For those of you in Salt water...

[harbormaster]

For those of you who run in Salt water...
When you bring your boat in and clean it up, What do you do in the engine compartment? Just curious what other people do...

[Shanghied Again]

I hose her down, and clear of the motor with a cleaner if it was a rough day

[Fish boy]

Flush, and spray with wd-40.

[Formula Jr]

Cover, fresh wash, then WD 40. Run the muffs for 10m.

[Dr. Dan]

:D Flush everything with fresh water, wash down entire boat, including removing seats....flush engine for no less than 10 to 15 minutes, also spray it down with Salt-Away, I use the spray bottle to spray down engine bay, and they offer a engine flush kit as well: www.saltawayproducts.com (http://www.saltawayproducts.com) this is available thru Westmarine and others... :p ...Doc

[MOP]

Since I built my own mill it was well preped for salt. Every last part primed & painted, after assembly the bottom end was double coated with under coating. The starter was also treated to some extra sealing, and under coated after it was bolted up. All mounts and exposed non S/S fastners were coated with CRC corrosion preventitive. I use Windex, water, WD40 after drying time for wash down and flush and dump the block 20 minutes. The dump thing is I replaced the regular block petcocks with 1/4 turn 3/8 pipe S/S cocks so I can dump any possible mud or gook that may have gotten sucked in. A real good upgrade for shallow water runners to keep the block clean.

[Team Jefe]

Like Fish-Boy, the ZF's outboards get flushed for about 10 minutes. I have a dual flush rig so I can run both motors at the same time. The entire boat gets washed with "Bright-n-Shiny" car wash soap mixed with OxyClean. Oxyclean is geat for getting out fish blood stains and not as harsh as bleach. I even remove the cowlings and wash the motors. WD-40 on the entire motor surface before the cowlings are put back on.

JEFE

[Team Jefe]

Like Fish-Boy, the ZF's outboards get flushed for about 10 minutes. I have a dual flush rig so I can run both motors at the same time. The entire boat gets washed with "Bright-n-Shiny" car wash soap mixed with OxyClean. Oxyclean is geat for getting out fish blood stains and not as harsh as bleach. I even remove the cowlings and wash the motors. WD-40 on the entire motor surface before the cowlings are put back on.

JEFE

[Donzigo]

Harbourmaster........this post should be put into the new section in the "engine" area. Great post. I've been boating in salt water for 30 years and I learned something.

I put the water hose on the hose in the boat that goes to the tee before the water pump. No muffs. Not enough water. First wash boat engine room including a long crooked plant sprayer to get under the engine. Oil pan bolts that don't get rinsed, corrode. Then WD-40 the entire engine, then flush for 10 to 15 minutes, the WD40 burns off nicely, then a coat of T-2000 from Kar/Kem of Sanford Florida. $75 per five gallons, lasts a year. Leaves a nice bright coat on the engine.

[Bryan Tuvell 33ZX]

After a SALT AWAY flush (T-Stat open) then I pour some purple power in the bildge, RELOAD the SALT AWAY sprayer and hose down the motor, trailer jacked high to drain.

Then wipe the motor off and paper towel the bildge spotless, yess we buy an 8 pack of bounty a week!
Then hose out the wheels inside out.
Scrub boat twice with a soft brush......
Lay on drive way to get bottom and cool off!
ALSO hose down cockpit with SALT AWAY sprayer..
Wipe entire cockpit dry.
Coat all applicable with 2001 for shine.
And much elbow grease and fresh coffee.....

A day out takes me 2 to 3 hours alone to get her back to "NEW" status.....

HAVING FUN IS HARD WORK, that is my saying, and DAMN worth it!
Bryan

[RickR]

I use Corrosion-X (http://www.corrosionx.com/main.html) in the engine compartment. It leaves a soft, easily cleanable wax residue.

After boating in the salt I flush for 15 minutes and rinse boat and trailer with copious amounts of fresh water. I also rinse trailer when putting boat in.

[Hardonzi]

Flush 15 min. or till I taste no salt in exhaust water,just a touch of the tongue on my hand after holding it under water.Total wash down suddsy water and lots of it. Finish with towel dry and spray all metals with 656. Mothers wax and liquid glass every 3 months. Many don`t believe that I have 230 hrs. and 2 years old.Not a scratch on it..Nothing prettier then a polished Donzi!!!! :D

[Cuda]

I flush the engine, but before I hook it up, I put some dish washing liquid in the hose. I don't know if it helps rid the salt, but I do know when it has completely flushed the engine when the bubbles quit coming out. I also rinse down the engine with water and spray what I can with WD 40. The bilge it a bitch with the twins crammed in there, but I get a deck brush and reach what I can with Dawn.

[Bug]

As soon as I get back home I'll hook up the muffs
and run engine at various rpm,idle,1000,1200,1500
for approx. 15 minutes. Then I'll hose her down
suds her up hose her down again hitting all screws
and hardware from all directions with the fresh water then towel dry. The interior is then washed down with Ivory soap and warm water and towel dry.
The engine compartment get sprayed down ever use
(fresh or salt)with CRC 656.Button up and put to bed.
About 3-4 time a season I'll use Spray Nine on engine compartment and hose down start engine and
warm her up to help dry her off.Then CRC 656
entire engine compartment up underneath oil pan
included. The hull I'll compound as needed and keep her coated with Colinites Insulator wax
(AWESOME WAX)I'll even have the boat yard where I
keep my Donzi lift her off the trailer set her down on 8x8 timbers so I can roll her side to side
to compound and wax the bottom.
This is the formula that seems to have worked for me over the years.

[Gritz]

Thanks to all!
Every 4 or 5 years I think I'd really like to take the Donzi down to the gulf (kinda like free willie I guess).
NOT!
Flush the whole time I'm out sounds better and better. :D

[JP BRESCIA]

Pretty much the same as everyone else except the Water displacement/corrosion spray used on the motor is Boeshield from Boeing. I prefer it to WD40 or CRC656.