Have a 38 fountain with bravo drives and boat at lake cumberland. I leave the boat in the slip for a couple of weeks at a time. Over time, the original paint starting to flake off the drive where it mates up with the bell housing. Is there a quick check of the mercathode system to make sure electrolysis is not the culprit. Next to my slip is a 1968 steel hull cris craft - a huge piece of crap for sure. I suspect the steel boat next to me is not helping - any ideas on this??

Thanks in advance.

LP

You are probably right, the boat next to you could be the culprit. Do you have magnesium anodes on the drives? If not, you should. The standard ones are zinc (heavy) and do nothing in freash water. I heard they are now using aluminum ones on new drives but your really need the magnesium ones. Do you have shorepower plugged in? Have a ground isolator?

I have the standard merc anodes on the drives. I do not leave the shore power on. I think I should just sink the big turd next to me.

You may be able to get the Mag anodes from the place in the post below, I know they makes them for some apps.

http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthre...agnesium+anode

it isn't whether you leave the shorepower on, it is if you have the boat plugged in or not. has to do with the ground wire completing the circuit with the dock, or the boat next door. the test would be to have the voltage in the water tested with a corrosion meter.

Shore power is not plugged in either. My thought was to check current flow and make sure my boat isn't the cathode..

I was docked between wooden and steel boats, old ones, flying grounds. The magnesium helped a ton but they were being eaten away monthly and they aint cheap. I finally moved to a new dock 100 ft away and it stopped completley. Do the magnesium anodes. They really help. I get 2 years out of them now.

I think you mean , make sure the boat isn't the "anode"... it is the anode that dissolves. Metal travels from the anode to the cathode.