How Bad Is Saltwater?

[Bobbybones]

I have a 1988 20' Searay 4.2 Mercruiser i/o. I have been taking it 90 miles round trip back and forth to the boat ramp in Biloxi Ms on the Gulf. With gas being so expensive and my aging P/u truck I found a boat slip for $6 and change per foot. I'm retired and use the boat often and for me it was a no brainer to put it in the slip and drive the 90 miles in my 50mpg toyota prius. I painted the bottom and outdrive with anti fouling paint.

I had to bring the boat in to have the leaking outdrive seals replaced and asked the Mechanic if he could install a device that would allow me to flush the engine after each use.

Well..... He said leaving the boat in Salt water was a horribly bad idea. Talked about the larger boats at the marina using electricity which which finds its way through the engine into the water. That along with the corrosive saltwater would tear my outdrive up in a very short time. Not to mention the risk of it sinking. He said i better have deep pockets.

As far as the water flushing idea, he said it could be installed but said the impellers would break as the water has no where to go. Said he's been a boat mechanic for 35 years and discourages anybody from keeping boat in water.

Looking for a second opinion on the water flushing system and the corrosion factor.

They sell inline water flushing systems that tap right into the water line for sale online for around $100.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated

Thanx B Bones

 

[JoLin]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

Find a mechanic who can help you keep the boat in good shape instead of just issuing dire warnings.

A fresh water flushing attachment is a great idea. They don't cause issues. Maybve someday I'll get around to installing them on my boat.

If that marina has an issue with stray current finding its way into the water, find a different marina. Yes, badly wired boats or shore power cicruits can leak current, and salt water is an electrolyte. It happens but isn't that common. Keep your anodes in good shape, replace them by the time they're about 1/3 gone and keep an eye on the condition of your outdrive. Pretty sure somebody here can guide you in how to check for stray current in the vicinity of your boat. I think it's pretty easy to do, I just don't remember how to do it.

I and millions of other boaters keep our boats in salt water year after year. Yes, it does dictate a higher level of maintenance and attention, and that's why you have the boat hauled occasionally for service. It's far from 'a terrible idea'. My current boat has been a salt water boat since it was new 14 years ago. It has the original drives and engines in it and all is well.

My .02

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

amen

 

[Beefer]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

A side note: You painted your outdrives with anti-fouling paint. If your outdrives are aluminum, make sure you didn't use a copper based based. Copper and aluminum don't play well together.

As for how bad is saltwater? Can't be that bad. There are thousands (millions?) of boats that are wet slipped throughout the world, and I can promise you that less than 50% are flushed after each use. As an example, in the 70's my dad had I/O's wet slipped, at least a portion of the OD was in the water even when raised, and he never had a problem. At the end of the season, he would have the marina do a prep for the winter which included flushing, cleaning, and servicing as needed the entire drive system. Never anything out of the ordinary. Last summer, I kept my boat (also I/O) in the water, and never flushed it until I got it on the life at my new place.

I'd slip it, and use a different mechanic. He's gonna find problems that aren't problems, and blame everything wrong with your boat on it being wet slipped. All that is going to do is make you a nervous wreck, and take away from the purpose of having a boat - enjoying it!

 

[Bobbybones]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

Thanks for all the feedback. I've been hooking up the rabbit ears over water intake and flushing it after every trip. Does this make sense?

Thanx again to all
Bones

 

[Texasmark]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

A side note: You painted your outdrives with anti-fouling paint. If your outdrives are aluminum, make sure you didn't use a copper based based. Copper and aluminum don't play well together.

I may be mistaken, but I'm sure Mercury's hot dog, anti-fouling aluminum XK I believe they call is advertised to contain copper in addition to the aluminum. I don't know, but it seems we have conflicting information here.
-------------------

On the keeping the boat in the water, Biloxi as you well know was hard hit in recent years by hurricanes and having been stationed there on two occasions I can vouch for the fact that they get their share of bad weather.

One thing that can help a boat is to put a pneumatic lift under it and lift it out of the water when not in use....course this doesn't help the cast iron innerds. Being in a high humidity environment continuously doesn't help the rest of the metallic parts on/in the boat.

OB's on the other hand seem to be better prepared for the rigors of salt water use and some even have a flush port so that you can do what you want to do.....an outboard with a flush port and lift would seem like a workable solution and then all you would have to deal with is the storms.

HTH,

Mark

P.S. I got to thinking about what I said so I consulted an old friend Mil-Std-454 which is a US Military "thou shalt" when you are building electronic equipment for them. Doesn't matter that we are talking about a marine boat environment here....they want their equip to work in ANY environment.

Regardless, I went to the "metals compatibility chart" and looked to see where alum, tough alum (5056-6061), alum castings, and copper and it's alloys (bronze for one). Copper was two groups over from regular alum, and 3 charts over for tough alum...the guide says only allow metals to come in contact with each other that are IN THE SAME GROUP............so, backing the truck up (for me) I agree with not wanting any copper in paint that touches aluminum as long as the copper in the paint can contact the aluminum...corrosion we are talking about, galvanic corrosion. However, if the copper in the paint is isolated by other elements of the paint then it doesn't actually touch the aluminum and therein nulifies the worry...............wow and this is worth what we pay for it. Check with Interlux. They have been providing exceptional marine coatings for 50 years that I know of.

HTH,

Mark

 

[oops!]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

millions of boats are kept in the water year round....even in the salt chuck......is it the best way to store a boat?...no...(in a heated garage with the nose up under a tarp, with fans blowing air over them.....as well as 10 midgets polishing it and feeding it peeled grapes is the best)

but remember...your boat is made to LIVE in the water.....your boat will wear out more quickly....but well maintained salt/slip boats can and will last 20 plus years

 

[dingbat]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

I may be mistaken, but I'm sure Mercury's hot dog, anti-fouling aluminum XK I believe they call is advertised to contain copper in addition to the aluminum. I don't know, but it seems we have conflicting information here.

