To salt water or not to salt water, that is the question

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Rich Stern

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We're going to be vacationing with my in-laws at Fripp Island SC during the summer. The question has come up about dragging the boat down to do a little coastal fishing. Lots of local, inland waterways, but it's all going to be brackish, at best.



My setup:



2006 Fisher 16 Hawk aluminum

2006 Merc 90 four stroke

2007 Fisher/Trailstar with Galvashield



I believe I'll have access to a freshwater hookup for hosing off and flushing the motor.



Thoughts? Would I be better off renting a local salt-water setup rather than subject my boat to an acid bath?

 
Rich,



If you want to fish out of your boat and you don't mind dragging it, by all means take it and go fishing!:rolleyes: Someone on Fripp Island will have a hose if you don't. I'll bet there's been at least a dozen long conversations in regard to this same subject on here in the past.

Flush the motor out as soon as you can at the end of your day. Hose off he boat, inside and out and don't forget the troller. Hose off the trailer even though it's galvanized and look for any channels or wiring holes and wash those out. You don't have to do anything major! If you want to wash everything this is a great time but a rinse off is just as good.

You're going to get a ton of answers telling you that your boat is going to rust out right in front of your eyes if you use it and that's bunk. Just do what I said. Rinse it off and flush the motor and you'll be fine. Everyone, and I do mean everyone in my area fish all salt or brackish water and every once in a while you may see a 1969 SeaRay that wasn't taken care of having rusty screws and bolts and sitting on a rusty trailer but those are due to neglect, that's all..

In Laws huh? Hmmmmm. Well, have a great time.;):)



Uncle Billy
 
Go Fishing!



Living in Fl I see alum boats in brakish water all the time. Like suggested above, just a good clean up when you pull out. I have taken my Nitro into the intercoastal for years with no problem. Part of the ritual is to hit her with the pressure washer when I get home. Has my carpet suffered? Who knows, maybe, but it looks good to me.



2001 Merc 90, replaced the annode once. So again, just do a good clean up and you will be fine.



Hust in case you get a little water in the bearings, plan to give them some fresh grease after you return home from vacation. Another thing I do yearly is to spray silicon spray on the back side of the consile to coat the wiring and connections, but I would probally do that anyway.



go fishing man!
 
Rich, I do both here in southeast Louisiana. No choice here, if you fish freshwater most of the time you have to run thru the salt to get there. Rinse it down, or better yet, stop by a car wash on the way home. Flush the motor when you get back and you're good to go.



Bubby:)
 
Go fishing! Just make sure you hose it down and flush it out. I took my jet ski in the gulf and it didn't hurt it except for sucking up oyster shells at the ramp. :lol:
 
If your galvashield is a galvanized trailer I would go for it. If it is painted with some galvanization, I'd pass or try to get a boat yard to dunk it for you. A wash after salt water, done right, is an hour plus job, you need to really scrub and rinse everything, including the galvanized trailer.
 
My breaking point would be the trailer. If it is a tubular trailer, I would say no, a channel frame and you could probably get by. Protect the wiring and fuse block with some sort of coating.
 
I think the question is, will it cost more to drag the boat that it will to rent one? As has been stated here as long as you clean it up good it will be OK. I fish with a friend that has a old center console with a 150 GT Johnson. It's at least 20 years old that has been used in salt and fresh for years. He just this year is rebuilding the motor.



As far as I can tell the center console boats do not have as many nucks(sp) and craneys as a bass boat so, if you opt to take your boat be sure to wash out the places that you can't see.
 
I'll take the other tact. Find out how much to rent something for the day, then make your decision. It also, gives you peace of mind regarding 'security' both towing and while there if your boat is home and safe, rather than with you.



Also, if you are only planning on doing a 'little fishing', hire a guide and his boat.



For my money, not going to take my freshwater rig to saltwater. Too many new things to worry about. And don't forget, to make sure that you get the trolling motor washed/rinsed very well also, if you take yours.



Tex
 
FWIW - A large portion of your tube trailer will be fully submerged into salt water. Unless you quite hastily, fully submerge your trailer similarly and let it soak for a few minutes in fresh water, I would strongly discourage using your rig. Washing out the inside top and the many bends and welds of a tube trailer is a virtual impossibility. Submerging it is the only way I know to delineate the salt residue. You could find a sling lift to drop you in and lift you out without dunking your trailer, then wash the boat down thoroughly with fresh water, especially the carpet and flushing the rigging tubes. For the lesser hassle, I'd get a rental.



