Why Are My Anodes Disappearing So Fast?

Sun, 24 May 2026 17:31:57 +0000

This week Impavidus comes out of the water for the usual haul-out jobs — cleaning back the Coppercoat, polishing the topsides and checking everything underneath the boat.

But while inspecting the underwater gear, we discovered something that genuinely surprised me.

One set of anodes was disappearing far faster than expected… and the reason turned out to be something I suspect many saildrive and shaft-drive owners may never even have considered.

In this video we look at:
⚓ Saildrive and propeller anodes
⚓ Zinc vs aluminium anodes
⚓ Rope cutters and electrical continuity
⚓ Galvanic corrosion explained simply
⚓ Why some anodes disappear much faster than others
⚓ The importance of electrically isolated propellers

We also explain how certain rope cutter and shaft arrangements can unintentionally create an electrical path between underwater components, dramatically changing how the protection system behaves.

As always, this is a real-world investigation aboard SV Impavidus — practical engineering, diagnostics and problem-solving aboard a liveaboard cruising yacht.

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#sailing #boatmaintenance #anodes #galvaniccorrosion #liveaboard #saildrive #boatwork #coppercoat #sailinglife

Sail Safe Guys, Ant & Cid XX 🇬🇧 ⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️
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👋 We’re Ant & Cid aboard SV Impavidus – two adventurers sailing full-time since 2018. From stormy crossings to quiet anchorages (and plenty of dad jokes), we share family-friendly stories of life at sea 🌊
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