Canadian Yachting April 2018 - 25

"A ll o f th e e n g in e m a n u fa c tu re rs n o w
p u t a lu m in u m a n o d e s o n th e ir p ro d u c t,"
sa ys M ic h a e l S zw e z, w ith C a n a d ia n a n o d e
m a n u fa c tu re r C a n a d a M e ta l P a c ific
(C M P )." H e sh o u ld k n o w , sin c e C M P
m a k e s a n o d e s fo r v irtu a lly e v e ry m a jo r
e n g in e b u ild e r in th e m a rin e in d u stry.
"M e rc u ry, B R P , H o n d a , S u zu k i, Y a m a h a ,
V o lv o P e n ta - a ll o f th e m u se a lu m in u m .
It's b y fa r th e m o st e ffe c tiv e a n o d e m a te ria l th e re is."
T h e g re a te st b e n e fit to a lu m in u m o v e r
tra d itio n a l zin c is th a t m o d e rn a llo y s sim p ly a llo w a lu m in u m a n o d e s to d o a b e tte r
jo b o f re a c tin g in th e w a te r to fo c u s c o rro sio n o n th e m se lv e s. B e y o n d th a t, a lu m in u m a n o d e s la st u p to 5 0 p e rc e n t
lo n g e r th a n zin c a n o d e s o f c o m p a ra b le
size . A lu m in u m is a lso m u c h lig h te r in
w e ig h t th a n zin c , a n d m o st im p o rta n tly,
it's c o m p le te ly n o n -to xic . T h e re re a lly
isn 't a d o w n sid e , w h ic h is w h y a lu m in u m
a n o d e s a re c o n sid e re d to b e a p re m iu m
p ro d u c t c o m p a re d to th e o ld -sty le zin c s.
Iro n ic a lly, th e g re a te r life sp a n o f a lu m in u m a n o d e s h a s le d to sa le s re sista n c e
w h e n b o a te rs c o m e to b u y re p la c e m e n ts.
"A lu m in u m d o e sn 't e ro d e a n y w h e re n e a r
a s q u ic k ly a s zin c d o e s, so c u sto m e rs lo o k
a t th e a n o d e a n d th in k it isn 't w o rk in g ,"
sa y s S zw e z. "If a n y th in g , w e h a v e n 't d o n e
a g o o d jo b o f c o m m u n ic a tin g th e fa c t th a t
a lu m in u m a n o d e s sim p ly la st lo n g e r."
T h e c o m p a n y a lso n e e d s to d o a b e tte r
jo b o f te a c h in g c u sto m e rs th a t n o t a ll a lu m in u m a n o d e s a re th e sa m e , sa y s C M P
p re sid e n t, Jo h n M itc h e ll. T h e b e st
a n o d e s a re e ith e r m a d e fro m v irg in a lu m in u m , o r re c y c le d fro m h ig h -q u a lity
a llo y s th a t m ig h t h a v e b e e n o rig in a lly
u se d in p re c isio n e q u ip m e n t o r a s h ig h
v o lta g e p o w e r lin e s.
"It's o n e th in g to re p u rp o se p re m iu m
a llo y, a n d q u ite a n o th e r to m e lt d o w n lo w g ra d e sc ra p ," sa ys M itc h e ll. "It so u n d s
u n b e lie va b le , b u t th e re a re su p p lie rs o u t
th e re w h o b u y o ld , u se d -u p a n o d e s fro m
sh ip ya rd s, m e lt th e m d o w n , th e n se ll th e m
rig h t b a c k to th e sa m e sh ip ya rd s th e y
so u rc e d th e m fro m . N o o n e is a n y th e
w ise r u n til th e n e xt h a u l-o u t, a n d th a t's
w h e n th e fin g e r-p o in tin g sta rts. W e se ll
a n o d e s to a n u m b e r o f b u ye rs a ro u n d th e
w o rld in c lu d in g m ilita ry c u sto m e rs, so w e

u se d A n o d e s.

w e ll u s e d A n o d e .

