Aluminum boat in saltwater

[acc]

Moving to Destin....<br /><br />I have an aluminum BassTracker that has been used only here (Huntsville) for freshwater fishing. I'd like to take it down there and use it as a bay boat during the winter months.....<br /><br />Will the aluminum construction withstand the corrosive saltwater environment.... I will not be berthing the boat in the water.<br /><br />Thanks

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Aluminum boat in saltwater

Rinse it well each time you take it out. A pump type sprayer (like the ones used for weeds or deck waterproofing) works well if you don't have access to fresh water.

 

[ddaigle]

Re: Aluminum boat in saltwater

The aluminum boat will be fine, whats going to cause you problems is everything else. The trailer, motor, trolling motor, electrics etc. are probably not saltwater models and salt water is really rough on these things. You will need to keep everything washed with fresh water and protected as much as possible with anti corrosion products. Look on other forums here such as trailering for good advice on preventing rust.

 

[Forktail]

Re: Aluminum boat in saltwater

The most popular boat here in the salt are aluminum's. That's all my fleet is...custom made aluminum's. After 10 years you can de-oxidize the hull to make it look better if you want. Zink plate helps. But they'll usually outlive the captain.

 

[moderator1]

Re: Aluminum boat in saltwater

Moving to Boat Questions.

 

[susan61]

Re: Aluminum boat in saltwater

ACC......My Bass Tracker has only known salt water for the past six years. No real problems as I wash down with fresh water after use and flush the outboard. Aluminum is so much easer to launch and recover than fiberglass, plus Aluminum only requires half the horsepower to do the same thing.