Fitting shaft anode underwater...

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My shaft anode has come loose, my own fault, probably because of the lack of double hammer swinging (see threads passant).

What's the best way to re-install these while the boat is in the water?
Is it possible to do it with just snorkelling type gear?
 
Depends how good you are at breath-hold diving. I've chiseled thick crops of barnacles off my prop when the antifoul didn't work properly, so it's certainly possible to do useful work that way.

Pete
 
JB
I see you are in Spain.
1. How clear is the water? This is fiddly at best and difficult if you can't actually see. Clear water = not too difficult.
murky water = very difficult.
2. do you have the right sized anode ready to go?

If the water is clear I would do as much prep as possible before starting the underwater job.
2 extra allen keys taped onto lanyards in case you drop one.
Extra cap screws in case you drop two.
Then over you go and stick to it till it's done.

gary
 
Clancy Moped said:
Cheap lunch time lift out and back in an option? Or local diver?
Click to expand...
Looking at both of those, but the varadero's pretty busy, waiting on a response from the dive shop..

garymalmgren said:
JB
I see you are in Spain.
1. How clear is the water? This is fiddly at best and difficult if you can't actually see. Clear water = not too difficult.
murky water = very difficult.
2. do you have the right sized anode ready to go?

If the water is clear I would do as much prep as possible before starting the underwater job.
2 extra allen keys taped onto lanyards in case you drop one.
Extra cap screws in case you drop two.
Then over you go and stick to it till it's done.
Click to expand...

The water is pretty clear and I think I can get an anode and bolts easily enough...
There's an unfinished marina that makes for a very sheltered anchorage just down the coast from me, which would make for a good spot. Should be fairly empty mid-week.

Maybe a swimming day tomorrow, at least the water is fairly warm.

What's the underwater equivalent of the bashing with two hammers thing?
 
JBJag27 said:
Looking at both of those, but the varadero's pretty busy, waiting on a response from the dive shop..



The water is pretty clear and I think I can get an anode and bolts easily enough...
There's an unfinished marina that makes for a very sheltered anchorage just down the coast from me, which would make for a good spot. Should be fairly empty mid-week.

Maybe a swimming day tomorrow, at least the water is fairly warm.

What's the underwater equivalent of the bashing with two hammers thing?
Click to expand...


That's the down side of the med, no tides.
 
Has anyone tried one of those mini-scuba things that you fill with a an airpump, and claim to give you 5 minutes?

I know dive pros suck their teeth and say "how dangerous, people will use them without training and get the bends" but it appears to me an excellent solution for just a metre or two beneath the surface.
 
RJJ said:
Has anyone tried one of those mini-scuba things that you fill with a an airpump, and claim to give you 5 minutes?

I know dive pros suck their teeth and say "how dangerous, people will use them without training and get the bends" but it appears to me an excellent solution for just a metre or two beneath the surface.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and I would do, but they're the price of three or four lift-outs.
You can get pump up bottles as well now that claim to give you ten minutes..
 
I would use either a hookah set a SCUBA tank on deck with a long LP tube.

In theory you could use any pressure and an oilless compressor but if the air in the tank is not correctly clean and dry it could damage you health.

A SCUBA secondary pressure is about 150 psi and a Hookah could be some where 80 to 120 psi but you need a demand regulator to suit.
 
I've been seeing ads for those mini scuba kits on Facebook- quite tempting for the price, but it would be interesting to hear from anybody who has tried one out. I would see it as a way of extending my free diving time rather than as a cheap way of doing scuba diving.
From what I've read up on them, it seems that the claims of five or ten minutes dive time are for surface pressure, and that this diminishes dramatically with increasing depth- so you might only get two or three minutes. But this is still far better than the 20-30s I seem to manage when holding my breath

Back to the original question- I think the key to working underwater is to be able to hold yourself in place easily, whilst keeping both hands free to work. So maybe sneak in to a shallow spot where you can stand on the seabed and wedge yourself under the boat- but obviously you need to be able to pop back to the surface instantly.
 
The piece of kit interested me. I went onto site and the price was £71, but to buy the pump, respirator and cylinder it was quite a bit over a £100. Ah well, that's still a bit cheaper than a 'proper' set.
Then: "This item does not post to the Highlands"
WTF is that about in 2020.
 
OK 0,5 lit at 200 bar = 100 lit of free air.

The average adult, when resting, inhales and exhales about 7 or 8 liters of air per minute but could be a lot more when working or deeper
 
Assuming you dive on the job, when underwater you will come up against your antifoul paint no doubt - unless it's the very hard type it will come off on your hands etc - it can be slippery - a distraction you can do without.

If you've got a rope cutter on your prop, don't even think of feeling your way about under your boat - your hands will be in peril.

Yes, I've done it. I dived and removed the half-off anode and went the remainder of the season without. Loss - nothing.

Fixing the shaft anode firmly will not be easy, even on several dives. It's a rubbish anode solution, and I abandoned it when it failed to remain in place.



PWG
 
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