anode or not

[emuboooo]

I bought a wooden folkboat from '64 a few years ago. It had no anodes attached to the hull, so I kept with that, but now I am wondering if that is an good idea?
The boat has an outboard engine, iron keel

[Zane Lewis]

This is one of those areas that every expert disagrees on. To anode, to over anode, to wire every fitting in to a common earth and anode.

Is your OB out of the water most of the time?
How much metal and what types of metal are in contact with the water. ( Salt water)
What type of metal fastenings do you have in the hull. Is the hull traditional plank where the planks will be wet or is it a sealed epoxy comosite construction.

It could be that if you have only a small number of bronze skin fittings and no prop or hardware in the water they are adequately protected by the large amount of iron in the keel.
When you have a large more nobel metal such as a lead keel in contact with sea water then the Bronze can be attacted and so needs an annode.

Now here is a problem as too much annode can accelerate plating from bronze to the zinc anode.

Good luck and I hope you find some good information. I would hazard that if it has lasted this long without an anode then you have time to think about it. But do check out the condition of hidden fastenings as they may have been acting as an annode slowly for a number of years and may let go when you least need them too

Zane

[Canoeyawl]

Bronze is more noble than iron or lead, the keel will act as an anode...your copper fastenings will be fine… Beware the keel bolts though.

[emuboooo]

I am not sure if the boat had anodes before all time - there where none when I bought it and I forgot to ask.

the hull is lapstrake, chopper nails
iron keel and keelbolts (the bottom of the bilge shows a layer of rust.
the outboard is out of the water