Anode dilemma

[guydickinson]

Its strange. On the skeg of my recently acquired V d Stadt is an anode. Looks like its been there a while, but not v pitted really. Stranger is that it isn't wired to anything at all! Stranger still, really, is that the prop (an elderly Sabb variable pitch - bronze I guess) is not affected at all it seems. The question is - should I resite it to the hull and wire it up to the engine etc as suggested by the surveyor, or leave exactly as it is. Why do you think it is like this and why no erosion?!!! Is there a danger things could change?

 

[gibbowolfie]

It isn't a anode if it isn't grounded it's just a lump of metal.

Wire it up. The low noted wasting of other metal parts may just be due to really good earthing on the boat and berthed away from any badly earthed boats.

 

[fireball]

Hmm - there is an old saying ....

If it ain't broke don't fix it ...

and in your case - if you have No Erosion then don't fix it....

We don't have a hull anode on our boat - just shaft and internal engine anodes ... it doesn't need anymore (no corrosion) so why put one in ??

I would think though that your anode is earthed through the skeg (assuming it is metal!) ... easy way to test is with a multimeter - if the anode is there to protect the prop then there should be continuity between the anode (surface) and the prop ...