Aluminum boat electrical field discussion

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Aluminum boat electrical field discussion

"So the water in the area of the boat will become a wide path for current flow that probably would offend marine life, even at a very low voltage. So, I'm not convinced that positively charging a downrigger as mentioned above is a legitimate way to actually prevent offending fish"
the muscle movement of a fish is meant to produce a tiny electrical charge that other fish can sense in water so the charging of the hull (tiny ammount) is meant to be like a meal bell. plus theres meant to be some reduction in corrosion as the electrons are going to the boat rather than being stripped of the hull. do i belive it ....hmmmmm must be something in the corrosion part as the us navy does it but as for the fish i have no idea but im using that as my next excuse of why i didnt catch anything

 

[cutbait76]

Re: Aluminum boat electrical field discussion

Thank you everyone for your input.

The root of my query was that I too have heard of the "boats that don't catch fish" myths and electrical currents.

I will continue on with my quest as it appears there is no preventative measure I can take at this point to elimanate bad "Juju" in the form of electrical fields as I rebuild this aluminum hull.

BTW, my rebuild is in the Starcraft section soon to be updated

 

[pdgs]

Re: Aluminum boat electrical field discussion

First of all Marine Grade Aluminum in the 5000 and 6000 series are alloy's that are designed to fight corrosion in Salt Water. Second the most popular higher end fishing boats are all made from aluminum, go figure. Yes there are high end Glass boats that are used in fishing bays and oceans but the reason for that is the need for a moldable hull to be able to handle the water conditions often present.

100% of the "boats that don't catch fish" myth is bunk. Probably some lousy wanna b fisherman's excuse to his wife for not brining home the bacon after spending a ton of money on tackle and his boat.

As far as the electrical charge from an aluminum boat, if you want to make it go away just paint it with a good 2 part epoxy. If you need an antifouling paint, make sure you use one designed for aluminum hull boats.

Oh, and yes, if you have manual downriggers change them to braid. If you have electric down riggers you can run either.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Aluminum boat electrical field discussion

...The root of my query was that I too have heard of the "boats that don't catch fish" myths and electrical currents.I will continue on with my quest as it appears there is no preventative measure I can take at this point to elimanate bad "Juju" in the form of electrical fields as I rebuild this aluminum hull...

...and the root of the problems with the answer(s) is this is being looked at as restoration/hull/electronics question when it is actually a fishing question.

As you have stated - you already know about how to properly bond and power your boat. So "chances are" that your boat won't necessarily repel fish. That is the hull/electronics component.

The fishing component is that various baitfish presence and various bait activity create an electrical response in the water. Some fish, salmonids in particular, have demonstrated attraction for certain volt ranges: sometimes. And sometimes having a black box can make or break a day on some boats.

If you look at the Protroll instructions you can get the info you are looking for - but the tests they describe are done on the water. Some say the Scotty system is better. I don't know. I know my little MFG is in an OK voltage range and I do not worry about it too much but I do keep my zincs clean and I will also still have a black box someday.