February 22, 2015
We’re back in the water after our haulout, waiting for our arch to be completed. While out of the water, we replaced our Maddox anodes again. If you’re not using Maddox, you should be.
Maddox is an anode material made in Australia. We first put it on our boat two years ago. The Maddox anodes easily last a year and would probably go two years. (It’s so nice to not worry about checking and replacing anodes while out cruising!) The voltage potential between the rest of the boat’s metal and the Maddox anode is lower than zinc but offers plenty of protection. We first started using it in New Zealand where an electrician told us we had too much zinc and that was the cause of the paint falling off our keel. Since Maddox, that problem is history.
It comes in limited shapes and sizes. The first time we put it on, we bought one big plate and our sparky (down-under-speak for electrician) cut it into hull anodes and Max Prop anodes – enough of them for two years. This year, we did something different. I had a stainless plate made to hold their little, round anode on the prop and bought the wedge shape for the hull. Here’s what it looks like…
You can find the manufacturer’s website here:
http://www.marineprotectionsystems.com.au/products/maddox-anodes
(That paint you see on our prop is Propspeed and I have mixed feelings about it. It doesn’t last a year. I guess it helps keep the prop clean for a while but I wonder if bottom paint wouldn’t do a better job and last longer. It’s kind of expensive at $100 to $200 to have applied. This is our third year using it. I may not next year.)
Update: February 2016
The prop Maddox anode lasted one year easily. We replaced it during your haul out. It might have made another year, but barely. The hull anode was great and will easily go another year. I’m still thrilled with Maddox. I’m still on the fence about Propspeed but we put it on again anyway.
Update: In February of 2022, we were unable to get the little, round maddox anodes. Instead, we had some cast. Here’s the story along with an update on how they worked out.
