Zinc Replacement?

[boatliker]

Some folks say, "Replace your zincs annually no matter what."
Some folks say, "Replace your zincs when they're 50% gone."
What do you say?
How about if your boat is out of the water on a lift most of the year?
I'm interested in your thoughts.

 

[dbsea]

depends on a lot of factors... I keep my boat in fresh water but travel to salt frequently. I use aluminum anodes as a result. Rather than just replace, I have a diver do a dive and clean the bottom of the boat and inspect the anodes every 6 months. If they need replacing, he does them. If not, he just cleans the gunk off of them.

 

[glider4]

Zincs are cheap. You never know when you are going to find yourself in a “hot” marina. I have a trailer that the boats on off season. I change them annually. The thruster zincs are the only ones that can be difficult to change out.

 

[watson1987]

I'm in salt water and have a diver come every six months to clean the hull. The labor is effectively free when he's already there cleaning, so the zincs are replaced every six months. When I move slips around the marina I have him come sooner in case I have a bad neighbor. It's all cheap insurance.

My diver even takes a video of before and after and points out anything else he's found while dealing with the boat.

 

[JeffreyAC77]

Our boat is kept in fresh water most of the year unless we travel in Puget Sound for weekends and longer trips (which we do about 6-8 times per year). We have aluminum anoids. The last time we replaced them was two years ago. I just had them inspected this past weekend and they look like they have another year or more before a change will be necessary. Annual inspection is recommended.