. GOld fish won't live long in south water. But i will try it just for chittt and grins.. :cool-smiley-027:
Jim, where can I get one ?? or do you sell it ?

Yhx
P

I get the same thing built up on mine quickly when I am in long raftups overnight. I used the boat store hull cleaner which is very diluted muratic acid. It did not work very well, I had to scrape and scrub and use fingernails. I then used A much stronger muratic acid solution from a brick company (they use it stronger to clean brick) I ended up diluting the stronger stuff about 1 to 1 with water in a spray bottle. This took it off with almost no elbow grease. A word of caution. Use a strong base (baking soda) and or a lot of water to rinse all parts that contain IRON. muratic acid will make iron rust quickly. Rinse your trailer and everything around. Even the vapors from the stronger stuff will make the iron rust. Dont do it on a concrete driveway, The acid will eat the portland cement.

After a little research I think I remember something like hull cleaner has about 2% acid, the brick cleaner is about 20% acid and 100% acid you can't buy unless your a superpower. If you did find some it would kill you like kriptonite if you looked at it from accross a room.

I have acces to industrial stuff.

THe acid I used was 40% by volume. I did use a little and worked, but I can't use it directly on the drive. OK on the props. It did help but stuff on the outdrive I can't have the acid touch anything, is still a bytch to get off. I just have to wait untill my finger nails grew back. :hitfan:

YOu want some acid.. lol let me know. Just kiding. But I have whole sale co. so I can get pretty much anything, with some time and effort.

happens to me at the Hyatt every time, also Clearwater, Key West, Marathon, Cabbage Key, etc. Muratic Acid will wash it away. Get a New Bottle at Home Depot. Wear Gloves


I talked to Hyatt. I got all the excuses in the world that they have new docks. GFi's etc. but I am getting the area tested.
God help Hyatt if the reading comes back as accesive curent in the water near the docks.
THe Sarasota poker runs is scheduled to be there in a few weeks. I hate to see an empty docks at the Hyatt if there is a problem. However I know they fixed the problem if there was one. Good thing that attorneys can get work orders and subpinas. :cool-smiley-026:
I hate to take it to that level. I would just like to see Hyatt say .. OK there was a problem.. we are sorry.. have a night on us.. and I would be pleased with the honesty, and chuck it off as chittt happens...


Honesty ??? what the fakkk is that ??? where did it go ???

It happened to my old boat when we went to Key West. I sprayed all of the SS parts with WD40 to protect them before I left thinking that I would have the boat in the water for about a week and this is exactly what happened to all of the parts. I don't know if that is what caused the coating, but I run my boat in salt water all of the time and have never seen it before. We had the new boat in the water for 4 days in Destin and nothing. Just a thought if you sprayed any kind of protectant on you SS it might be reacting to the salt.

I spray the acid on everything. Drives, latham steering, tabs, props, braided hoses, hull etc... It cleaned everything with no bad reactions.

Oh man... good to know. What a mess! We were discussing taking the boat up there (Sarasota Hyatt) soon. I'll have to follow this thread.

I know another poster mentioned Cabbage Key but I haven't had any problems there.

PARADOX the earlier listed # is a Mercruiser part. Any merc dealer.
It is an adapter lead to be used with a multi meter.
Jim

ya have to be carefull with the acid.On the plastic parts it will bleach em out,like the black clam shell covers on the cables,on the trim tabs theres a black plastic nut on it

do you have zincs installed? The zincs are nuked first. If the zincs are Ok the current is probably coming from your boat.

If the zincs were nuked too, the faulty wiring was probably from the boats that surrounded you...

THanks guys. (Girls?) I used mild acid and washed it off right of way. I got most of the corrosion off. The boat was checked ..the merchathode system is OK. THe anodes were fried. Pitted and light as a feather. Got new onces. After some research, here is the story... There was and is a problem with the docks, near the reastaurant. I was the closest one to the sourse, My boat got the residual effect of to much current in the water. Lesson learned after 100's of $. Invest in a current/volt meter and stay away from ceartain docks or areas. ( like reastaurants next to the dock)
I have heard, that droping anchor with a small Guage wire attached to it and grounded to the block, will help gounding in bad dock areas. Don't know.. just a thought from some one ..
For now I will avoid Hyatt untill I KNOW THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM.
I will post the current readings once I get it just in case some needs to be aware for the Sarasota Run.