Zinc Question

[DiverDan]

Quick question that I cannot find any reference to, I am refitting a 1970 32' Hankins into a Dive Boat. The electrical system is grounded to the bell housing, but then there is another heavy lead that runs from the housing to a fairly dissolved zinc that just sits in the bilge. Is this common? I have not found any references to doing this anywhere. The zinc seems to be doing a job because it is quite dissolved. Typically the area where the zinc is positioned is wet, so I can understand some corrosion, but is this a normal or at least heard of practice? There is an old copper/bronze grounding plate on the keel, would I be better off connecting this lead to the plate?

Thanks,

d

[Bob Cleek]

The zinc may well have been somehow related to keeping the more noble grounding plate alive. The grounding plate was probably left over from an old pre-VHF AM radiotelephone installation. I'd consider removing the grounding plate, the zinc and the whole damn thing. I'm not a big fan of bonding. Lots of discussion in here about it over the years... pro and con.