a d h e re to a stric t IS O 9 0 0 1 Q u a lity
M a n a g e m e n t S y ste m , a n d o u r a llo ys a re
c h e m ic a lly te ste d c o n sta n tly, so th e y're
g u a ra n te e d to m e e t th e m o st strin g e n t
sp e c ific a tio n s. O th e rw ise , w ith o u t so m e
so rt o f th ird -p a rty q u a lity c e rtific a tio n ,
h o w d o yo u k n o w w h a t y o u 're g e ttin g ?"
C M P a p p lie s th e sa m e q u a lity fo c u s to
its m a g n e siu m a n o d e s, w h ic h p ro vid e a n
e v e n m o re e ffe c tive o p tio n fo r b o a ts th a t
o p e ra te stric tly in fre sh w a te r. M a g n e siu m
o ffe rs a n e xtre m e ly a c tiv e e le c tro -c h e m ic a l
vo lta g e ra n g e , g iv in g it a su b sta n tia l p ro te c tio n e d g e th a t su rp a sse s th a t o f zin c a n d
e v e n a lu m in u m .
"In fre sh w a te r, n o th in g b e a ts m a g n e siu m ," n o te s S zw e z. "W e d o n 't re c o m m e n d
m a g n e siu m in sa ltw a te r e n v iro n m e n ts
b e c a u se it's to o e ffe c tive , to th e p o in t it
d isso lv e s a n d d isa p p e a rs in su c h a sh o rt
tim e it c o u ld le a ve th e h u ll te m p o ra rily
u n p ro te c te d if th e o w n e r d o e sn 't n o tic e . In
sa ltw a te r, it d isso lve s lik e a n a n ta c id ta b le t.
B u t in fre sh w a te r, it's fa r a n d a w a y th e b e st
p ro te c tio n yo u c a n g e t."
B o th a lu m in u m a n d m a g n e siu m n o t
o n ly o u t-p e rfo rm tra d itio n a l zin c a n o d e s,
b u t th e y 're a lso le ss e xp e n siv e . T h e c o st
o f zin c h a s in c re a se d su b sta n tia lly in
re c e n t y e a rs, risin g fro m a le v e l o f a p p ro xim a te ly U S $ 0 .7 0 p e r p o u n d in D e c e m b e r
2 0 1 5 , to a p p ro x im a te ly U S $ 1 .4 4 p e r
p o u n d to d a y. "Z in c c o sts h a v e b a sic a lly
d o u b le d ," sa y s S zw e z. "B e y o n d th a t, it's a
h e a v y m a te ria l so w a re h o u sin g is a p a in ,
a n d th e sh ip p in g c o sts a re e n o rm o u s. Y o u
c o u ld p ro b a b ly ju stify th e e xp e n se if it
w a s a p re m iu m p ro d u c t, b u t it isn 't.
A lu m in u m a n d m a g n e siu m a re b o th
m u c h b e tte r a lte rn a tiv e s, a n d th e y 're b o th

le ss e xp e n siv e ."
S o , n o n -to xic a lte rn a tiv e s w o rk b e tte r
th a n zin c , la st lo n g e r th a n zin c , a n d c o st
le ss th a n zin c . W h y o n e a rth d o w e k e e p
u sin g th e to xic stu ff?
G E T T IN G T H E w O R D O u T
S zw e z n o te s th a t a lth o u g h C M P h a s so ld
n o n -to xic a n o d e s fo r a lo n g tim e , zin c
c o n tin u e s to re p re se n t a b o u t 6 0 p e rc e n t
o f its to ta l a n o d e sa le s. T o h e lp c h a n g e
th a t, th e c o m p a n y h a s c o m e u p w ith n e w
p a c k a g in g th a t h e sa y s b e tte r c o m m u n ic a te s th e a d v a n ta g e s o f its p re m iu m a lu m in u m a n d m a g n e siu m a lte rn a tiv e s.
T h e y 're a lso w o rk in g w ith th e ir d istrib u tio n n e tw o rk to h e lp g e t th e w o rd o u t.
"T h e b ig th in g is, w e h a v e to le t p e o p le
k n o w th e re a re a lte rn a tiv e s to zin c th a t
w o rk b e tte r a n d c o st le ss," h e sa y s. "W h e n
a b o a te r w a lk s in to th e p a rts c o u n te r th e y
ju st sa y, I n e e d n e w zin c s, a n d th a t's e xa c tly w h a t th e y g e t. W e n e e d to c h a n g e th a t,
a n d m a k e p e o p le a w a re th a t th e y 're n o t
stu c k w ith th is stu ff." *

w w w .c a n a d ia n y a c h t in g .c a

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting April 2018
