Ground for all pontoon metal?

[rheine]

I was doing some accessory wiring on my old Sanpan pontoon and just for giggles tested the aluminum for a ground reading. Looks like the electrical is independent from the aluminum structure. I had assumed that the motor ground would carry through to the whole boat. Is there anything wrong with using the frame for ground like on a car? What am I missing here?
R

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Ground for all pontoon metal?

I was doing some accessory wiring on my old Sanpan pontoon and just for giggles tested the aluminum for a ground reading. Looks like the electrical is independent from the aluminum structure. I had assumed that the motor ground would carry through to the whole boat. Is there anything wrong with using the frame for ground like on a car? What am I missing here?
R

Electrolysis. Adding current to the hull may cause corrosion to the part's that aren't sacrificial.

 

[BatDaddy1887]

Re: Ground for all pontoon metal?

+1 for what RogersJetboat says....and always use your battery for ground.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: Ground for all pontoon metal?

+1 for RogersJetboat and to answer your other question, the motor should connect the negative to the frame so you must have measured wrong but you never use the frame as a current carrying conductor.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Ground for all pontoon metal?

I worked on a boat that the guy did this and it ruined it, there were millions of tiny pillars of white chalky stuff all over the tubes, each one was a hole in the making.

as others have said boats have closed electrical systems and should be kept that way.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Ground for all pontoon metal?

Also to note. A boat that is emitting stray electrical current isn't the only one that can be damaged by this. Other boats in the area can suffer damage from electrolysis from that one boat. The stray electrical current, combined with the water (especially salt water), and the dissimilar metals on the boat in question along with the dissimilar metals on the other boats in the area all basically form one big battery.