Would you - saltwater?

[MontereyJak]

Would you take your 1996 19' openbow, V8 I/O boat that has always been in the freshwater to the Saltwater for a week vacation (Panama City bay & gulf)? I'm wondering what the consequences will be after a few years. You know I'll flush and clean the dickens out of the boat & trailer when I get back.

 

[marine4003]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

Yea ,no problem as long as your zinc's are in good shape and you flush her w/SaltAway post trip.regular flushing is good but using SaltAway really counteracts the effects of salt water.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

Don't really spend any time in fresh water.

 

[MikDee]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

It's not hydrochloric acid, It's salt water! Up until recently, I never boated in fresh water! Don't get bent out of shape about it, Just flush it with fresh water whenever you can, your boat will never know the difference

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

As mentioned just give her a good flush when you get back and don't worry about it. If I was running in it everyday for a week I wouldn't even bother to flush it at night, just when the trip was over.

If you want to be overly cautious, when you get home go drop it in the freshwater and run it around the lake. You can't get it flushed any better than that.

Also be sure to wash and polish all of your aluminum and stainless steel when you give it a post salt water bath...

 

[Chip73]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

Also you will want to really wash the boat down once your vacation is over. The salt spray can be rough and you will see how covered you boat can get. Flushing the engine is very important but so is washing the boat down as thorough as possible, salt water gets into and onto everything.

 

[Stingray 195FX]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

I too am in the same situation. I have a 2006 boat that has never been in salt water. We're taking a summer trip to the coast and I wanted to take my boat to ride in the Intra-coastal waterway. I've taken my 97 SeaDoo several times but I always flush it out and wash it after every use. The problem this year is I have no fresh water hookup where I'm going. I plan to take it by the car wash and wash it down with some fresh water but will it hurt it if I don't flush it out till I get back home? That means potentially it sitting for 3 to 4 days before I can flush it. I will run it in the lake when I get back to flush it good.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

What is the difference between a saltwater boat and a freshwater boat that allows a SW boat to go months without being washed in freshwater?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

we spend the month of August in the Fl Keys, boat is moor at the dock, we wash down the boat every evening, and apply covers. this get the days salt off the boat, and we have a clean non salt sticky boat for the morning. as soon as we trailer the boat, it is completely washed down, and engine outdrive flushed. been doing this for 3 years now. no problems.

 

[Woodnaut]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

Jak - First of all, enjoy your week in Florida. You would probably never forgive yourself if you got down there without your boat! Be careful, however, as you might get down there and end up with some ridiculously great weather. That, in turn, might tempt you to head out a little farther than you originally planned. Make sure you've got all the recommended safety equipment on board, and then some. Also keep an ear tuned to the weather band - things can change. I have a 16' runabout and I'll run 30+ miles into the GOM on the good days. But I carry lots of water, sun protection, PFDs and even a couple of PLBs. I also keep my boat maintenance up as well as I can, especially on engine, electrical and fuel items. I don't cut corners if I'm going to be on the open water. Hose her down and flush her out as soon as you can and life will be good. Have a great time - and exercise good judgement all along the way!

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

What is the difference between a saltwater boat and a freshwater boat that allows a SW boat to go months without being washed in freshwater?

There is no difference...

However, my saltwater boat gets flushed, wiped down and polished after every saltwater adventure too.

 

[Chip73]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

What is the difference between a saltwater boat and a freshwater boat that allows a SW boat to go months without being washed in freshwater?

The person who maintains it. The saltwater users who ride their boats hard and put them away wet suffer and then tell horror stories. If you do the maintenance it will last.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

Almost have of the hours on my boat have been in salt water and it is still in better condition than boats half as old.

Go enjoy your vacation.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Would you - saltwater?

The person who maintains it. The saltwater users who ride their boats hard and put them away wet suffer and then tell horror stories. If you do the maintenance it will last.

I agree to a point but there is a big difference in the materials used in a SW boat as compared to a FW boat.

My first boat was a ?freshwater? boat that I used in SW. That thing was a rust bucket after sitting in the slip for a month. The Zomak hinges, latches, etc. where stating to turn into piles of white dust and a majority of the ?stainless steel? hardware was rusting. The boat was wired with plain old copper wire instead of tinned copper so I was starting to have problems with the wiring as well by the time I got rid of it.

My current boat gets 2 coats of wax in March when it goes in the water and may or may not get a good washing before I put it away at New Years. The boat will be 11 years old next month and it still looks like new.