salt water damage questions....

I thought I had posed this question but can't seem to find the thread.....I'm in the market for another boat (bigger!) like a Rinker 270...most of these boats have lived in salt water to some degree. When I'm looking in the adds I often read "recently replaced manifold and riser".....then it occurs to me that a lot of these boats sit at a dock outside someones house either on lifts or in the water. How do these folks flush the salt water out of these or, are the ones I'm reading about that have replaced the manifold and risers the folks that don't flush the motors and is that the cause to replace those components? Is this necessarly a sign of poor maintenance or is this something that just goes along with having a boat like this? I'll be taking my boat over to cayo costa for a week and my boat will be in the water- there is no way to pull it out of the water once there and when I get home I really go after the boat to clean it out as best I can.

Re: salt water damage questions....

I googled this a bit shocked! Sounds like any boat kept/used in salt water on a regular basis should have the manifold and riser replaced every three years or so to avoid blowing the motor- what's the thought of the group on this? How, when I go looking for a used boat, know if I read it was "recently done" it's not already to late? Pretty scary when your laying out this kind of money for a boat....

Re: salt water damage questions....

Where did you 'google' that? It's a bit misleading. Average life in a saltwater boat for manifolds is 7 to 10 years, elbows (often incorrectly called 'risers') life is 4 to 6 years... If the boat lives permanently in water then the manifolds should never drain, keeping corrosion down a bit (less than having them empty and more oxygen available to accelerate the oxidation process). If the boat is hauled out, then it really should be flushed with freshwater.

If the ad says 'recently replaced manifolds and ....' I would be checking that engine VERY carefully. Likely the reason for the sale is the manifold/s and/or elbows leaked and allowed water into the engine. All the owner has done is replace the broken part, flushed the water out of the engine and offered it up for sale.

HTH,

Chris..........

Re: salt water damage questions....

rasbury said:

I googled this a bit shocked! Sounds like any boat kept/used in salt water on a regular basis should have the manifold and riser replaced every three years or so to avoid blowing the motor- what's the thought of the group on this? How, when I go looking for a used boat, know if I read it was "recently done" it's not already to late? Pretty scary when your laying out this kind of money for a boat....

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Ok, you live not too far from the ocean . . . so there should be plenty of experience with salt water boating in your area.

As Chris stated, it sounds like you got some extreme advice by Googling. Manifolds and risers should be checked every 3 years or so, and probably replaced 7-10 years. So, an advertisement that states the replacement is probably a good thing. If a boat that is used in salt water has been maintained, then it should be a good candidate for consideration.

Anode protection and anti-fouling paint are another series of things to be knowledgeable of with salt water boating. Outboard engines are more suited to salt water use that I/O's . . So that is something to consider as well, depending on where/how you plan to boat.

Re: salt water damage questions....

rasbury said:

How, when I go looking for a used boat, know if I read it was "recently done" it's not already to late? Pretty scary when your laying out this kind of money for a boat....

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...which is why when laying down any decent money for a used boat you'll often find many of us recommend getting not only a hull survey but also a mechanical inspection of the propulsion package; before purchasing.

Here's a couple items for you to ponder with how my 270 'Dancer purchase went:

-I was actually using a broker for my purchase and first saw the ad which indicated that the manifolds/risers had been replaced just a couple years previously. To me that seemed like a good sign of an owner who put money into maintaining his boat. When I showed the listing to my broker she said that's a really good sign and the fact that the seller was also using a broker meant the confidence level is high the items were really replaced and not a fabricated story.

-I, along with the sellers broker, my broker and my hull survey guy took the 'Dancer from the boat slip to the ship yard for the hull survey haul out then back to the slip.

Boat had plenty of power and hit over 35mph and felt no loss of power or hesitation with that 7.4/Bravo 3 package. When my mechanic did the mechanical inspection he found 1 cylinder down around 100psi and a leak-down test found a compromised exhaust value due to water intrusion. My mechanic doing the inspection gave a quote of $1500 for a complete valve job and we asked the current owner for a price reduction for this amount and he agreed. So I got job a "free" valve job. So even a boat that seems plenty powerful and who's owner has work professionally done can sometimes be surprised.

But it only took a 2 minute conversation with his broker (who also is an ex-mechanic and could hear for himself that cylinder was not working properly) to agree that is an expense he should bear to make his boat "right" before selling.

Maintenance is extra crucial for those of us who only boat in salt water so if you find someone who has spent the money to maintain the boat and replaced parts before being at a critical level, consider that a good thing cuz then you may not have to spend major money in the first couple of seasons.

Mark