Fresh water anodes

Weave

Weave

New Member
Jun 1, 2007
1,410
Western, MA
Boat Info
200 Sundeck 2005
Engines
4.3 MPI Alpha I Gen II
I searched pretty thoroughly and didnt find a difinitive answer......I will be slipped in fresh water and I noticed that one should use magensium or aluminum anodes for fresh water.....Does this change is you run a stainless prop?

What is recommended set-up for fresh water with Alpha I Gen II with stainelss prop?:smt100
 
I've used Al. for several years and no issue. However, I see that the chart at boatzincs.com now favors Mg for fresh water. Go figure!
 
Weave,

Your best bet is going to be to check around locally to see what works best. Talk to people that have boated in your water for at least a few years. Talk to reputable shops.

There are times when Mg does not work as well in fresh water as does Al. But the only way to know is to experiment (probably not the best idea) or ask around.
 
Thanks for the responses guys.....Should I be concerned tht I have a stainless prop versus an aluminum?
Any special precautions there?
 
jabs said:
Dumb question but how can you tell if it's in good order?
Click to expand...

Easy question, difficult and complex answer that is beyond most DIY checks.

You may want to go to www.mercurymarine.com and ask for their publication 90-881813 01 it is titled Marine Corrosion Protection Guide. It will teach you everything you want to know about how the system works and more important how to check that it IS working while the boat is in the water.

Reading

http://www.sterndrives.com/bravo_3_corrosion.html




I did find this online.....I can not verify this as true.

Mercathode System Testing
If your boat is equipped with a Mercathode system, there is a simple way to test if the system is operating properly. The goal is to check the output from the Mercathode controller. When the boat is in the water, disconnect the orange wire that comes from the anode at the mercathode controller. Set the digital reader to show milliamps. Connect the black meter lead to the terminal on the controller. Connect the red meter lead to the end of orange wire. If using the blue or black Mercathode controller, the reading should be 25 or less milliamps, to as much as 200 milliamps in saltwater areas. If using the red Mercathode controller, the readings should be less than 25 milliamps in fresh water areas to as high as 400 milliamps in saltwater areas.
 
Last edited:
Weave said:
I searched pretty thoroughly and didnt find a difinitive answer......I will be slipped in fresh water and I noticed that one should use magensium or aluminum anodes for fresh water.....Does this change is you run a stainless prop?

What is recommended set-up for fresh water with Alpha I Gen II with stainelss prop?:smt100
Click to expand...

I slip in fresh, but also boat in salt. So I use aluminum. You may want to do the same since you may take that trip to the Cape.
 
Good cal charlg......Aluminum is OEM from factory isn't it?
 
I use Mg as I am in fresh water only.

Someone already said it. If you plan to go salt or even brackish, use Al.

I run a B3 with stainless steel props. Just my initial experience.

You won't really know for sure until you ask around where you are going to boat, or choose one and see what the results are when you pull the boat for the first time.
 
Weave said:
Good cal charlg......Aluminum is OEM from factory isn't it?
Click to expand...

Yes. I just picked up 2 sets of OEM at Russo's. They were less than after market sets.
 
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