Freshwater to Saltwater, back to freshwater help

[FISHIN SUCKS]

Okay, need some help here. For spring break we are taking our Whaler down to Fort Myers and renting a house on a canal. the boat has never been in salt water, 40HP Johnson on a 13' sport. we plan on leaving it in the water the whole week as the ramp is 7 miles away (don't want to deal with the land lubber spring break traffic). Do I need to change the zinc plate or anything? Is this just a bad idea? I am bringing my water muffs and a garden hose, or do I even need to bring these things? thanx in advance for any input,

tom

[wwahl]

If it is freezing where your home is, just flush it in Florida when you are finished. It isn't going to hurt your boat to use it in salt water.

[FISHIN SUCKS]

Thank you WW....and you are right, it was 10 degrees F out this morning. So for only a week, I shouldn't have to worry about changing the plates (magnesium to zinc and vise versa)? if it matters, the motor is a 1990 model. thanx again for the response,

tom

[yeller]

As wwahl already said....don't worry about it. Salt isn't the Instant killer a lot of people think it is. It takes time and neglect for salt to cause damage. Just flush and wash it as soon as possible after pulling it out. The best would be to pull it out and flush/wash it before the salt water has time to dry. I find salt water causes most of its damage when it dries out. That's when the salt crystalizes and attaches itself to the metal...causing corrosion. I hose down my entire boat after being in the salt. Interior, exterior, engine, trailer...in addition to flushing engine. I do the "taste test" on the exhaust water to determine flushing time.
Even if you can't flush right away, your one-time salt excursion isn't going to do any damage.

[FISHIN SUCKS]

Many Thanx Yeller!!! If there isnt a freshwater hose at the launch, we can get back to the rented house and flush it there. I've been around salt, just never had to deal with it. Thanx again as always,

tom

[Barry Eller]

Bring the trailer back from the ramp and wash the salt off asap. Trailers rust from sitting after being dunked. Lots of seashells on Sanibel Island.