There is no conflicting information. What was said about copper anti-fouling paints and aluminum is correct. The conflict is that you are drawing an inaccurate conclusion. Copper and aluminum in themselves are not a problem. The problem comes when you mix the two in the presence of an electrolyte or a voltage.

The XK alloy is die-casting alloy where copper as been used to improve the properties of the material when using in the die casting process. The copper continent varies with the application, with values ranging from 0.17% to 3.5% max. depending on the part.

Any copper at all in a aluminum alloy is deterimental to its performance in the presence of a electrolyte. The parts are cast then anodized before painting. The anodize is used as a barrier between the copper in the alloy and the electrolyte. Once the anodized is breached, the copper will start to dissolve from the microstructure.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

short answer--your mechanic is an idiot. Replace immediately.

flushing on muffs is really not necessary, but doesn't hurt if you want to. How do you get the muffs to work under water?

Stray current is a problem. But not a common one.

 

[Lyle29464]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

If you really have stray current put a battery switch on both the postive and the negative. Turn both off when you leave the boat. hook your charger to a drop cord that only goes to the battery charger. wire your float switch to the battery.

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

Isn't it true that it doesn't really mater if you wash your motor out every time if your using the boat often?? i might be wrong but the reason to wash your motor out is to get the salt out. But if your using the boat on a every day basis every day the salt will be washed out. There's boats that stay in the water all year round and don't flush the motor once. well three seasons out of four and never flushed. My neighbor's 100,000 boat which is a a mooring never gets rinsed because it's at a mooring. Am i right?

 

[sasto]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

millions of boats are kept in the water year round....even in the salt chuck......is it the best way to store a boat?...no...(in a heated garage with the nose up under a tarp, with fans blowing air over them.....as well as 10 midgets polishing it and feeding it peeled grapes is the best)

but remember...your boat is made to LIVE in the water.....your boat will wear out more quickly....but well maintained salt/slip boats can and will last 20 plus years

I just thought this was well worth repeating.

.......especially needed are the 10 midgets polishing her, some fuel, fluid check, a key,.....not sure about the grapes, I'm going to give it a try.

 

[JoLin]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

Isn't it true that it doesn't really mater if you wash your motor out every time if your using the boat often?? i might be wrong but the reason to wash your motor out is to get the salt out. But if your using the boat on a every day basis every day the salt will be washed out. There's boats that stay in the water all year round and don't flush the motor once. well three seasons out of four and never flushed. My neighbor's 100,000 boat which is a a mooring never gets rinsed because it's at a mooring. Am i right?

Even if the boat is used every, or almost every day, it still sits dead in the water for a good part of that 24 hours. Salt water does its corrosive thing during that time, so flushing is still better than not. Whether it's worth the trouble to do so that often depends on you, really.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

As to stray current and corrosion the most important thing is to maintain your zincs. Also Merc makes a active system that you mount to your outdrive to prevent corrosion.

You'll have more problems with things growing on it all though, and the only way to deal with it is to use your boat. Don't leave it sitting. Things grow is silly spots like on your tilt rams,trim tab rams, steering, and speed hole.

 

[Bobbybones]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

short answer--your mechanic is an idiot. Replace immediately.

flushing on muffs is really not necessary, but doesn't hurt if you want to. How do you get the muffs to work under water?

Stray current is a problem. But not a common one.

Yes and Yes. The Mechanic kept my boat for three weeks, always promising it to be ready in two days, which never happened. I went early (7:30am) to pick it up before the so called mechanic was there. (the boat was outside in a open field with many others) I called the Mechanic to let him know I was going to just take the boat elsewhere, and he told me "we already started working on it, it 's all apart" He didn't know that I was standing there looking at it. I called him out on it drove away then received not less than 10 threatening phone messages stating i owed him an "Exit Fee" amongst other bogus charges. Beside being an idiot he was a thief,He was fired and although he continued to call for several days I never responded.


I lift the engine into the Trailer Mode. It's up enough to put the ears on, then back it down and flush it with the water supplied by marina and when done I leave the ears on. I forgot to disconnect them one time, ugh, got lucky, just lost one of the muffs, as it let go.

Thanx for all the responses

Bones

 

[Philster]

Re: How Bad Is Saltwater?

Fresh water flush setup is good. If you get one installed, get it placed someplace convenient. Pay more to have it very convenient! I have one even though my boat is trailered. Once in while, I might overnight somewhere in salt water, such as along the lower Chesapeake or along the barrier islands of the east coast. When in the slip, I fire up the engine and crank up the hose. You get a good flush because the engine is still warm/hot and there isn't that delay between trailering, so the t-stat is open.

If you do the math around leaving it in a wet slip, you might find it more economical to dish out $2500 extra in maintenance every X number of years while saving gas to haul it around, or to keep up with the trailer, etc. Of course, time is money, so you might enjoy your boat more if it saves you time.

In my area, one thing that is starting to challenge the economics of trailering AND wet slips is indoor rack storage. The cost is slightly more than a wet slip, but you get reduced wear and maintenance, and that makes it worth it. Some places around here are so good at it that you give them 15 mins notice and your boat is ready. You come back from boating and use the fresh water flush system, then just walk away from the boat (some marinas power wash it as the fork lift pulls it out of the water. Also, they have work racks for you if you need to wrench on the boat before she gets put away).

It is hard to argue with the math. Pay more for indoor storage, and add up the savings from reduce wear and maintenance -- everything from paint to covers, etc. Boat yards and marinas only have so much water frontage, so they expand their business by getting more use from the other land/space they own that can't have wet slips.