04-13-2004, 10:20 PM
I agree--ground to the battery. I've read of several horror stories of guys grounding to the boat frame of their aluminum boat. The current passing through the boat reacts with the water resulting in electrolysis, which causes galvanic corrosion. What all that means is that the chemical reaction eats your boat away.
Motors come with sacrificial anodes (zincs) to allow this process to take place on a replaceable part, since it is inherent with electricity and water. But grounding the boat, whether intentionally or unintentionally, will turn your boat into one big, expensive anode. When leaving your boat in the water, make sure you submerse your cativation plate on your motor, which is where the zinc anodes are located, so that they can do their job (though most motors have two, with one located so that it is always submerged when the boat is in the water.
Things to watch out for are premature draining of the battery, white crusty build-up on metal parts (usually below water line and more pronounced if you recharge your batteries while the boat is in the water), wiring exposed to the elements causing a stray current when you're docking near power sources. Also, another form of corrosion, though I'm not sure it's galvanic, is from metal-on-metal. For instance, if you use steel screws or snaps (for your cover) on an aluminum boat, then the two different metal types will result in corrosion. Stainless steel is probably the least susceptible to metal-on-metal corrosion.
You can find more details on galvanic corrosion on the Web. That's all I know--which should be enough to watch for the signs and keep me out of trouble. Good luck.
Motors come with sacrificial anodes (zincs) to allow this process to take place on a replaceable part, since it is inherent with electricity and water. But grounding the boat, whether intentionally or unintentionally, will turn your boat into one big, expensive anode. When leaving your boat in the water, make sure you submerse your cativation plate on your motor, which is where the zinc anodes are located, so that they can do their job (though most motors have two, with one located so that it is always submerged when the boat is in the water.
Things to watch out for are premature draining of the battery, white crusty build-up on metal parts (usually below water line and more pronounced if you recharge your batteries while the boat is in the water), wiring exposed to the elements causing a stray current when you're docking near power sources. Also, another form of corrosion, though I'm not sure it's galvanic, is from metal-on-metal. For instance, if you use steel screws or snaps (for your cover) on an aluminum boat, then the two different metal types will result in corrosion. Stainless steel is probably the least susceptible to metal-on-metal corrosion.
You can find more details on galvanic corrosion on the Web. That's all I know--which should be enough to watch for the signs and keep me out of trouble. Good luck.