My new Jeanneau lift keel 35 sailboat has just been lifted after 9 months in a marina.
I was horrified to see the supplied anodes had dissolved such that the propeller and lift mechanism require replacement.
What notification of risk should I have been given by Jeanneau, the broker and the marina?

Go back to the person who supplied you the boat. You wouldn’t normally be given any notification on the anode unless they knew it was going to be a problem. It could be a case of too small an anode being fitted in the first place as they normally last about 2 years. It maybe worth informing the authority in charge of the waterways where your boat is moored and asking them to do a water test. They may find a high acidity level which may have caused this unusual occurrence.

Thanks. I have seen and photographed the corroded parts that have several dissimilar metals and an absent but very tiny anode. A warranty claim has apparently been submitted as this will be the first of many failing keels on the Sun Odyssey range.

I also intend to fit a galvanic isolator (I am on shore power) and all possible anodes so the boat will sit slightly lower in the water!

This has been a steep learning experience but thanks for the tips.

Well lets hope you don't have the same problem again and that others will also learn.

It is probably worth checking it again in 6 months or something and if it has done the same thing then it will definatly be to do with the water in the area and worth reporting.

Was there an anode fitted to the hull or just the prop shaft and prop? I have long thought that when boats are supplied there are never enough anodes.

It is true that shore power makes a difference to the rate anodes dissolve. It's to do with electrolysis, which I can't claim to understand, but I do know that if you are attached to shore power a galvanic isolator is recommended. Sorry to disagree with Roxy, but our anodes have never lasted more than a season, which I am told is because of the steel pilings in the marina, which make the water there act as a sort of battery. There should be anodes in the engine and on the prop. It is probably worth having another that you hang over the side of the boat when moored.
A book called Essential Boat Electrics by Pat Manley (Fernhurst, £19.99) has a useful chapter on anodes. As it costs less than an anode (and a lot less than a prop!)it might be a worthwhile investment!

Ours just about make it through a year and we have lots - can't remember how many (estimate 20+ for 17M aluminium boat) but know it took me most of a morning to replace them last summer. Actually checked them today with our ROV and they re in reasonable condition.

We re on sure power when alongside but there is no-one else on the same circuit or close by on shore power. Can't remember the specifics but I m sure there is an issue if boats share the same shore power circuit (like in a marina) - hence the galvanic isolator recommendation.

We have shaft anodes, prop(nut)anodes, rudder anodes and even rope cutter anodes as well as the hull ones.

W.