Anode advice

[gary3029]

Before I bought my boat it was based up at woodebridge. There the hull anode was not connected to anything and I was informed been like that a lot of years and no problems. Now moved boat to poole and I haver noted over past couple of seasons that changes appear to be happening to a ss bracket on the rudder. I have now linked the engine and prop shaft to the anode. How could I link the anode to the rudder bracket. Was advised to use a peice of copper earthing wire...would this be ok?? Other point is I have a large iron keel which appears to be rusting more than when I first got the boat....should the keel be connected to a anode?
Thanks

 

[Peterduck]

When I first bought my old ketch 15 years ago, there were two anodes on the planking which were not connected to anything. I rmoved them, as I couldn't see that they were going to dod any good. On th einside of the hull at the point where the anodes were, the ribs had beed degraded by alkaline slats generated by the anodes to the point where they could be washed completely away by a garden hose. Please check the inside of your hull where these anodes have been. An anode is useless unless it is connected electrically to some metal piece which it is to protect. The usual form of connection is a strip of copper sheet which can be nailed [with copper nails, of course] to the hull. If it is necessary to bend the strip, just fold it over. A fold at 45 degrees to the length of the strip will give a 90 degree bend in the strip. The ends of the strip will need to be coated in solder to counter the tendency for the copper to become coated in highly insulating verdigris. You are dealing with very small currents here, and a very thin coating of verdigris will completely stop them from flowing. As the iron keel is rusting, [most unusual, as iron is slow to oxidise] the by all means protect it with an anode. I would recommend drilling and tapping holes directly in the side of the keel and fixing the anode directly to it. The bolts should ideally be monel, but you may find this difficult to get. I'd try stainless steel, [316 or better grade] but inspect them after 6 months or so.
Peter.

 

[gary3029]

Thanks for advice. One other question I do have is when I was doing a forum search on anodes I came across the following. Wooden boat owners should be aware of fitting anodes, they can be more trouble than they are worth. Can anyone shed any light on this line of thought.

 

[Casey]

Talking to John Lilley only last week he told me that an anode, incorrectly fitted on a wooden boat, can cause severe damage to timber. Not fitting one at all is frequently the best option. Advice from a good surveyor is needed.