Outdrive Paint


F

Fantic

New member
While getting the boat ready this year, I noticed that I'm starting to get a little corrosion on the outdrives. This is our second year with the boat. It appears the PO painted the outdrives with antifouling paint. I thought this type of paint needs to stay away from the outdrives? That is why there is a 1" gap around them. I'm new to this type of paint. The boat sits in a fresh water lake about 7 months a year. I just replaced the anodes last year. So what do I need to do to fix this.

Outdrive.jpg
 
Fantic,
This a very sore subject for a lot of people because there is really nothing you can do to prevent this from happening. I have done it all many times and found that Merc does not care about its customers and will not help with any issues. For this reason, I have switched to Volvo Penta.
Best advice is to keep up with your magnesium anodes every year and check your bonding. Replace the drives when the carrier bearing starts to leak because the case is rotted away. Repairing and repainting will not work nor does it help. POR15 does not work either. Filling in the pits with JB Weld does not work either. If you find a way to stop the galvanic corrosion, please let us know.
 
Magnesium anodes?

Check the Mercathode for proper operation

Make sure the outdrive bonding wires are intact

New Anodes . . . make sure to use the external tooth washers for good electrical contact.

Any stray electrical current in the water?

The outdrive paint should not matter. If you want you could prep & re-paint the outdrives just to clean them up.
 
Yes to the Magnesium anodes. I had both drives pulled last year for maintenance, and asked them to check the Mercathode. I never have had to plug the boat in. So it could be stray voltage at the marina. Getting ready to launch in a couple of weeks. So for this season just clean the spots up with a brass or stainless brush and paint?
 
Paint will make it look more presentable but realy does nothing for protection. I have tried all of the top brands and found that the cheap rattle cans of black acrylic enamel seem to last the longest.
 
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