Tony added: > This is not likely because on a steel hull they are normally welded > on and if you try to weld through blacking you either get a fire of > the anode falls off. Even if they tried to weld onto rust I still > think the weld would have "taken" in sufficient places to make a good > electrical connection with the hull - if it hadn't it would have > fallen off.
Yes, I agree entirely with Tony. If the anodes are still attached to the hull (and Terry says that they are because he's seen them) then the odds are that the electrical connection is fine. Don't forget that they protect an area far larger than the immediate vicinity (so the blacking/or not behind them isn't a crucial point, as long as there is electrical connectivity through the mountings to the hull). I still wouldn't be surprised if it is the material of the anodes that is suspect rather than the fixing. I hadn't realised, Terry, that it was another boatyard that had added the anodes after UDI, I thought that you had persuaded/insisted that the builder fit them. Roger
