salt water???
 

looking at a 2001 boat with 496ho and around 190 hours.
its a Florida boat.it racked stored inside and the owner claims its been flush after every use.
does salt water hurt the gel or the stainless? what kind of problems should I expect??
the motor is a 496HO and has closed cooling but still used salt water going threw the drive and out the exhaust.
thanks

Re: salt water???
 

Salt water can only damage gelcoat if (IMHO) it is allowed to crystalise on the hull and deck and then can scratch the finish .. but then you need really salty water (like we got out here) for that to happen . If the boat was thouroughly rinsed and flushed after every use there should'nt really be any really visible signs of it actually damaging anything , stainless or otherwise.
A friend of mine has his 28zxo on a lift and flushes it after evey use.. 2 years on you can't tell it from a freshwater boat. It's all about maintenance .

I think that it might be more of a concern that his Mercathode system was working properly the whole time ... freshwater can't wash away the onset of electrolysis.

Because saltwater environments are normally harsher on electrical systems you may want to pay close attention to this as well. Although I had a centre console overboard in the salt for 17 years, I never had a single electrical problem of any kind.. there's some good protective water displacing sprays around !

Knowing that you are from a 'freshwater' location and have concerns might give you a bit of leverage on the price if the seller is anxious. But don't ever fall for that line that a boat used in the salt is 'ruined' .

Steve

Re: salt water???
 

After 5 years, I would have a really good look at the insides of the closed-cooling system, i.e. the heat exchanger, raw water circuit and the exhaust - Even though salt doesn't circulate through the engine, it does pass through the exhaust.

And as far as the gel and stainless, no worries if it's been regularly taken care of.

Re: salt water???
 

No matter how you flush and rinse, the salt AIR will cause stuff to rust and deteriorate that you wouldn't even imagine...like drive pins and choke bodies. And it does it much faster than you would expect.

Re: salt water???
 

I bought 1 used salt water boat. :rolleyes:


I would never buy one again. after looking under the dash at everything so damn corroded. I'll pass on that. Compared to a Fresh water boat I'd never bother with a used salt water boat again. Just becareful, like he said in the above post. the salt air is worse enough

Re: salt water???
 

You can purchase a saltwater boat much cheaper than a fresh water boat. If the boat's been inside and properly maintained, I wouldn't pass on the boat without a knowledgeable surveyor telling me that the boat's been neglected and/or abused. The closed cooling system is a big plus, but CigDaze is right about the salt water being in the exhaust manifolds and elbows besides part of the heat exchanger. Your surveyor needs to be on the sea trial with his heat gun to check the exhaust system properly.
Good Luck.

Re: salt water???
 

I purchased a Yamaha jet boat 1 year newer than my friends. At the time of purchased it looked at least a year newer. I took it to Florida for one winter, flushed it, all the maintenance, when I took it back to Wisconsin it looked 2 years older than his. Had to replace all shift and throttle cables and replace the tachs. Any boat that spends time in salt water I would stay away from.