PICS - Is this electrolysis damage or something else?
#1

Looking for help from people more knowledgeable than me. Is this damage to the lower unit electrolysis damage or something else? If it's electrolysis, could there be more internal motor damage that I'm not seeing? Also, this boat was supposedly dry stack stored so how does this happen on a 2016 boat?



There is minor damage to the skegs that has been repainted. Would this scare anyone off?



There is minor damage to the skegs that has been repainted. Would this scare anyone off?
#5
Admirals Club 


given the chip, it appears that these were run aground?
could be contact damage, paint issue, or electrolysis, hard to tell
could be contact damage, paint issue, or electrolysis, hard to tell
#10

I don't get it. There is a very fresh looking zinc visible in the top pic. That's not electrolysis.
Something is wrong with the paint or the application or the care. It shouldn't do that. Especially if this is rinsed and dry-stored.
What's going on?
I can only guess at things. I notice there is a cover on the sides of the lower leg. My old motor doesn't have that. Is salt water staying up in there and seeping down over time? It looks like it was never rinsed.
My 23 yo Merc doesn't look like that. All the paint is GONE off the skeg, never repainted, bare metal. It was like that when I got it. It's not advancing much at all. There isn't much corrosion around it. Maybe just a bit at the edge of the paint / bare metal border. From there on up, and certainly above the cav plate, all the paint is rock solid. Faded, but still doing it's job. None of that bubbling up blisters with corrosion under it.
Makes me wonder if that one is a factory mistake. Maybe they let the bare metal get exposed to the sea air before the paint got on it. Maybe it was built on a humid day. I can only guess. It should not do that. Certainly not in 3 years. That's crazy.
Is that your boat or one you are just looking at?
If it's yours and it's under warranty it's time to take it back. It should not do that with proper care.
If it's one you're looking at I can understand why it is for sale. That is advancing too quickly to get any kind of good feeling it's a keeper. And if that's what it looks like outside those white side covers, I wonder what it looks like inside. If it looks like that when it's three years old then what's it gonna look like after 6 years or 10?
Something is wrong with the paint or the application or the care. It shouldn't do that. Especially if this is rinsed and dry-stored.
What's going on?
I can only guess at things. I notice there is a cover on the sides of the lower leg. My old motor doesn't have that. Is salt water staying up in there and seeping down over time? It looks like it was never rinsed.
My 23 yo Merc doesn't look like that. All the paint is GONE off the skeg, never repainted, bare metal. It was like that when I got it. It's not advancing much at all. There isn't much corrosion around it. Maybe just a bit at the edge of the paint / bare metal border. From there on up, and certainly above the cav plate, all the paint is rock solid. Faded, but still doing it's job. None of that bubbling up blisters with corrosion under it.
Makes me wonder if that one is a factory mistake. Maybe they let the bare metal get exposed to the sea air before the paint got on it. Maybe it was built on a humid day. I can only guess. It should not do that. Certainly not in 3 years. That's crazy.
Is that your boat or one you are just looking at?
If it's yours and it's under warranty it's time to take it back. It should not do that with proper care.
If it's one you're looking at I can understand why it is for sale. That is advancing too quickly to get any kind of good feeling it's a keeper. And if that's what it looks like outside those white side covers, I wonder what it looks like inside. If it looks like that when it's three years old then what's it gonna look like after 6 years or 10?
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#13

