De zincing feeling.

[johnphilip]

I have followed last years YM campaign on skin fitting quality with some concern as our builders apparently fessed up to using brass fittings when built in 2004.
Once the boat was out for the winter I scraped antifoul off one fitting and sure enough there was a pink, coppery colour mottling the surface.
I chose the smallest and most accessible fitting to take out and examine. From the force needed to release it there was certainly no chance of imminent failure.
I now scratched the surface and very quickly found the pink was a very thin surface layer over the brass below. and there was no penetration into the fitting.
On the back of the fitting, in the dry, I found the most pink, could this be a reaction with the bedding compound and that on the face a reaction to the antifoul or primer?
On the evidence I found I am happy to leave the fittings for several years before worrying again.
I agree that bronze would be preferable but I wonder if a quick check would be adequate to ensure safety.
Incidentally my fittings are not bonded to the anodes but apparently totally isolated.
I do wonder if the boats with problems have suffered some aggravated electrolysis issue connected to shorepower.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

The whole thing clearly was a bit of a panic over playing the risk - otherwise boats would have been sinking all over. And they werent. But that doesnt mean that it isnt a real issue in the long term.