TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT

A failed riser can ruin a MerCruiser engine fast. It only takes one internal leak for seawater to end up where it should never be, inside the engine. That’s why Mercruiser exhaust manifolds and risers are not parts you ignore until something obvious breaks. They can look fine from the outside while the inside is badly corroded. By the time the temperature gauge climbs, the engine runs rough, or water reaches a cylinder, the repair can move from a parts replacement to a major engine job. If …

We’ve seen boats come in with thousands of dollars worth of corrosion damage because a $40 anode was ignored too long. A corroded lower unit. Pitted prop shafts. Heat exchangers full of damage. Trim tabs eaten away after sitting in a marina for one season. Most of it could have been avoided with the right marine anodes fitted at the right time. That’s the thing with corrosion on boats. You usually don’t notice it until the damage is already done. If your boat lives in saltwater …

Walk down almost any marina in Australia, and you’ll see it. Boats with black rub marks along the hull where dirty fenders have been sitting for months. Usually around the rear quarter or near the bow flare, where the boat moves against the pontoon every day. Most owners don’t notice it straight away. Then one day they wash the boat properly and realise the gelcoat has gone dull where the fenders constantly rub. That’s why good Fender Covers are worth fitting before the damage …