Sacrificial anode question/concern

[stevenk2]

I was installing my Thrust Vector X this weekend, and when working on the anode relocation bracket, I managed to torque off the bolt heads when trying to reinstall the anode. The bolts weren't cross-threaded or anything like that, I was just using too much force as I was torqueing them down, and with the bolts being zinc, they just sheared off. The housing is fine, so I'm not worried about any kind of damage there, but what I am concerned about is running without an anode. Are there any options for mounting (a smaller) one on the starboard side without interfering with the steering cable? Or do I not need to worry about replacing it unless I go into salt water?

 

[shrivel]

In nice fresh water, an anode isn't generally necessary. Just make sure you're rinsing everything off really good once you pull it in after use. Even in salt water, I wouldn't let the fact that it fell off get in the way of any fun - again, just make sure you rinse the whole pump assembly off really well and flush it out completely and spray it down with some silicone or WD-40 to get the moisture out of all the cracks. If you run in salt water a lot, just replace it when you can.

 

[BigAbe75]

I did the same thing. Spent a fair bit of time trying to drill into the bolt to set a reverse bit for removal, but never could get it. Finally, just left it off. Someday, I may buy a new housing... they aren’t that much. But, for now I’m not going to worry about it.

 

[stevenk2]

Thanks - I was doing some reading about how they work and why you need one (especially in salt or brackish water), but I trailer up and clean the boat after each day on the water, so it sounds like it shouldn't be an issue. I also only boat on freshwater lakes. It was just surprising to me at how easily the bolt head torqued off. I definitely didn't have it cross-threaded, and I didn't think I was putting that much force on the rachet handle, but obviously it was too much. I guess I could see where they decided to make the bolt out of a softer metal so there was no chance of overtightening it or getting it cross-threaded and ruining the housing by cracking it or something like that.

My other thought (in lieu of trying to drill out the bolts on the port side) was to find a smaller round anode that would fit on the starboard side of the housing in the upper bolt hole that wouldn't interfere with the steering cable. Not sure how big of a struggle that would be to find one the exact right fit for that space though. Regardless, probably a non-issue in my case - I'll probably just end up running the boat without one.