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Corrosion on wedge actuator housing (with pic!)


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Crew,

I've posted a couple times in recent weeks about a used 2017 21 VLX that I am considering purchasing.  I'm moving toward pulling the trigger, but want your opinion on one more thing.  The attached image is of the power wedge actuator.  You can see the significant corrosion.  The surfgate actuators have some corrosion as well, but not quite as bad as the wedge.  My first reaction is that the boat must've been in saltwater at some point but the dealer says the boat never left the state of Kansas....

Nothing else on the exterior is corroded.  It almost seems like whatever material these actuator housings are made of is acting as a sacrificial anode on this boat.

Your thoughts?  How much of a concern is this?  Everything (wedge, surfgates) seems to work fine currently.

Thanks for your input.

wedge acutator.jpg

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28 minutes ago, dtb said:

Crew,

I've posted a couple times in recent weeks about a used 2017 21 VLX that I am considering purchasing.  I'm moving toward pulling the trigger, but want your opinion on one more thing.  The attached image is of the power wedge actuator.  You can see the significant corrosion.  The surfgate actuators have some corrosion as well, but not quite as bad as the wedge.  My first reaction is that the boat must've been in saltwater at some point but the dealer says the boat never left the state of Kansas....

Nothing else on the exterior is corroded.  It almost seems like whatever material these actuator housings are made of is acting as a sacrificial anode on this boat.

Your thoughts?  How much of a concern is this?  Everything (wedge, surfgates) seems to work fine currently.

Thanks for your input.

wedge acutator.jpg

Wow.... Not sure what to say. My last boat (which I had for 11 years) and the wedge and associated parts still looked new.  That boat must of sat in brackish or very minerally water all year (not on a lift)  There is a lot going on there for a boat that is 3 years old.  I'd certainly be asking a few more questions before I handed over any money.  It looks like metallic gel (the blue)... if so I would look for any discoloration from being in kept in the water (you would see it below the water line.)  Maybe someone in Kansas can comment on the water characteristics of the local lake.

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I don't know about eastern Kansas lakes but I've never seen anything like that out of the three lakes I frequent in central and western Kansas. And two of those are known for having really hard water. 

That looks to me more like owner neglect versus blaming the water for causing it.

I don't think the owner frequented my lakes because I don't reorganize the boat.

@mrnate450r thoughts?

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Seems strange that it's only those particular parts.  I would think you would see other underwater parts (or even inside engine compartment) that showed something of the same.  If it's been in Salt or Brackish water, you'll find some indications inside the exhaust flapper or possibly on the trailer.

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On 5/31/2020 at 8:38 PM, dtb said:

It almost seems like whatever material these actuator housings are made of is acting as a sacrificial anode on this boat.

Bingo.  This is typical of long-term submersion with dissimilar metals.  You have aluminum and several grades of stainless steel along with bronze in close proximity, so something is going to lose.  The owner no doubt kept the boat in the water all summer.  A zinc anode or two may have helped.

Personally, I would never put an actuator like that in the water without coating it heavily with LPS-3 or some other brand of waxy protection coating.  You could clean that one up, prime it with zinc chromate, paint it, and then keep it sprayed with LPS-3, and never have a problem with it.  That's after you get a screaming deal because the PO and dealer didn't bother to do the work....

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2 minutes ago, mrnate450r said:

The worst water in Kansas I am aware of is at Wilson.  I've never seen anything like that. 

Do you guys see a lot of boats that are kept in the water long term?

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6 minutes ago, justgary said:

Bingo.  This is typical of long-term submersion with dissimilar metals.  You have aluminum and several grades of stainless steel along with bronze in close proximity, so something is going to lose.  The owner no doubt kept the boat in the water all summer.  A zinc anode or two may have helped.

Personally, I would never put an actuator like that in the water without coating it heavily with LPS-3 or some other brand of waxy protection coating.  You could clean that one up, prime it with zinc chromate, paint it, and then keep it sprayed with LPS-3, and never have a problem with it.  That's after you get a screaming deal because the PO and dealer didn't bother to do the work....