I don't get it. There is a very fresh looking zinc visible in the top pic. That's not electrolysis.
Something is wrong with the paint or the application or the care. It shouldn't do that. Especially if this is rinsed and dry-stored.
What's going on?
I can only guess at things. I notice there is a cover on the sides of the lower leg. My old motor doesn't have that. Is salt water staying up in there and seeping down over time? It looks like it was never rinsed.
My 23 yo Merc doesn't look like that. All the paint is GONE off the skeg, never repainted, bare metal. It was like that when I got it. It's not advancing much at all. There isn't much corrosion around it. Maybe just a bit at the edge of the paint / bare metal border. From there on up, and certainly above the cav plate, all the paint is rock solid. Faded, but still doing it's job. None of that bubbling up blisters with corrosion under it.
Makes me wonder if that one is a factory mistake. Maybe they let the bare metal get exposed to the sea air before the paint got on it. Maybe it was built on a humid day. I can only guess. It should not do that. Certainly not in 3 years. That's crazy.
Is that your boat or one you are just looking at?
If it's yours and it's under warranty it's time to take it back. It should not do that with proper care.
If it's one you're looking at I can understand why it is for sale. That is advancing too quickly to get any kind of good feeling it's a keeper. And if that's what it looks like outside those white side covers, I wonder what it looks like inside. If it looks like that when it's three years old then what's it gonna look like after 6 years or 10?
Something is wrong with the paint or the application or the care. It shouldn't do that. Especially if this is rinsed and dry-stored.
What's going on?
I can only guess at things. I notice there is a cover on the sides of the lower leg. My old motor doesn't have that. Is salt water staying up in there and seeping down over time? It looks like it was never rinsed.
My 23 yo Merc doesn't look like that. All the paint is GONE off the skeg, never repainted, bare metal. It was like that when I got it. It's not advancing much at all. There isn't much corrosion around it. Maybe just a bit at the edge of the paint / bare metal border. From there on up, and certainly above the cav plate, all the paint is rock solid. Faded, but still doing it's job. None of that bubbling up blisters with corrosion under it.
Makes me wonder if that one is a factory mistake. Maybe they let the bare metal get exposed to the sea air before the paint got on it. Maybe it was built on a humid day. I can only guess. It should not do that. Certainly not in 3 years. That's crazy.
Is that your boat or one you are just looking at?
If it's yours and it's under warranty it's time to take it back. It should not do that with proper care.
If it's one you're looking at I can understand why it is for sale. That is advancing too quickly to get any kind of good feeling it's a keeper. And if that's what it looks like outside those white side covers, I wonder what it looks like inside. If it looks like that when it's three years old then what's it gonna look like after 6 years or 10?
#14
Admirals Club 


This seems to be electrical damage. I scraped off the tips of mine and never painted, nothing like this happened.
I had an engine that the anodes were not correctly installed and electrolysis damaged like this, making holes. Perhaps the previous owner raised the engines enough for the zincs to be out of water but not the tips.
This is unlikely a warranty claim.
I had an engine that the anodes were not correctly installed and electrolysis damaged like this, making holes. Perhaps the previous owner raised the engines enough for the zincs to be out of water but not the tips.
This is unlikely a warranty claim.
#15

Yes, you're correct. Must be a wiring issue if the boat was dry stack stored though right? Not sure if it could be a hot harbor if the boat gets pulled for storage. The boat is in Jacksonville FL. I understand the corrosion on the skegs but the paint bubbling on the top of the LU is curious. Maybe from not rinsing the motors or anything. Someone repainted the skegs so I'm trying to find out if that was the dealer or someone else.
#16
Admirals Club 


Looks Like Electrolysis to me - 12v grounding or bonding issue with the motor brackets. Surveyor will mention that. A good marine electrician can track that down for you.
#17
Admirals Club 


Yes, you're correct. Must be a wiring issue if the boat was dry stack stored though right? Not sure if it could be a hot harbor if the boat gets pulled for storage. The boat is in Jacksonville FL. I understand the corrosion on the skegs but the paint bubbling on the top of the LU is curious. Maybe from not rinsing the motors or anything. Someone repainted the skegs so I'm trying to find out if that was the dealer or someone else.
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#18
Admirals Club 

#19
Admirals Club 


couldvbe been changed after the fact
could be the wrong type of anode (zinc v. aluminum etc)
or could not be properly bonded and not sacrificing itself
Last edited by mystery; 04-24-2019 at 12:43 PM.
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