Saltwater Vacation

[comet28024]

I am considering taking a vacation to Florida this year and taking my Drummond 19ft center console down with me. This boat is equipped with an OMC 4cly I/O and I was wondering what precautions I should take or what risks I'm getting into by subjecting this boat to saltwater?

This would be the first time the boat will have seen saltwater, and I only plan on using it down there for a couple weeks.

Any advice? I know everyone talks about closed cooling systems, but is this really necessary for a 2 week boating trip? Also, do I need to rinse the boat every time, or is it something I can do once a week or so? I could probably rinse every time, it just will require more work as some hotels do not have access to hoses.

Thanks, and I apologize if this has already been answered somewhere else in the forum.

Erick

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

you will be fine, enjoy the vacation.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

a week or two is no big deal. After you dunk the trailer make sure you rinse everything(especially the brakes) with fresh water. Don't forget to flush the engine and drive as well.
I would also suggest, before you head for home run through a car wash, there will be a salt film on every surface of the boat. It will be easier, if you get as much off now as you can.

Have fun.

 

[comet28024]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

Thanks for the quick response.

Should I flush the boat every time I go out or is it sufficient to do it once a week or so?

Erick

 

[salty87]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

i read this and wasn't going to post but what the h...

i, personally, wouldn't take my fresh water boat to saltwater but i'm pretty uptight about keeping it in the best shape i can.

are you prepared to see rust where you didn't see it before when you get back? i'm not talking about a rust pit but you won't be able to rinse it all off before some sets in. same with the trailer. maybe i'm just too paranoid.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

i, personally, wouldn't take my fresh water boat to saltwater...
.

Hey, maybe you should be Freshy87...

It won't hurt anything no matter what you do in two weeks. Rinse your trailer well after you put in. When you get home, rinse it well again and flush your engine out too. Although I do agree that not using things makes them last longer, but where's the fun in that?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

i live in Florida. when we go the the keys, we leave the boat in the water, for the duration of our stay, usually 2 weeks, then after loading we wash down before heading home. at home we do a through wash down, and a flush with salt away. if you have brakes on the trailer with the flush system, i recommend flushing every time it goes in salt water. fresh water is a premium in the keys, as it is pipe in from Homestead, Fl.

 

[salty87]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

i, personally, wouldn't take my fresh water boat to saltwater...
.

Hey, maybe you should be Freshy87...

:}:}:}...haha thanks, i needed that!!

 

[Boatist]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

I do not know Florida but out here in California almost every Saltwater boat ramp has a wash station for up to 4 boats. We wash our boat the minute it comes out of the water and flush the engine. Takes about 10 minutes if set up right. The longer the salt is on anything the harder it is to get off. Much eaiser right when you pull it out of the water so we flush and wash everything every day when we pull it out.

I built a hose spliter so can flush both motors while wash down the Boat, Trailer, and Poles. When we get home after a week fishing every day take an afternoon to clean enery thing inside and outside. I tell you this if you let the salt stay for 2 weeks you will see piting and white rust on the rails and any bright metal except stainless Steal. Trailer breaks even sitting until come in at the end of the day very hard to clean.

When we pull the boat we go to the wash station and wash the Boat, Trailer and all the Gear. Takes 10 to 15 minutes. Then one drys boat and puts all the gear away while I clean the fish and wife packs on ice. Boat will be complete long before finish cleaning fish.

Wax before you go and last day clean with soap and water.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

unfortunately, we are not as advanced in Florida, to have was down stations. but our taxes are lower.

 

[zzzzz]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

salts main job is to eat...and it does it well !! 8)

 

[imported_rosco]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

buy a can of 6-46, or corrosion x , crc, similualr product.

sprey everything metal in the engine compartment.

have fun.

throughly rinse off the trailer everytime you dunk it.

when you get home, give your boat and trailer a through washing inside and out. get the salt off of everything, especially the trailer. the boat will probably be fine, but salt water will destroy a galvanized trailer in no time. be anal with the trailer. drop the boat, then rise it before you go out if you can. pump your berring buddies full of greese before you leave home too.

personally, i coated all the non alluminum parts, including the axels and all weld spots with sprey on undercoating you can buy at any auto parts store. but i live with salt water on a dailey basis. its cheap insurance, and would serve you well in fresh water too.

 

[Don S]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

http://www.saltawayproducts.com/

 

[shelikesit]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

http://www.saltawayproducts.com/

I haven't broke down and bought this stuff yet. Don S. keeps mentioning it. Anyone else use it? I hear its excellent because it leaves residual affects (effects)...

I run my boat 4 or more times a week in the salt, it came from Michigan a month ago. The trailer shows it immediately no matter what I do. No big deal, I'll get an aluminum trailer one day.

As for the boat, it takes more and longer baths than I do The motor I learned via this forum runs for 5 to 7 minutes with fresh water. Not longer. The boat?

A thorough washdown, top to bottom within 15 minutes of coming out of the water. Do I see any wear and tear on the boat yet? Very very little. I use corrosion x like spray paint.

It's all in the care. My sterndrive that most laugh at around here runs like a top. And, I didn't do it on my own.

I had a ton of help from right here. http://forums.iboats.com/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewforum;fid=24

It'd be nice to have washdowns on the ramps no doubt, but it's nice to have ramps at all. They could be gone or unusable tomorrow.............

Just ask Charlie

 

[Don S]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

I haven't broke down and bought this stuff yet. Don S. keeps mentioning it. Anyone else use it? I hear its excellent because it leaves residual affects (effects)...

I contacted Salt-Away a year ago about the residual effects and they said that it doesn't leave a film of any kind, about the only residual there is, is that the salt is no longer stuck to a metal surface and causing corrosion.

 

[shelikesit]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

the residuals i was referring to were good as the product leaves a protecting film over everything.

my reasoning besides the cost and "how much" i would use it was, since i use the boat so much, im sure the product would remove the salt as said, but i dont need the protectiveness of it since the boat would be back in the water today, tonight, or tomorrow.

i'll probably get it when the weather turns below 70, then the boat will be put up for a few days until it warms up again.

 

[shelikesit]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

Right here -
INNOVATIVE CHARACTERISTICS
OF SALT-AWAY
SALT REMOVING TREATMENT
FOR THE SALT WATER BOATING AND MARINE MARKET

sorry about the caps, i copied it from their site and aint retyping it - http://www.saltawayproducts.com/InnovativeChar.htm

Flushes fresh salt out of outboards, I/Os, raw-water-side heat exchangers and personal watercraft engines in less than one minute.
Breaks down and removes old salt and rust build-up with repeated use.
Flushes salt out of trailer brakes.
Leaves protective film if not rinsed off.


i thought i read it somewhere, i spent a good bit of time on their site, the stuff is costly right out of pocket.

 

[imported_rosco]

Re: Saltwater Vacation

salt away is a good washdown product. especially for your trailer.

corrosion x, 6-56, crc and others like it are good for protecting metal and electronics. they do leave a film behind and will displace water to boot, so you can sprey it directly on wet parts.

salt away would be better for the cleaning phase, and for the over all boat and trailer. the others are more for exposed metal parts and electronics. not to mention, you coat a trailer with 6-56, not only will it get expensive, it will be forever slippery.

for the trailer i highly recommend using sprey on undercoating after its clean and dry. its rubber based and will lock out the salt water alltogether. about 8 bucks a can at autozone. axels, hubs, lugnuts, rims, anything not alluminum or stainless steel. especially those weld spots that always seem to start rusting first. sprey wiring and everything with it.

might not look pretty, but it will look protected.