Corrosion Prevention For Your Boat

A key part of boat maintenance is corrosion prevention. Once one area of the boat succumbs to corrosion, many other parts of the vessel start to go too. Not only does corrosion quickly spread, it is also irreversible. That's why prevention is key. Failure to keep up with preventative maintenance can result in expensive parts replacement...or even needing to buy a new boat.

Here at Roger's Performance Marine, we strive to make your life easier. We crafted the following guide to boat corrosion prevention. If you have any questions or need any parts replaced, our expert staff is here to help. We run marine dealerships in Centerville and Hurricane, Utah. We also proudly serve those in Salt Lake City and St. George, Utah.

Understanding The Science Of Corrosion

Before we dive into the preventative maintenance, it helps to have a basic understanding of what's happening. There are different types of corrosion but the one that matters for our purposes is galvanic corrosion.

It starts with two materials that have quite different atomic makeup (in other words, they are two metals of dissimilar electrical potential). They encounter an electrolyte pool, which activates a positive and negative charge in the materials. 

This creates a sort of battery. One metal turns into the negatively charged material (also called the cathode). The other metal turns into the positively charged material (the anode). Next, the cathode attracts electrons from the anode, causing it to lose particles. This results in the anode breaking down and is when the corrosion occurs.

Remember that this process is not the same as natural oxidation, which can take decades. Galvanic corrosion is a much faster process.

Where Galvanic Corrosion Happens

Certain parts of a boat are more vulnerable to galvanic corrosion. For example, areas where there are steel and bronze or steel and aluminum that have contact with saltwater. Another common spot is around the propeller or the mast. It's important to take steps to prevent corrosion, especially in more vulnerable parts of the vessel.

The American Boat And Yacht Council Standards

The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) has created standards for boat owners to rely on. These standards analyze the vessel's materials and state when a boat is safe from corrosion. Look over these standards and ensure you are following the requirements. This is necessary to be NMMA-certified and also helps prevent corrosion.

The Importance Of Sacrificial Anodes

The sad reality is that you can't simply stop galvanic corrosion altogether. It's a chemical process that will happen. But what you can control is where galvanic corrosion happens.

The key strategy is to use a metal that draws the galvanic corrosion to itself, which draws the damage away from the essential boat parts (such as the propeller and hull). This metal is known as the sacrificial anode.

There are a few different sacrificial anode options. Zinc used to be the most popular choice, but it's less so today given it oxidizes in freshwater. Aluminum and magnesium are more commonly used nowadays, especially in freshwater.

When picking the right sacrificial anode, it helps to use a multimeter. This handy tool helps figure out the hull's potential. Once you have the voltage reading, use ABYC standards to know how much you need to offset.

Remember that the sacrificial anodes will break down over time. That's the impact of the corrosion. Eventually, you will need to replace them or add more.

We hope you found this guide to boat corrosion prevention helpful! For more advice or to get your boat serviced, visit Roger's Performance Marine. We can assist with whatever you need, from answering questions to repairing your boat. We have one marine dealership in Centerville, Utah, and serve those in Salt Lake City. We also have a marine dealership in Hurricane, Utah, and serve those in St. George. Stop by your nearest location today!