How long can a boat stay submerged??
 

Long story short, my friends 26' '87 scarab excel survived "Sandy", but due to marina neglect sunk in salt water about 3 days ago.
I know the engine, electrical, and upholstery is shot, BUT, can I assume the hull is as well or is there potential to restore this boat?
Before the submersion the boat felt incredibly solid.
The boat should be out of the water within the next day.
Also what should be done once it is land locked again?
I figure a thorough flushing, stripping and drying process
Thanks in advance!!!

IIRC it will stay there as long as you dont lift it off the bottom. Titanic sank 100 years ago and is still submerged:lolhit:

the water gets into everything, so blisters will start to show up :helmet:

No matter what else, all the wiring's going to need replacement. Even if it still seems to work, saltwater will wick up into the wires and corrode them from the inside.
Engine/outdrive mechanical may survive with aggresive diassembly and oil bath.

Most of the damage from salt water on all of the parts and wiring comes not from how long it was under water but how much air gets to it without being cleaned off.
The hull itself is probably fine unless it wasn’t sealed well around the stringers and transom. I would guess that the floor could cause a problem because the underside of the wood is usually not sealed like the top.

I you are really want to know makes a small pilot hole low on the stringer and see what happens, is the wood solid and dry?

The best thing you can do is exactly what you have already said flush the salt and muck as quickly as possible. Start with a general rinse and then go for the electrical components and anything that could hold water open it up then clean it or flush it out.

Pull the engine drain plug and spark plugs then run fresh water through the engine let drain and then doo all that you can to coat with something to save it. Pulling the engine right away and opening it would be a good idea if possible.

Good luck! I would think that you could save it if it was worth it to yourself.

Lots of fresh water flushing immediately will save a lot. Hull will be fine. Salt is a killer, if it was fresh clean water then it would be no big deal.

It would be best to turn it into a submarine

Remember to get the engine running right away, and let it run for hours if possible. Have all the spare parts like distributor, wires, coil, spark plugs, etc ready to go before you even pull it out of the water. Every hour counts and air is your worst enemy. If you aren't ready to really go at it and go through the whole thing right when it comes up, you are better off leaving it under water until you're 100 percent ready. We've actually pulled planes out of the ocean and brought them straight to a freshwater lake, sunk them and let them sit overnight.

I was wondering to myself if you resunk it in freshawater how much would get cleaned but wasn't going to say it:whistle:. I have seen truck transmissions and motors that got swamped before and they always seem to have sand/dirt in them, I would drain motor then fill it with oil to the top including the cylinders until you could disassemble it, Smitty

And the swimming pool on the Titanic is still full after all those years!