SD-20 Zinc Anodes
Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2020 12:47 pm
This may be a duplicate thread . . .
I would describe myself as a diligent J 109 owner when it comes to maintaining my boat. That said, I rely on a professional boat yard to make sure that all of the mechanical issues on the boat are addressed - including complete maintenance in and out of season. I also use a diver to make sure that the bottom stays clean - report any issues - and change the zincs.
I have hull #250 - I bought new in 2005.
Last spring it was discovered that the inside of my sail drive was completed corroded and the drive needed to be replaced. I know anything below the waterline is not meant to last forever - but I go out of my way to make sure that everything is checked over closely and a continuous basis. I even dropped a zinc grouper overboard for safety sake.
What I did not know - is that for at least over five years or more - the zinc anode located at the the top of the saildrive (not the one by the folding prop) had not been changed. When I discovered in a later SD-20 manual that there was an anode at the top of the drive that needed to be changed while the boat was out of the water - I was told that my older version of the SD-20 only had one anode near the prop.
Thanks to the miracle of the internet, I was of course able to locate the old manual for the original SD-20 installed on my boat. Not surprisingly, there was also another zinc anode located on top of the old drive.
Whether or not who this would have completely protected the internal portion of the drive - who knows. But it was frustrating to know that this had gone unchecked by professional Yanmar mechanics for years.
Needless to say replacing the drive was not an inexpensive exercise.
This is for those of you, who like me, are not that mechanically inclined and are reliant on making sure the yard covers the boat from stem to stern every winter - and maintained during the summer.
I would describe myself as a diligent J 109 owner when it comes to maintaining my boat. That said, I rely on a professional boat yard to make sure that all of the mechanical issues on the boat are addressed - including complete maintenance in and out of season. I also use a diver to make sure that the bottom stays clean - report any issues - and change the zincs.
I have hull #250 - I bought new in 2005.
Last spring it was discovered that the inside of my sail drive was completed corroded and the drive needed to be replaced. I know anything below the waterline is not meant to last forever - but I go out of my way to make sure that everything is checked over closely and a continuous basis. I even dropped a zinc grouper overboard for safety sake.
What I did not know - is that for at least over five years or more - the zinc anode located at the the top of the saildrive (not the one by the folding prop) had not been changed. When I discovered in a later SD-20 manual that there was an anode at the top of the drive that needed to be changed while the boat was out of the water - I was told that my older version of the SD-20 only had one anode near the prop.
Thanks to the miracle of the internet, I was of course able to locate the old manual for the original SD-20 installed on my boat. Not surprisingly, there was also another zinc anode located on top of the old drive.
Whether or not who this would have completely protected the internal portion of the drive - who knows. But it was frustrating to know that this had gone unchecked by professional Yanmar mechanics for years.
Needless to say replacing the drive was not an inexpensive exercise.
This is for those of you, who like me, are not that mechanically inclined and are reliant on making sure the yard covers the boat from stem to stern every winter - and maintained during the summer.