Sort of makes me wonder if the boat had an electrical issue/grounding issue and the batteries were left on all the time (maybe hooked up to a shore charger) which caused the accelerated electrolysis.  I think it is safe to say this is "not normal", there is something going on here.  As justgary said... doesn't mean it is a huge issue and couldn't be solved but it's take a really really really good deal for me to take the risk.

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10 hours ago, justgary said:

Do you guys see a lot of boats that are kept in the water long term?

A few. Most of our lakes are relatively small, 9,000 acres or so, and the marinas are also small.  

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Appreciate all the replies.  I do not know for sure if the boat was moored in the water all season, but I will try to find out.  It makes sense that sitting in the water may have accelerated corrosion, but even if that were the case, there are likely many boats with these actuators or similar on trim tabs, etc. that sit in the water full time.  I"m thinking of bigger boats, day cruisers and the like.  So maybe there is something to the notion that this boat may have a grounding/bonding issue that contributed to accelerated corrosion.  Any advice on how to test for that?

I suppose it is possible, although unlikely, that if the boat was moored in a slip or to a dock long term, there could have been a stray current introduced via power to/from the dock.  As Gregtay said above, maybe hooked up to shore power or a battery tender plugged in long term....

Am I correct that Malibu was/is using Parker actuators for these components in 2017?  I"m trying to research model, etc.

I appreciate Justgary's comments regarding cleaning, priming, painting, and maintaining with LPS-3....if I do end up deciding I'm getting a good deal on this boat :dontknow:

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10 hours ago, dtb said:

I suppose it is possible, although unlikely, that if the boat was moored in a slip or to a dock long term, there could have been a stray current introduced via power to/from the dock.  As Gregtay said above, maybe hooked up to shore power or a battery tender plugged in long term....

Exactly, except not unlikely.  It is very likely that the shore power is bonded at the dock to an earth ground that either runs directly into the water or is so close that it might as well be in the water.  Even if the charger uses a grounded plug, the DC side may not be bonded directly to that ground.  In any event, the boat's battery bonding goes more or less directly to the water through the drive shaft.  It would not take much current at all in a ground loop between the drive shaft and the shore power ground point to cause electrolysis when the boat is left that way 24/7.

10 hours ago, dtb said:

I appreciate Justgary's comments regarding cleaning, priming, painting, and maintaining with LPS-3....if I do end up deciding I'm getting a good deal on this boat :dontknow:

I'm used to seeing boats that are kept in salt water, so my standards aren't the same as most of the folks on this site.  I have to work at keeping things even functional, and I think I mostly succeed at it.  I think that if the wedge works OK on that boat and you can't shove a screwdriver through the housing anywhere, it will clean up and not give you trouble.  The part about the LPS-3 applies no matter what actuator you have in the water, even if it is brand new.

Here's my 1999 Monsoon that I bought in 2013.  I spray the whole thing once or twice a year with Pow'r B'laster.  Everything except the pulleys and belts, from the throttle body to the oil pan.  Then I clean the bilge to keep the overspray from becoming a mess.  It didn't look quite this good when I bought it, but keep in mind that this is after years of salt water use.

rGdZH8V.jpg

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That looks exactly like a current induced galvanic corrosion. Dissimilar metals will corrode in salt water, but much less so in freshwater, unless you have a consistent current applied. The metal of that actuator is a problem waiting to haplen.

We have left boats in our lake for up to 8 months for years on end. I have only seen issues like that in salt water, and usually when power is introduced. As @gregtay said, there is at least a ground issue, or something more. 

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Justgary: Your 1999 Monsoon looks exceptional, especially for saltwater!  I currently own a 2000 Monsoon that would photograph nearly as well as yours, but has never been in salt.  

Gary and Snowman: I have a pretty good understanding of galvanic reactions between dissimilar metals from years in the swimming pool industry.  I guess what I will have to determine with this boat is whether a grounding/bonding issue with the boat itself caused this corrosion, or if it was due to long term exposure to current from another source.  If I were to purchase the boat, it would be kept on a lift year round, batteries removed in the off season.

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I have the same model and year as this one with only 150 hours on it. The longest it had ever sat in the water at one stretch was maybe a week or so. This winter I did notice something like that but a lot less then what is happening here. Only a few spots but it made me wonder what was going on. Is the corrosion also attacking the chrome bracket?

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