I have never thought I would worry about salt water until know. I am looking to step up a knotch and see a lot of boats that could have been in salt water. What should I look for??? Any help please...

won't be hard to tell.

Look for repainted fasteners in and around the engine(s).
Look for repainted outdrive or transom assembly (sometimes a new outdrive is a tipoff).

An improperly maintained salt boat will have rotted exhaust manifolds and can be even worse. A closed cooling boat will still have saltwater exhausts.

Salt boats CAN be just fine if religiously tended to.

If you have a choice, don't buy a salt water boat (unless meticulously maintained and stored on a lift). Before I owned it, my boat was on a lake for 20 yrs. and everything metal was nearly pristine. Now, after sitting in salt water at my dock for only 6 months, the amount of corrosion/galvanic deterioration is incredible. I predict my TRS is going to be mush in less than a year. I do not have the option of a lift. I am using zincs and a Mercathode.

If the boat(s) you are looking at spent any time in salt water and were not flushed/maintained, you will notice corrosion without having to look too hard. If the boat WAS flushed/maintained/lifted, the biggest worry might be manifolds, risers and circulation pump...not too expensive to replace.

D. Ocean
Pompano Beach, FLA

Find a fresh water boat. Its not worth taking the risk. Everyone selling them will tell you what you want to hear.

Not enough can be said about closed cooling. I would rather have a saltwater 496 than a freshwater 502. I boat in brackish water (8 parts per thousand). After 3 years of use I pulled the thermostat out of one of my 496HO's. It was all shiny and looked like it just came out of the box.

My prevous boat had a 502 and was run mainly in fresh water. After 3 years I pulled the thermostat out of it. It literally crumbled in my hand.

If properly maintained, salt water boats are just fine. I have boated in salt water and brackish water, and my boats are/were stored on lifts/trailers, engines flushed, boat washed, everytime, and my boats look great.
I have never had a saltwater/corrsion related failure in 14 years of boating in FL.
Dean

The probelm with salt water boats is the owners have not properly flushed, washed or CRC'd all the vital parts after EVERY use. I have seen several engines torn down from salt water boats that were incredibly corroded to the point that the entire area between a port and valve area was mssing! Heads, outdrives, cooling systems essentially completely destroyed.

Boats that have been sitting in repo yards from salt water areas etc that have been neglected for long periods of times are scary and very risky.

Even fresh water boats should be winterized so nothing contnues sto grow in an engine during winter lay ups.

I've owned salt water boats for 20 years and have never had a corrosion "failure", but I always flush (Salt Away), clean, oil, etc.
Also, because it's fresh water doesn't mean it won't corrode parts. Lake Texoma and some other lakes are "fresh water", but are very alkaline.

Like any vehicle: condition is directly related to the maintenance.
Due

Like any vehicle: condition is directly related to the maintenance.
I second that!

I've boated in saltwater all of my life and had very few problems. Saltwater just makes it easier to tell who is willing to spend the time, money and effort to really care for their boat. I wouldn't do anything buying a salt water boat that I wouldn't do on a fresh twater boat. Compression check, pull the risers (hopefully), and a thorough inspection. The general condition of the boat will tell you a lot. I'd also look through the maintance records as salt water boats, if maintained, will have had some "preventive" parts replacement. Dependant upon hours, thermostats, impellars, risers and exhaust manifolds would be normal.