Salt Water=Bad?

[Schnook]

One of the reasons we got a boat is we used to sit on the Kemah boardwalk and watch all the happy boat owners go by. We were discussing maybe taking the boat out there one weekend to see the view from the other side. I know salt water is not good for a boat, but how bad would maybe once a year be? Is this a really bad idea?

[Morgan's Cloud]

The aversion to 'salt' exhibited by certain people around here is really quite funny.
Most of you would be looking at your boats sitting in the yard all year long if you were over here. The only fresh water here is under our houses in storage tanks !
Sure I would love to boat in 'fresh' but the truth is that on a global scale only a very small percentage of people have this luxury.
Running in salt will not 'destroy' your boat , it just means that you have to step up the maintenance.
For the last 17 years my St T has lived in the 'salt' and nothing yet on it has dissolved.
Go out and explore the ocean.. you'll find it has a very different feel than those 'ponds and lakes'. Just be ready to flush and rinse a bit more than usual !

[joseph m. hahnl]

salt is bad for mismatched metals like the mix of aluminum and stainless.
electrolisis can eat the aluiminum rapidly.cast iron when rinsed has better durability. if your talking once a year. a good flush with soap and water should keep it healthy. as far as the boat itself. salt water is better for the wood in your boat. fresh water rots wood salt water preserves it
for instance the old wooden boats rotted from the deck down because of rain water seeping thru the decks.

so to answer your question .Don't sweat it people leave there boats moored for months and years .


joe

[Cuda]

My Formula is twenty years old. Until last year, it had never tasted fresh water. Original engines still running strong. It's how you take care of them. I'd rather have a well taken care of salty boat, than a neglected fresh water boat. :)

[Jamesbon]

Don't sweat it. Go enjoy the fruits salt water has to offer. ...just make sure to flush the engine with fresh water, hose off your outdrive and spray CRC or WD40 on the drive and anything metal coming in contact with the saltwater.

Cuda said it best!

ENJOY!!

[MOP]

My Formula is twenty years old. Until last year, it had never tasted fresh water. Original engines still running strong. It's how you take care of them. I'd rather have a well taken care of salty boat, than a neglected fresh water boat. :)

Joe glad you brought up 20 year old salt motors, you beat me to it. I have an old buddy with a Cruisers Inc with the original raw cooled stringer drive Buick V6 26 years in salt and still runs it regularly (when warm) has not rotted through yet!!!

Phil

[Donzigo]

Gee................I've never boated in anything but salt water and my boats run pretty sweet............................... Never a single break down leaving me stranded, in 30 years of SALT water boating.