Enertia not for saltwater use?

[galeon]

My Enertia propeller looks terrible after only 11 days of use getting rough in the surface. Are the "new super-strong X7 stainless steel alloy" not for use in saltwater? Will the corrosion affect the performance and durability?


Best regards

Brian

 

[hwsiii]

Re: Enertia not for saltwater use?

Brian, my first thought is you have a Major electrical problem on your boat or a boat next to yours. I can't imagine ANY SS prop showing that kind of degradation in 11 days. You need to do some testing with an electrical meter and find where the problem is. IN theory they could have made an error in the composition of the metals used in the prop, but NORMALLY the kind of changes you are showing in 11 days can only be caused by stray electrical currents not being bonded correctly.


H

 

[galeon]

Re: Enertia not for saltwater use?

The zink anodes seems to work and there are no eroding on the shaft or any where else. Picture 1 2 and 3

By a coincidence I found that by scratching on the rough surface with a fingernail I quite easy came through the gray layer. Underneath the propeller still have a mirror like surface??? Picture 4

The boat is new and on a trailer. It has 48 engine hours. The first 20 hours with a Mirage Plus. The Mirage shows minor signs of corosion as rust close to the edge. Not something that I was worried about. Picture 5

The eroded Enertia was not in the right pitch. I have received a new Enertia from the boat dealer but I am not sure that I want it now showing these signs. The dealer has no experiences with propellers of the X7 material.

 

[hwsiii]

Re: Enertia not for saltwater use?

Galeon, it is your boat and it is up to you, but I will tell you again that if that boat has been in the water for 180 days straight and not on a trailer, that zinc anode on the trim tab should not be showing anywhere near the amount of erosion that it has in it. IF your boat has not been in the water for an extended time near an electrical cable in the water creating an electrical field because of stray currents created by water intrusion in the cable, or a boat next to yours that the ground circuit has not been hooked up right, it is your boat creating the electrical field that is eating up the zincs and creating a problem with your props. I have not looked up the new X7 alloy yet, but I can tell you by looking at the zincs that either something on your boat is not bonded correctly or the zincs have been on the trim tabs in the water for a minimum of 6 months continuously, and I don't mean on the trailer, or it has been in the water next to a BAD electrical field from another boat or an electrical cable that has eaten the zinc up.
There is a possibility that the anode on the other trim tab is not showing as much erosion as this one is, if that is the case, theoretically you need to be looking on the side of the boat where the erosion is real bad.
I lived on a 43' boat and a 38' for over 6 years and I have seen this before, but I am just trying to help you, so take it for what you think it is worth.


H

 

[ScottinAZ]

Re: Enertia not for saltwater use?

Looks to me like the anode is plating the prop with the zinc. I agree with hwsii that you should check for a grounding issue. Its a simple test, and normally a simple solution. Most likely something with the charging system on the engine. Clean and check all grounds, and I bet this problem goes away as quickly as it came on.

 

[galeon]

Re: Enertia not for saltwater use?

The boat has not been in the water all in all for more than 20 days. The corosion on the zink is the same on the other trimtab.

I have had different trailer boats for the last 12 years sailing in the same area. And I have never seen so much erosion on the zink anodes on the other boats. Infact I have never had to replace a zink on any of my boats.

But a guy told me that the strong erosion on my zinks on this boat was just a sign that they worked as they should.

I will talk to dealer

Thank you H and Invader

 

[hwsiii]

Re: Enertia not for saltwater use?

IT is definitely NOT wired right, hope he fixes it for you.


H

 

[180shabah]

Re: Enertia not for saltwater use?

IT is definitely NOT wired right, hope he fixes it for you.

Agreed - find the current, fix the problem.