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Going from fresh to salt water...

Old 02-27-2008, 11:56 PM
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Default Going from fresh to salt water...

thinkin about takin a group of friends down for the biloxi OSS races and puttin the boat in the gulf for the first time..

what all do i need to be aware of out there that we dont have up here in the fresh water? Will I need to make any changes in the boat? What about registration, is it the same as we have here?

Do i need to have anything different on board. My boat came with a set of flares, we dont have that requirement here.

Also, how do i get the salt water out of the engines and how long can i wait to get them flushed. If i put it back in the lake about a week later, is that too late?

Never done this before..
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Old 02-28-2008, 12:37 AM
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Flush the engines when you pull it out of the salt and you will be fine. I flush my boat every time I take it out unless I am going back in the next day and sometimes I will wait. I use Salt-A-Way around every 2-3 flushes. Thoroughly was the entire boat inside and out including the bildge...you will be fine!
Make sure you have an anchor w/ chain and enough rode
Check the date on those flares!
Life jackets for everyone
Throw cushion easy accessable
Horn
Fire Extingusher
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Old 02-28-2008, 01:06 AM
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Actually, you need two fire extinguishers if you're bigger than 26'. Auto systems in the bilge count for one:
http://uscgboating.org/safety/fedreqs/equ_fire.htm


I agree. Flush with Salt Away if you can find it. otherwise, I'm sure fresh water would be fine if you're only going for a trip or two. I'd just buy a pair of the drive muff's for flushing. Just make sure you keep an eye on them and you get water out the exhaust during the flush. Also, don't rev the motors too much at all, as there simply isn't enough water in a hose to feed the pump when it's much above idle. You can toast an impellor pretty quickly if you're not paying attention.

Rinse the trailer off (including the brakes) immediately after launch and retrieval if you can. Wash the boat when you're done. You can't typically get all of the salt off of the gel coat with a simple rinse down. It needs a little soap and scrubbing.

You may already do this, but disconnect the trailer lights before dipping it. The 12v electrical current will cause more rapid corrosion on the light fixtures due to electrolysis if you don't unplug. I learned this the hard way with our last trailer; the brand new tail lights lasted less than a year. I replaced them with sealed units before we sold the boat.

We boat about 80% of the time in salt water. It's the trailer that takes the most obvious beating after a while, but it can always be repaired. It's a little nerve racking thinking about salt water affects on the equipment, but don't worry about it and just have fun. The boat will be fine if you take basic precautions and rinse/flush everything.

John

Last edited by JohnnyG; 02-28-2008 at 01:18 AM.
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Old 02-28-2008, 08:03 AM
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I have a system for salt water boating. First I start the engine and run on fresh water for at least 10mins. Then I run SaltAway until I see the soap suds come out and the sea strainer is blue water. Next I rinse the whole boat and then again with SaltAway including the engine Bay. I use Muriatic Acid on the back of the drive and any other metal include my IMCO shorty and prop. I then soak then engine bay, drive, tabs, exhaust tips with a lubricant CRC 656, much like WD-40.
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Old 02-28-2008, 08:08 AM
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Originally Posted by JohnnyG
Actually, you need two fire extinguishers if you're bigger than 26'. Auto systems in the bilge count for one:
http://uscgboating.org/safety/fedreqs/equ_fire.htm


I agree. Flush with Salt Away if you can find it. otherwise, I'm sure fresh water would be fine if you're only going for a trip or two. I'd just buy a pair of the drive muff's for flushing. Just make sure you keep an eye on them and you get water out the exhaust during the flush. Also, don't rev the motors too much at all, as there simply isn't enough water in a hose to feed the pump when it's much above idle. You can toast an impellor pretty quickly if you're not paying attention.

Rinse the trailer off (including the brakes ) immediately after launch and retrieval if you can. Wash the boat when you're done. You can't typically get all of the salt off of the gel coat with a simple rinse down. It needs a little soap and scrubbing.

You may already do this, but disconnect the trailer lights before dipping it. The 12v electrical current will cause more rapid corrosion on the light fixtures due to electrolysis if you don't unplug. I learned this the hard way with our last trailer; the brand new tail lights lasted less than a year. I replaced them with sealed units before we sold the boat.

We boat about 80% of the time in salt water. It's the trailer that takes the most obvious beating after a while, but it can always be repaired. It's a little nerve racking thinking about salt water affects on the equipment, but don't worry about it and just have fun. The boat will be fine if you take basic precautions and rinse/flush everything.

John
I forgot to mention, yes, definitely make sure you soak the hell out of that trailer with fresh water right after splashing the boat. I rinse out all the channels inside the trailer, wheels, lights, brake lines and diamond plating. When I store the boat away I go around with the CRC 656 and coat everything. Going on 2 years now and the trailer looks brand new.
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Old 02-28-2008, 09:12 AM
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The more you do ahead of time the better. Stop by Home Depot and pick up a couple cans (or more) of PB Corrosion Guard. Same people as PB Blaster and it's the cheapest corrosion protector I've come across. The more you coat with this stuff the better. The more wax and surface protectant you can apply beforehand, the easier it will be to clean afterwards.

If you know you won't have access to fresh water at the ramp or very close by, consider bringing one or two 5 gallon containers (think new gas cans) filled with water. You may look like an idiot, but at least you'll be able to rinse the trailer somewhat.

Also, if you can't flush right away, at least drain all the water from the engine & exhaust. If you wanted to go nuts, you could actually refill the engine and exhuast with Salt-Away mixture after you drain it.
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Old 02-28-2008, 09:47 AM
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Hit the do it your self car wash with about 5 bucks in change. Flush the engines for about 10 mins.

I would not drain the block if you can not refill with water.Antifreeze would work also.

When you get it home give it a nice wash and wax.Polish your chrome and you should be good.


This thread gives me an idea.HMMM
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Old 02-28-2008, 09:51 AM
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Yeah, don't drain the block unless you can flush it at the same time. Air just speeds along corrosion of wetted surfaces.

Corrosion guard products are great too, as mentioned. I use Corrosion X, which I've been pretty happy with.
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Old 02-28-2008, 09:52 AM
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Main thing that everyone is forgetting is the drive systems on the trailer.....remember::: salt water + bearings = you broke down on the road for the ride home.....

must flush out and re-grease the bearings after dipping in salt....then when you get home soak the hell out of the trailer in the lake..
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Old 02-28-2008, 09:55 AM
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A question that hasn't been asked yet is what engines do you have? If fresh water cooled (496, 525 efi, etc.), then your engine internals won't have salt going through them. Your goal then would be to flush the exhaust manifolds. Someone mentioned ear muffs for drives. Do you have a hose connection to flush engines? Also, bring a couple of garden hoses for the trip. You can normally find someone that has a hose bib you can attach to. If not, look for an RV dump station. They normally have hose bibs and large turnaround areas. West Marine, etc. has a product called Corrosion X. Get the red can of this and spray motors and drives before and after. It will help. The severe salt water damage you hear about are normally from boats that only operate in salt water with lazy owners. Don't be scared of the salt. It's awesome where you're going. TH
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