I took the day off and spent most of it on the boat with my wife and some
friends. We decided to do some swimming so we anchored at our favorite
swimming hole.

While in the water I noticed that the paint is starting to let go along the
edges of my outdrive. The outdrive has magnesium anodes in all the
correct places but there is no tab anode on the back end of the cavitation
plate.

This is the first time this boat has ever spent life in the water at a
marina........it was always a trailered boat in the past and the outdrive
was in pristine condition cosmetically when I purchased the boat last
summer.

Shore power is available at my dock but I do not use it other then when
working on the boat. The boat does not have a galvanic isolator.

I am planning on adding the tab anode on back end of the outdrive cavitation
plate. I am also considering adding a galvanic isolator to the boats DC
electrical system.

Is this a good decision or am acting prematurely before doing other trouble
shooting (and what would that trouble shooting include?)

If the galvanic isolator is a good add on ($150 on a Guest 50 amp on Ebay),
what amp size should I consider? 30? 50?

TIA for your help!

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

If you are not regularly connected to shore power, what will a galvanic
isolator do for you?


Eisboch

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

If you are not regularly connected to shore power, what will a galvanic
isolator do for you?


Eisboch



I don't know. Thus my original question.

If I am not connected to shore power a galvanic isolator offers no benefit
to me?

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

If you are not regularly connected to shore power, what will a galvanic
isolator do for you?


Eisboch



I don't know. Thus my original question.

If I am not connected to shore power a galvanic isolator offers no benefit
to me?


Decide for yourself:

http://www.newmarpower.com/pdf/Manual-GI-30&50.pdf#search='galvanic%20isolator%20boat'

www.yandina.com/acrobats/GalvOwnManual.pdf

http://www.usps.org/pipermail/psml/2...st/004944.html

http://webconsult.web.aplus.net/boat...isolators.html


Eisboch

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

If you are not regularly connected to shore power, what will a galvanic
isolator do for you?


Eisboch



I don't know. Thus my original question.

If I am not connected to shore power a galvanic isolator offers no
benefit to me?


Decide for yourself:

http://www.newmarpower.com/pdf/Manual-GI-30&50.pdf#search='galvanic%20isolator%20boat'

www.yandina.com/acrobats/GalvOwnManual.pdf

http://www.usps.org/pipermail/psml/2...st/004944.html

http://webconsult.web.aplus.net/boat...isolators.html


Eisboch




Thank you for the links Richard. It looks like I have some additional
reading to do.

I am not an electrical expert and offered my original questions based on
what Dave Pascoe had offered at his site.

Can anyone cut to the chase on this for me or do I have more homework in my
future? ;-)

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
. ..

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

If you are not regularly connected to shore power, what will a galvanic
isolator do for you?


Eisboch



I don't know. Thus my original question.

If I am not connected to shore power a galvanic isolator offers no
benefit to me?


Decide for yourself:

http://www.newmarpower.com/pdf/Manual-GI-30&50.pdf#search='galvanic%20isolator%20boat'

www.yandina.com/acrobats/GalvOwnManual.pdf

http://www.usps.org/pipermail/psml/2...st/004944.html

http://webconsult.web.aplus.net/boat...isolators.html


Eisboch




Thank you for the links Richard. It looks like I have some additional
reading to do.

I am not an electrical expert and offered my original questions based on
what Dave Pascoe had offered at his site.

Can anyone cut to the chase on this for me or do I have more homework in
my future? ;-)


This stuff can be straightforward and it can also be as mysterious as the
meaning of life.
Obviously, your tab anode is eroding ..... unless the nut was loose and it
fell off.

My understanding (having chased this problem for a year on my Navigator
before finding the problem) is that if your boat is totally isolated from
the shore power's bonding (ground) system, a galvanic isolator won't help
you.
Not being hooked up to shore power should mean you are isolated.

Even with the best of precautions, the anodes will erode. That's what they
are supposed to do. In my experience, it is not uncommon to replace all the
sacrificial anodes once or twice during the course of a season, if hooked to
shore power and in a slip.

The best investment I made, at the suggestion of some seasoned slip
inhabitors, was to buy one of those zinc fish anodes with the stainless
cable and clip attached. I clip it to the boat's bonding system and adjust
the cable so the fish is about a foot above the bottom at low tide. This
significantly reduced the other anode erosion.

Why your tab anode (only) is prematurely eroding is one of the mysteries of
life to me.

Eisboch

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...

If you are not regularly connected to shore power, what will a galvanic
isolator do for you?


Eisboch



I don't know. Thus my original question.

If I am not connected to shore power a galvanic isolator offers no
benefit to me?


Decide for yourself:

http://www.newmarpower.com/pdf/Manual-GI-30&50.pdf#search='galvanic%20isolator%20boat'

www.yandina.com/acrobats/GalvOwnManual.pdf

http://www.usps.org/pipermail/psml/2...st/004944.html

http://webconsult.web.aplus.net/boat...isolators.html


Eisboch




I found the answer and acted prematurely on this without doing all the
necessary research. Based on my situation a galvanic isolator serves no
useful purpose. I will look further into additional anode protection.

Thanks for your input Richard.

JimH wrote:
I took the day off and spent most of it on the boat with my wife and some
friends. We decided to do some swimming so we anchored at our favorite
swimming hole.

While in the water I noticed that the paint is starting to let go along the
edges of my outdrive. The outdrive has magnesium anodes in all the
correct places but there is no tab anode on the back end of the cavitation
plate.

This is the first time this boat has ever spent life in the water at a
marina........it was always a trailered boat in the past and the outdrive
was in pristine condition cosmetically when I purchased the boat last
summer.

Shore power is available at my dock but I do not use it other then when
working on the boat. The boat does not have a galvanic isolator.

I am planning on adding the tab anode on back end of the outdrive cavitation
plate. I am also considering adding a galvanic isolator to the boats DC
electrical system.

Is this a good decision or am acting prematurely before doing other trouble
shooting (and what would that trouble shooting include?)

If the galvanic isolator is a good add on ($150 on a Guest 50 amp on Ebay),
what amp size should I consider? 30? 50?

TIA for your help!

Is there corrosion where the paint is peeling? If not, it's probably
just the paint job.