another aluminum outboard problem....

[jawz12]

just finished a big job in the shop today...it's a 23 grady gulfstream,a full transom boat with a "grady drive"...these grady drives are made from aluminum.aluminum can not be painted with a copper based antifouling paint,it WILL cause a galvanic reaction-remember that whole dissimilar metals thing ???
this can be avoided...USE the correct paint for aluminum..
i see countless bracket equipped boats incorrectly painted,you're asking for trouble !! it will cost you,and i promise,it won't be cheap either...
here's what galvanci corrosion looks like...




not good huh ???
once the aluminum becomes galvanically corroded,it loses it's mass,meaning,it's structually weakened,meaning,it needs to be replaced !! read that as expensive !!

here's what i repalce aluminum brackets with...it's a hermco bracket,it's made from fiberglass and it's the best availible !! there are no better !!



these brackets will provide flotation,due to the displacement of the "tub".

take a close look at the next picture,it shows the correct way to paint around engines...



aluminum parts need to have at least a 1" gap between them and a copper based antifouling paint,if not,it will cause a galvanic reaction...
if your paint doesn't look like this,it's wrong and it needs to be corrected...
do me a favor guys,if your rig is painted incorrectly,take care of it now !!!

and yes,that's water on the ground from inside that bracket-it was filled with water...not good huh ???