Axsail
FINDINGS LIBRARY · UNDERWATER GEAR

Through-hull bonding: bond or isolate, and how surveyors write it up

UPDATED 6 NOVEMBER 2026 · 3 EXAMPLE FINDINGS · 2 SOURCES

Why surveyors disagree on bonding through-hulls, what Nigel Calder and Don Casey advise, when a fitting should be bonded, what a surveyor checks and three example findings graded A, B and C.

AT A GLANCE
Through-hull bonding
USUAL GRADE
A for a through-hull or seacock badly corroded or pink from stray current. B for broken or corroded bonding wires, or a mixed system where some fittings are bonded and others aren't. C for a system to document or clean up
FOUND WITH
Following the bonding wires to each through-hull, seacock and underwater fitting, checking each connection, looking at the fittings for corrosion, and asking whether the boat lives on shore power
JUDGED AGAINST
Two respected views. Don Casey in SAIL says fittings that are or can be electrically isolated should not be bonded. Nigel Calder in Good Old Boat says bond any fitting that could be in a stray current path
REPAIR COST
Replacing bonding wires and terminals is small parts and an electrician's time. Replacing a corroded through-hull and seacock means a haul-out

Through-hulls and seacocks are metal holes in the hull, usually bronze. Whether they should be wired together, bonded, to the anodes and the boat's DC negative is one of the longest arguments in boat electrics. A surveyor's job is to see what's fitted, whether it's coherent and whether the fittings are corroding.

The two views

Don Casey, answering in SAIL, says underwater metal that is or can be electrically isolated should not be bonded, and notes bonding has the opposite effect for stray currents in the water, inviting damage. He also notes the ABYC standard recommends tying all underwater metals together for corrosion control.

Nigel Calder, in Good Old Boat, says in general no for bronze in wood or fibreglass hulls, because bonding speeds up zinc consumption and generates alkaline hydroxides. His exception: if a fitting could be part of a stray current path, bond it, because zincs can't stop stray current.

Either system can work. A half-bonded system, with some fittings wired and others not, and corroded wires, usually doesn't.

How a surveyor checks it

Follow the green wires from the bonding strip to each fitting. Check every connection for corrosion and tightness. Look at each through-hull and seacock: pink, pitted bronze means the zinc has gone out of the alloy. Note which fittings are bonded and which aren't, and whether the boat lives on shore power.

What decides the grade

The fittings. Badly corroded or pink fittings are an A, because they can fail. A broken or inconsistent bonding system is a B. A coherent system with good fittings is a C to record.

Through-hull bonding: example findings

The same defect written up at each grade, the way Axsail writes it from what the surveyor says on board. The grade follows what was found, so use these as wording, then grade what you see.

UNDERWATERA
Engine raw water through-hull and seacock

Through-hull and seacock body pink and pitted. Bonding wire to the seacock corroded through at the terminal. Hull anode heavily wasted.

Recommendation: Replace the through-hull and seacock before the vessel is next launched or left afloat, and have the bonding system and stray current checked.

UNDERWATERB
Bonding system, through-hulls

Bonding wires fitted to four of seven through-hulls. Two wires corroded at the terminals. No record of whether the system was designed to be bonded or isolated.

Recommendation: Have an electrician decide on bonding or isolation for the whole system, then repair or remove the wires to suit, within 12 months.

UNDERWATERC
Through-hulls

All through-hulls unbonded and isolated, bronze, in good condition. Boat used without shore power.

Recommendation: Record the isolated system in the boat's papers and check the fittings at each haul-out.

ASafety. Safety or compliance deficiency. Fix before the vessel is next underway.
B12 months. Deficiency that needs timely attention. Fix within about 12 months.
CRoutine. Note or observation, cosmetic or maintenance. Routine maintenance at the owner's convenience.

What the fix costs

Job Reported cost
New bonding wires and terminals Small parts and electrician's time
Removing bonding to isolate fittings Electrician's time
Replacing a through-hull and seacock Haul-out, parts and yard labour
Stray current check Electrician with a reference electrode

Photos to take

Each through-hull and seacock, each bonding connection, and any corrosion close up. With Axsail, say which fittings are bonded as you photograph them and they go on the underwater finding.

Writing it up

List the fittings, which are bonded, the state of each connection and each fitting, and whether the boat uses shore power. Recommend an electrician's decision on the whole system where it's mixed.

Frequently asked

Should through-hulls be bonded?

Experts disagree. Don Casey in SAIL says underwater metal that is or can be electrically isolated should not be bonded. Nigel Calder says in general no for bronze in wood or fibreglass hulls, but bond any fitting that could be part of a stray current path.

What does ABYC say about bonding?

Casey notes the ABYC standard recommends tying all underwater metals together electrically for corrosion control. Many builders follow it, and many surveyors accept a well isolated system as well.

Why not bond bronze through-hulls?

Calder gives two reasons. Bonding bronze speeds up the consumption of the boat's zincs, and the galvanic activity generates alkaline hydroxides round the fitting. Casey adds that bonding can invite damage from stray currents in the water.

When should a through-hull be bonded?

When it could carry stray current. Calder says zincs can't stop stray current, and bonding gives it a path back to battery negative instead of through the fitting into the water.

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Standards it's judged against

ABYC H-27

Seacocks, Thru-Hull Fittings, and Drain Plugs

What ABYC H-27 asks of seacocks, through-hull fittings and drain plugs, the 500 lb strength test, why a ball valve on a through-hull can fail it, what a surveyor checks and how to cite H-27 in a finding.

What surveyors check

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