Salt or No Salt?

[surfduke]

Hi All.... this is probably noobie moronic question #101, but in the used boat I just bought... 17' Seaswirl Center Console, I have an Evinrude 1990 - 90 hp... that seems to be in excellent condition. My question is: I live in a coastal town with 17 lakes and a port to the ocean where the crabbing is EXCELLENT. I'd like to take my boat in the ocean and crab. Will the salt water destroy my engine or what can I do to prevent the saltwater from harming it?

 

[Goodoleboy]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

Ive watched "Shipshape boating" on DIY tv. And John the biscuit says that if you run in salt water that when you return home to put the engine on the muffs for fifteen minutes or so to flush cooling system.<br /><br />Check anoides more frequently in saltwater use as galvanic action is faster in saltwater.<br /><br />Good Luck!

 

[00000dan]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

make sure you flush that puppy in the driveway after taking it out in the ocean.<br /><br />it prob. not a bad idea to do it anytime you take it out. i know there i live some of the rivers are very salty so i never know.<br /><br />since you just bought motor that was used before you and it is not new i would look at impellar to make sure it is in good shape. they should be changed every 2 seasons (years)<br /><br /><br />dan

 

[surfduke]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

Wow you guys are fast..... I just put this post up....<br /><br />BTW: I have no idea what "anoides" are....lol Sorry I am a noob when it comes to outboard engines.<br /><br />Also, I need to buy a kicker trolling motor. My boat is approx 1200 lbs dry. What size kicker do I need and what price should I be looking for? I almost never buy stuff like this new... I'm not cheap but I hate spending twice as much as I need to... <br /><br />Thanks guys... your the best...

 

[Mark42]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

I flush every time I return from boating, salt or fresh. Even though most of my boating is on salt, the fresh water lakes I was on had so much crap in them that I wanted to flush out any of the sea grass and slime before it had a chance to harden or clog up the thermostat. Probably over-kill. Also make sure you run the motor long enough to let the thermostat open up. On my '93 40 I notice that water comes out the rear vent when the thermostats are open and the water is warm.

 

[surfduke]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

Nice boat! Looks like a fun project! Keep up the good work.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

Hi Surfduke,<br /><br />Go to FAQ's and read the topic 'Dealing With Metallic Corrosion ....'<br /><br />It answers all your questions about salt-water running and anodes (zincs).<br /><br />Basically - fit zincs to your leg (the one on your boat!), be generous with their sizing, keep them cleaned and replace them when they're half gone.

 

[AJ168]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

What about the guys that leave boats in the water all season. The engines don't get flushed. The factory manual for my 1964 Johnson 5.5 says that you don't have to flush the engine every time that you use it in salt water, just once at the end of the season.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

Been runnin outboards in salt for 35 years. Follow the above advice and don't worry about it. The only other thing I do is after I finish flushing I take the cowls off and liberally spray the engine with WD-40 from a spray bottle (I buy WD-40 by the gallon).

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

I like to back the trailer into a lake or river and flush them both (trailer and motor) in the water. I have had more problems with trailers rusting away from not being flushed than the motors. I lived on the salt water for many years, we kept the boats in the water most of the time and didn't have much of a problem with salt in the motor.

 

[Cricket Too]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

Surfduke...I have only run in saltwater my whole life, and as long as you flush the motor out and rinse your boat and trailer good you'll be fine. I have one of my boats in the water and backflush it every time I get back to the dock, the guy next to me just docks and goes home, doesn't even hose the boat down much less flush the motor and he hasn't had a problem in the 10 years he's been next to me. That's not to say I would ever do that, might just prove he's lucky, but my old 115 that didn't have a backflusher on it only got flushed once a year when it came out of the slip in December and never had a problem. If you keep the boat in the water you will definitely need some anodes on it and the motor, if you trailer the boat you don't really need them but it can't hurt. Take the above advise that everyone gave you and you'll be fine, I agree with ondarvr about the trailer being worse off than the motor when it comes to salt, but flushing is the way to go. Good luck with the boat.

 

[surfduke]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

A hearty and warm thank you for all who have responded. Man I am so impressed with this forum. Great bunch of folks!<br /><br />I will heed your advice.<br /><br />Surfduke

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

Solittle:The only other thing I do is after I finish flushing I take the cowls off and liberally spray the engine with WD-40 from a spray bottle

Great piece of advice. Especially good round the plugs - keeps them from corroding.<br /><br />Thanks.

 

[Seasport]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

I've just started rinsing my motor with Salt-away. You can buy a flusher unit that mixes it with water from the hose. I've read good reports on its salt dissolving properties. They reckon you only need to rinse the motor for 15s -although being used to rinsing in fresh water for about 10mins this just doesn't seem right!<br /><br />Apparently you can also spray it directly on your engine to remove the salt. Not sure whether it's better to use WD-40. I've read that using WD-40 can trap the salt on the motor.<br /><br />I also carry a garden sprayer with a Salt-away mix in my wagon. Once I've launched my boat, I give the trailer brakes a good spray. This washes the salt off and stops it baking on in the sun.

 

[Lowranger]

Re: Salt or No Salt?

About 15 years ago I overheated my 1989 Johnson 70 near Port Townsend,Washington(eel-grass). I took it to the local J/E dealer for a re-torquing and he suggested that I use LPS-3 instead of WD-40. It sprays on like WD-40 but it sets up like earwax. My local tech said that it was a mess to deal with but that he agreed it was a much more persistant rust inhibitor. Just my .02