My Carolina Skiff sits on an 4" aluminum I-beam trailer and has seen salt water a few times in two years. The aluminum is good and strong, but the leafs and U-bolts are showing the exposure and will need replacing in a few years. (At least, I hope!) If it's metal and in salt, FeO2 will find it! ;)
 
I'm leaning toward not doing it, unless I can find a galvanaized or aluminum trailer rental to tow it down on, or if I can find a sling to put the boat in the water, along with a temporary slip. I'll have to get more details on the rental property.



Appreciate all the helpful input!
 
Like I said,,,our prior boat wiz (Patt Goff) would agree.
 
Good Grief, TAKE YOUR BOAT AND GO! If you're that worried about the trailer, when you get home go to your nearest freshwater lake, launch the boat and then drive the trailer all the way into the lake, let it sit a minute and then pull it out. Do this three or four times and you're set. How many here who fish the Potomac regularly rinse their boats off and 'dunk' the trailer, etc? The Potomac is brackish. I don't know where the fresh/salt line is off hand but it's not a stockade! Depending on the rainfall that "line" moves quite a bit so until you get way up the river you're still in brackish water.

I have NEVER had a problem with salt on any of my boats and my last one was a 1976 Rebel that had been in more brackish water than anything but was also used in salt water quite often as the ramp to South River is across the street from my house, and it didn't have a galvanized trailer. It only lasted 28 or 29 years of salt and brackish use and now it's on the lower Potomac still being used.



Uncle Billy
 
Rich:

I just spent a week at Edisto Beach, SC and had a good ole time with my Nitro back in the salt water creeks. Hosed it down and rinsed the motor out after every use. When I got home I took it directly to the local lake, dropped the boat and backed the trailer in and out of the water(deep as I could go) several times, left the boat tied up and went to the car wash and used the pressure washer. I ran the motor around the lake for several minutes to flush it out good. I did the same thing last November when we were there for Thanksgiving and did a little fishing. My previous boat was an aluminum that I had for 8 years and it got a salt water bath once or twice a year and never had ill effects. Go fishing.
 
Rich - your fisher has the "2007 Fisher/Trailstar with Galvashield" I thought those were 100% saltwater proof? From what I read when they came out with them, not that your old Nitro has that, but I would think it would be fine?
 
Hey Rich, I contemplated the same thing a couple years ago. A friend of mine took me striper fishing and WOW......... I had the time of my life, and i actually thought about taking my NX882DC down to some indian reservation in Mass., but my opinion.... YA NEVER GET ALL THE SALT OUT OF YOUR BOAT, NO MATTER HOW THOROUGH YOU ARE, AND FOR THE $$$$$$ WE SPEND ON OUR BOATS, NAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH............ JUST MY .02 WORTH, JIM
 
Rich,

Notice the ones that live inland say no, the coastal guys say go for it.

They sell bass boats here on the Gulf Coast every day. Salt water isn't acid.

I'm in the ship building industry and I'm very familiar with anodes and electrolysis. We build ships out of Aluminum and carbon steel that stay in heavy salt water.

I run a Tundra, yes a Walleye boat on the Gulf. I like the bass boat style and the deep V for the rough seas. I,ve added an extra anode because my rig is in heavy salt almost every weekend. We rinse our bay boats with fresh water the same way I rinse my Tundra.



In short, if you want your boat? Take it. I hate to go anywhere without mine.

Have fun and enjoy life,

Troy
 
Rich - You answered your own question, if you got a place to store her while you are not on the water, take your boat and FISH FISH FISH!
 
FOR THE $$$$$$ WE SPEND ON OUR BOATS, NAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH............ JUST MY .02 WORTH
Click to expand...



Not to argue Jim but I live on South River and am less than 1/4 mile away from the Chesapeake Bay. I know Bass boats are expensive but there are so many boats around here that cost two,three,four or even more that of what a bass boat costs. They absolutely do not worry about the amount of salt in the water. Right across the street from me is a

Fountain center console, about 35 ft., with triple Mercury 275's... and every thing to make fishing easier that you can imagine. He wouldn't tell me how much that boat was but his wife said it was over &165,000...It was built in Florida I believe. He pulls it out of the water about four times a year and has told me he has never had a problem at all.?

Now we can start talking about transom savers because NO ONE around here uses them at all and says it's silly to do so:rolleyes:



Uncle Billy



Uncle Billy
 
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