TOPIC: Classic runabouts on the salt?

So who here runs their boat in saltwater? We're taking our 15' Chappy with us to the coast for a week and plan to do some cruising in the marsh creeks and rivers, and run some of the small bays if the weather's good. Probably do a little fishing. Anyone else do similar stuff?

In preparation I picked up a nice handheld VHF and a good helm compass, and I'll order a chart of the area. No reason to take chances.

I live in the south end of Maryland almost on the Potomac River, very brackish water. I make sure I rinse the boat real well and run fresh water flush through the motor for at least 10 minutes when don running for the day. Do it after every run don't let it sit. It still eats the old chrome if there's any bad spot on it. Wally World has what's called Salt away, works real good.

Bob

i know some of the car washes here in texas on the coast have ear muffs at them to rinse out the motor. and drive thru car rinses for $1. even the wind carries salt in the air.

I agree that 'Salt Away' is a great ally against the conflict with salt water.
It is typically sold in a concentrated formula.
I encourage folks to get a 55 gallon barrel, fill it with the appropriate ratio of Salt Away and fresh water, and save the barrel full of this mix through out the boating season, running the motor in it after every salty - brackish cruising.
I also encourage folks to rinse off the boat & motor with tap water, then wipe it all down, and apply "Corrosion Guard"
"Corrosion Guard" is sold at West Marine, and Mercury (Quicksilver) has similar product,...I can't recall the name at the moment.
These spray on coatings seal off the motor parts so they can't get oxygen, which helps in the avoidance of salt related electrolysis.
Clean any areas that begin to corrode, and coat that area with grease - and a corrosion protecting spray.
doc

Good advice. The place we're renting for a week has outside water taps and I plan on taking my muffs and hose with me. The coast is a 3-4 hour drive, so any trips down will be well planned. the other place we'll probably spend time is a friend's house just off the ICW with a great dock. She'll probably stay docked for the weekend but I can use their hose for washdown when I pull her out.

I may spring for a SeaTow membership too. Cheap insurance that works on the local lakes as well as the coast.

I'm on a river, if I go right off the dock it's 20 miles of fresh, if I go left its 3 miles then brackish then salty then the ocean. I run out to the ocean often in my larger classic sometimes the small ones when water is flat.
The motors flush on the return trip, on the boats upon return I do a fresh water wash down followed by a SaltAway rinse then a second wash down then per instructions one quick douse of saltaway you let it dry on the boat rather than rinse that off. It works like magic, after 7 straight years the original chrome (not that great back then on the cheap pot metal Atwood and similar hardware used) all shows no signs of NO corrosion . The trick is diligence every time and I believe the salt away use. It deactivates the salt rendering it chemically non conductive, therefore non corrosive. I make sure all the metal parts in particular get hosed and treated every time. The run time in salt is not long enough it's the sitting time between outings that slowly will cause the trouble. . You can feel when it dries it leaves a coating behind to help protect next time too. You need to buy the kit that has the hose attachment. I found the real salt away attachment better than the West Marine knock off but, maybe that was luck of the draw. The liquid treatment both seem the same. Watch out not to loose the o ring that seals the jar to the handle on the attachment.
The one thing I try to avoid is dipping the vintage trailers into the salt, always launch in fresh, too many nooks and crannies even with the salt away to guard against corrosion at least in my mind. In the rare event there is no option I make sure I dip the trailer in fresh water very soon after.
By the way in winter time I occasionally spray the salt away on the underside of my truck on an above freezing day. Figured it would help some against road salt.
I would get SeaTow or equivalent it's the AAA of the ocean. I think it's just good piece of mind, it's a different feeling being out on open water, trouble can brew fast when motor goes down particularly if non boating guests are along who might panic, never used it yet but , it's good to know my backside is covered.
My 2 cents.
Randy

Great stuff guys! I can't stress the Boat US town enough. I have the unlimited coverage and it's WELL worth it. I live just off the Potomac and I drove across from the Maryland side to the Virginia side, bout 5 miles I guess. That's when I first had the flywheel issue, spun on the shaft, anyway I had to call Boat US and have the tow boat come. Took me back to the launch ramp and we were good to go. About a week or os later the statement came that said the tow would have cost me about $2,000!!!!!!! That says it all!

Bob

Ultraclyde:

Like the other FG Members, we also use our two (2) classic 1960 Glasspar Boats in the saltwater here in Eastern N.C. on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

As they all said, we also wash the boats and trailers with a good boat wash and "Saltwater Terminator" Solution IMMEDIATELY after it comes out of the water. We flush the engines with the same solution and after everything is clean I use a special aluminum/anti-corrosion spray all over the trailers. So far, we have had no problems to speak of and we NEVER leave the boats in saltwater overnight or for long periods of time. I think neglect in NOT washing our classic boats, motors and trailers is what will eventually cause problems.

More good info. We plan on leaving the boat in the water over at least one long weekend, tied up on our friend's covered dock on the tidal creek. I'll be installing a float operated bilge pump before that even though I've never seen any water in the boat on our lake days. The boat is already in need of a good hull buff, so I'm not too concerned about a few days in the water. It's not a restored classic like some of you guys have.

The trailer OTOH is already rusty - surface rust not holed - and is kind of lightweight anyway. I'll pick up some of the after-salt treatment and spray everything down. I'm already planning on replacing the trailer with a galvanized or (better yet) aluminum one when I find a good deal. Regular if not frequent salt use is one of the main reasons for buying the boat, so having a more salt-resistant trailer was always sort of in the cards. Plus I'd love to get one with a wider axle that would carry the boat a little lower in the cradle, and maybe something with tires rated for more than 65 mph. Just more stable in general. It's a long drive to the coast, lol.