an ounce of prevention...

The issue with this aka is not dis-similar metals, but rather bad e-coating. These should be replaced for you under warranty. Contact your dealer to place a claim.

We anodized most aluminum parts here, but have found very high quality can be achieved with e-coating too. Most black paddle shafts are done this way and those wear very well. There were problems with anodize on these aka parts, so e-coating was chosen.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I,ve only just got my boat a month or so ago Matt and my aka coatings are failing already. There are other threads on this issue. Thank you for confirming the warranty situation which I will take advantage of it if and when mine go like Chekika's have....Pirate

Chris—galvanic corrosion occurs wherever the “unnoble metalâ€

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Does not appear from the pics to be much if any corrosion going on there Chekika. The metal does not look corroded and more like a case of a poor paint job to me...Pirate

[quote]galvanic corrosion occurs wherever the “unnoble metalâ€

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Your on the money there Chris. Just a case of bad paint job...Pirate

My thinking, and I am average guy looking at the situation, is that the paint job may be poor or damaged at some point or points, allowing salt water access which is causing surface corrosion accentuated by the galvanic cell action, which further weakens the paint attachment, which allows more salt water intrusion. It is a "vicious cycle."

What is causing the bubbing appearance under the paint? I get bubbling up under the paint on my trailer and that is obviously due to corrosion (my observation.) It may not be corrosion on the akas, but corrosion is the first thought that came to mind.

Chris, it is hard to say that exposed area is not corroding--it is a surface phenomenon and that surface is continually being abrasively cleaned. The painted areas just look worse because the paint is bubbling up and coming off.

We may be arguing nickels and dimes (US coins). It could be bad paint which is permitting corrosion, etc--the vicious cycle mentioned above. Our arguments are not all that different, since you suggest saltwater is getting under the paint....

This thread is titled "An ounce of prevention..." I keep thinking an ounce of zinc may be the prevention needed. It is possible, and this may be the Hobie engineer thinking, that aluminum and zinc are so close together in the galvanic series that zinc will not offer the usual protection.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

As I said, this "corrosion" discussion is interesting. Apparently powder coating of aluminum is another way to protect aluminum in marine environments. So, I googled powder coating. There is an interesting thread at http://www.finishing.com/245/16.shtml.

The thread starts with the following: We have developed a line of indoor seating which utilizes aluminum stanchions. These stanchions are powder coated and we've been satisfied with the finish in that application. We are now trying to qualify this product for Outdoor applications and have run them through 500 hours of Salt Spray.

The salt spray tested parts showed significant peeling and blistering of the coating. It appeared that wherever the coating was compromised (ie: nick or ding), corrosion started and then worked it's way under the coating. Do you have any recommendations for powder coating aluminum for outdoor applications?

Sounds a lot like our discussion. And, people do have suggestions for solving the problem.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Probably no one is reading this by now. In any case here is another thread on powder coating of aluminum: http://www.finishing.com/322/04.shtml

Again, here is the start of the thread: We do lots of aluminum work around salt water. Everything we do gets sandblasted and powdercoated. We now are seeing corrosion forming under the powdercoat , blistering , and peeling .

We do use stainless steel hardware (screws , etc.)and we know that this is a bad mix but the only alternative is steel hardware which rust almost overnight.The blisters are not just around the screw areas though, it is all over.

Again, sounds a lot like the problem that I and others are observing with the akas.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

That thread you posted was more of a question Keith and the answer below is:

Your problem is definitely pretreatment, at least the bubbling and lack of adhesion. Aluminum must be chemically treated prior to powder coating to get any kind of outdoor performance at all. Look to a good chemical company to provide you with a fluoride bearing treatment and a reactive non-chrome final rinse. Then get clean rinse water and you're all set. If you don't have all the equipment for that consider jobbing the powder coating out to someone who does. It'll be cheaper in the long run.

If the surface is prepared correctly powder-coating is very effective and very cost effective...Pirate

Pirate,

I did not make my point clear. I wanted to point out the description of the problem. In the first quote: The salt spray tested [aluminum] parts showed significant peeling and blistering of the coating. It appeared that wherever the coating was compromised (ie: nick or ding), corrosion started and then worked it's way under the coating.

In the second quote: We do lots of aluminum work around salt water…We now are seeing corrosion forming under the powdercoat , blistering , and peeling …We do use stainless steel hardware (screws , etc.) and we know that this is a bad mix….

As in these examples, I have extensive corrosion under the paint of the akas and Xbars leading to blistering and peeling.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon