Dumb question about outdrive in brackish or salt water

The universal joint bellows may develop a set when stored in a raised or up position,
causing the bellows to fail and allowing water to enter the boat.

Store the sterndrive in the full down position.​
 
In addition, all of your anodes won't be in the water, offering less protection. An outboard is capable of coming completely out of the water which is why you sometimes see them that way.
 
Great. Thanks. One more question. I've had some corrosion on the drive and have recently added the prop anode which it didn't have before (It's a Bravo 3). Anyway, to put an end to the issue, I am having a lift installed as soon as the permits arrive. So when it's on the lift, should it be up or down?
 
The drive should be down when on the lift for the reason given by Jack. You don't want your bellows to become mis-shapen by leaving it raised for extended periods.
 
Have a Merc technician check that you're Mercathode system is working, too (if you have it). Add it if you don't, for those times when you are in the water. Especially for extended times, but even short times will eventually add up.
 
Just got the boat back from an annual service. Merthacode is working and zincs were all replaced including the prop anode which I didn't previously have. I also got one of those grouper anodes, though I'm not sure hopw to attach it. The marina says hook it up to the neg post on the battery. The zincs people said not to do that.
 
I hooked my grouper to my grounding buss bar. It is where all the ground for the boat are conected to a large brass bar.
 
On a 25 ft boat you probably do not have the grounding bar.

The fish anode is used to give extra protection to metals in the water. You need to connect it to whatever metal you want to protect [presumably your drive]. Depending on how long the cable is, see if you can clip it to the inside of the hull where the drive comes through.

Also, the drive should never be up unless you are trailering your boat.
 
Every boat in a dry stack leaves the drive up due to the fork lift driver needs them to be up for clearance. I don't like it, but I don't have control over it. Might be why I store it on the trailer at home again.
 
Actually, when we were in a dry stack the policy was to leave the drive all the way down. I always left mine slightly raised, as I was on the bottom tier and if the driver was a little off, the skeg would scrape the pavement as the boat was being put away.
 
I am still in dry stack, and exactly what Jeff said... Drive up slightly to prevent the skeg from sitting on the gravel if they put me in a bottom slot.
 
islandhopper00 said:
Every boat in a dry stack leaves the drive up due to the fork lift driver needs them to be up for clearance. I don't like it, but I don't have control over it. Might be why I store it on the trailer at home again.
Click to expand...

This is how mine is too. Drives have to be in full up, otherwise they hang down and could snag something on the boat below us. There isn't a lot of extra room!
 
On my old boat, a 1994 270 DA, the bonding buss bar was mounted on the transom slightly off center towards the starboard side. It will have all green wires going to it.
 
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