How Sacrificial Anodes Protect Boats – A Simple Explanation
Boats (metal) do not get along well with water.
When metal parts of a boat are in water, they start to corrode, a slow breakdown that can eventually ruin the boat.
To protect boats, we produce and use Nautical Armor sacrificial anodes.
These are special metal pieces, mostly made from zinc or aluminum, that get attached to the boat’s metal parts.
Here’s how they work:
1. Metals, like the steel on a boat, naturally want to lose their electrons when they’re in the water.
Losing electrons leads to corrosion, which in turn leads to boats’ slow destruction.
2. When two different metals (like steel and zinc) are in contact underwater, they create an electric flow.
This flow causes one of the metals—the more reactive one—to corrode faster than the other.
3. Nautical Armor Sacrificial anodes are designed to be the “more reactive” metal.
They lose electrons and corrode instead of the boat’s metal.
The anode “sacrifices” itself to keep the boat safe!
For example:
* Steel in seawater has an electric potential of around -650 mV, while zinc is about -1000 mV.
* Since zinc has a lower potential, it corrodes first, protecting the steel.
* With Nautical Armor sacrificial anodes in place, boats stay as new and safe for much longer.
Contact me at gvapo@nauticalarmor.com for more information or a quote.
