Time to change your Varifold Folding Propeller anodes

LEESBURG, Va. - Nov. 14, 2014 - PRLog -- You have just hauled your boat out of the water and you check the propellers, only to notice the anodes need to be replaced.  You know that the propellers are Varifold folding sailboat propellers, whether it is a shaft or sail drive type propeller, the diameter and how many blades it has?  However there may not be much left of the Zinc anode to help with the identification!

So your anode, or what remains of it is a sliver of zinc around the anode holder.  It is way past the time to change your anodes.  Remember, if the anode is not in good working order, any stray current generated on the boat will turn the propeller into the anode and the erosion will be on much more expensive items.  There is no hard and fast rule however to the wear rate.  Some boat owners will use an anode a season, some considerably more.  Factors that cause this include parking next to a steel or a wood pier, onboard electronics that remain plugged in while at the pier (TV, AC), earth problems with the engine, and so on.  I am working on a post to identify the common causes of cathodic erosion / protection to help owners protect their Varifold folding propellers, and their boats, better.

King Propulsion recently added a great post about identifying the different types of Varifold folding sailboat propeller anodes including photos, descriptions and sizes.  The post can be found at www.kingpropulsion.com/blog