Answer
May 31, 2023 - 04:10 AM
Raw water
Sea water (colloquially known as lake water, raw water in the marine industry and “the surrounding water source” in technical documents) is what the boat is floating on regardless of its salinity. This is a term that seems to have gotten it’s start in the the 70s and we’re unsure of the etymology. The older the boater, the more likely you are to hear this term. :-).
Fresh water
Another terms from the 70s, the term fresh water represents Antifreeze or glycol used in the engine. It’s the same thing that is used in your car engine to help transfer heat a little better and also to prevent corrosion of the radiator. Antifreeze is used in the same way for marine engines and can reduce engine temps near 5 degrees F in head to head studies. This has become much more common since GM changed to aluminum blocks and heads in some marine engines circa 2015. This keeps your engine block, heat exchanger, and possibly manifolds from seeing the corrosion effects of seawater reacting with aluminum engine components (heads , some exhaust components and sometimes engine blocks for some OEMs) which came about circa 2015 replacing the iron that is typically used for manifolds and risers.
Zinc (Sacrificial Anode)
A boat “zinc” is another colloquial term that we think started around the 1930s . This is likely because more often than not the metal used was zinc. So much like a copier was a xerox back in the 70s, the term zinc became the common term for sacrificial anodes used on boats. Zincs were originally used as sacrificial anodes because the electro potential.
As we’ve become smarter these anodes are found in three primary metal types:
Zinc is used for salt water conditions
Aluminum is used for brackish water conditions
Magnesium is used for freshwater conditions.
The metals are changed based on the type of water because the electrolytes in the water transfer much better in salt water and scale down to the point that magnesium, which has a much higher electropotential protects the other metals on a boat much better in fresh water. They will oxidize before the other metals on the boat such as brass and copper in a state of corrosion and or electrolysis
©2023 Mr. Cool Marine LLC
Sea water (colloquially known as lake water, raw water in the marine industry and “the surrounding water source” in technical documents) is what the boat is floating on regardless of its salinity. This is a term that seems to have gotten it’s start in the the 70s and we’re unsure of the etymology. The older the boater, the more likely you are to hear this term. :-).
Fresh water
Another terms from the 70s, the term fresh water represents Antifreeze or glycol used in the engine. It’s the same thing that is used in your car engine to help transfer heat a little better and also to prevent corrosion of the radiator. Antifreeze is used in the same way for marine engines and can reduce engine temps near 5 degrees F in head to head studies. This has become much more common since GM changed to aluminum blocks and heads in some marine engines circa 2015. This keeps your engine block, heat exchanger, and possibly manifolds from seeing the corrosion effects of seawater reacting with aluminum engine components (heads , some exhaust components and sometimes engine blocks for some OEMs) which came about circa 2015 replacing the iron that is typically used for manifolds and risers.
Zinc (Sacrificial Anode)
A boat “zinc” is another colloquial term that we think started around the 1930s . This is likely because more often than not the metal used was zinc. So much like a copier was a xerox back in the 70s, the term zinc became the common term for sacrificial anodes used on boats. Zincs were originally used as sacrificial anodes because the electro potential.
As we’ve become smarter these anodes are found in three primary metal types:
Zinc is used for salt water conditions
Aluminum is used for brackish water conditions
Magnesium is used for freshwater conditions.
The metals are changed based on the type of water because the electrolytes in the water transfer much better in salt water and scale down to the point that magnesium, which has a much higher electropotential protects the other metals on a boat much better in fresh water. They will oxidize before the other metals on the boat such as brass and copper in a state of corrosion and or electrolysis
©2023 Mr. Cool Marine LLC
