32 Fountain WAS in salt water
 

im looking to purchase a boat that was in salt water, but im going to use it in fresh water. I guess im wondering if its ok, or I need to do some things to remove the salt. Im told it has a freshwater filter on it.

Others with more experience in these matters will chime in, but IMO, it would have to either be a really good deal or a boat that was meticulously maintained and flushed after each use before I would be very interested in a salty. Go ahead and factor in the cost of new exhaust, because these will rot out in salt water. Also, I am always worried about the block and heads developing porosity, unless closed cooling was used. You also have to look very closely at corrosion in the drives, gimbal, K-planes, and literally every electronic component, especially those in the bilge area, can be subject to corrosion and all of the little maddening electrical gremlins that come with it.

Don't get me wrong, there are good deals and good boats that were run in salt water, but there are also a lot of them that suffered deferred maintenance and neglect, and the salt brings it's own set of problems. Good luck, and it would be a very good idea to hire a marine surveyor and a good mechanic to check it out.

Yes, salt water use brings more maintenance and if it was flushed and maintained diligently, you need not run from this boat but the key is to prove that and not just take the sellers word for it. Does the boat have a freshwater flush system on it? As Budman says, you absolutely should hire an accredited surveyor who has deep knowledge of performance boats and you definitely need an engine and driveline rundown including compression and leak down tests. And even if all checks out, be prepared to replace stuff because even if it has been maintained, that salt gets everywhere.

A boat in salt water it's done time for the scrape yard!!!!

How old is the boat and did it spend its whole life in salt.

It is a 94 with new 500s. It went com New York to Florida now in Missouri. The new motors and out drive only have 120 hrs on them.

Was it all repalced as a package ..including transom plates.There will be gremlins in the boat (electrical).

500's are not closed cooling, so you will need to pay close attention to those systems. I've bought two boats both of which spent a fair amount of time in salt, but were maintained well. You will want to remove some cooling component hoses and look for evidence of salt deposits, rust. The good news is that 500's were not prone to the same header problems as 525's, but you should still pressure check them due to the salt use. Just because a boat has been in salt, doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it, but you really need to inspect everything carefully and make sure you get a really good surveyor.

I bought a salt water boat after having it professionally looked at. The following year ended up replacing everything but actual motors over $10,000 better off just staying away from salt water in my opinion

I have bought 4 salt water boats, in fact including the present 42 Fountain which spent its first 18 mos. between NJ and FL and was definitely "rode hard and put up wet" but not neglected. Even after that short period one of the headers developed a pinhole leak and was sent back to CMI for repair. First thing I did was meticulous washing and cleaning including the underside of the engines, drying in sun then soaking with Corrosion X, washed again and Corrosion X reapplied including opening and spraying all wiring connectors. I loosened and sprayed all connections under the dash. Anything with any visible corrosion was ordered direct from Fountain (they were still in business in 2006) and replaced incl. cupholders and some labels. I had gotten a great deal and the additional expense was minimal. I have had no salt water related problems or progression of corrosion in the 7 years since.

This boat has never seen salt water since my extensive cleanup and we actually bought another boat with outboards for that! Outboards do not have anything close to the same amount of saltwater related issues as adapted automotive engines do.