Salt water use

[Teddy]

I am looking at a newer nautique equipped with a closed cooling system and coastal edition option. It has about 100 hours of use and appears to be well taken care of. The owner is experienced with salt water use and explained that he would flush out the salt water after each use.

 

Would you consider purchasing a salt water boat? If so would you pay as much for a salt water boat as a fresh water boat? Why?

[eleeski]

Salt water does involve higher maintenance. But in no way does it destroy a boat's utility. I regularly ski behind boats that go out frequently in salt water. Note the operative words "regularly ski". You can get long reliable boat life out of a salt water boat.

 

I have bought several salt water boats and have gotten excellent service out of them.

 

Eric

[jjackkrash]

Lots of guys I know run Nautiques in the salt (Puget Sound) without much issue. A salt environment can be hard on wiring (electrical) and trim pieces, but Nautiques from what I have seen do better in the salt than some competitors. With the coastal edition I would not worry about engine that much, as long as it was maintained properly. Make sure the trailer is galvanized, as one dip in the salt with a painted trailer and it will rust from the inside out.

 

As far as resale, a salt ski boat is harder to sell because of perception. So you have to factor that in.

 

 

 

[PatM]

Long time friend skis at Mission Bay in San Diego. He has a 97 Nautique. Still runs great. He is diligent about flushing it out and washing it down. He has gone through replacing the water jackets, but it was not a bad fix. He has had the same boat for about 10 years.

[TustinTom]

Saltwater involves a little extra maintenance. We just sold a 1,000 1990 MC Prostar that was in used in salt since new. Outside of two sets of risers, the only way to tell it from "new" is the original trailer which would have been replaced if we kept the boat.

Bought a new to me 06 LXi and immediately put it in salt. Trailer gets rinsed at launch and when finished we do the wash boat/trailer and engine flush.

As a buyer and operator who has to ski in salt, I would be the buyer paying close to asking price (Coastal Pkg is a benefit). No, I wouldn't share that with the seller but it's a plus. Now, if it's on a galvanized trailer...you would/should get close to what a Non-Salt comparable boat would get. Again, reverse perception to me as a salt user.

[Teddy]

Thanks for the comments. I appreciate the input. If anyone else has anything to add I would be happy to learn of other's experience.

 

[Ryno]

The only thing I would add, is that if you are using a boat in salt, make sure you use an additive such as: Salt Away, Salt X or Macs when you flush your engine and rinse the boat/trailer. It's cheap insurance to keep corrosion at bay.

I personally use Macs when I flush the engine; as well as removing the salt, it's oil based and leaves a film on the water galleries etc to prevent corrosion. For the external of the boat, trailer and ski gear I use salt away. I ski most weekends throughout the year and usually get a couple of years out use out of a gallon bottle of each. So for less than $100 per year, you're silly not to use it.

Usually on an inboard (without closed cooling) that's seen salt water use, the first area to cause you problems is the exhaust manifolds as they corrode from the inside out.

[swc5150]

Are you planning on using the boat in saltwater? If that's the case, you might as well save some money and go that route. I guess I look at salty boats like those with really high hours. Unless you know the owner, and how it was maintained, I'd avoid it. Salt finds its way to every nook and corner too, not just what circulates through the cooling system.

[ALPJr]

I skied pretty much all salt for my first 20 years of skiing on the tidal bays and creeks of southern NJ and at Berkeley Aquatic Park. Only saw fresh water at tourneys and Spencer's Training Camp. Just need a little more time and diligence for maintenance.

[Teddy]

@SWC5150

I wouldn't be using it in salt. I would be moving to fresh water.

[bassfooter]

@Teddy - As @eleeski and @"Pat M" mentioned, there are a bunch of us running everything from '84 MCs up through newer 200s and Malibus in San Diego's Mission Bay. Preventative maintenance makes saltwater a no-brainer. Plan on replacing the exhaust manifolds and risers every 200 - 300 hours because a leak there can kill your engine. Otherwise, a dry bilge (i.e., no-drip packing), flushing the engine with Salt-Away, and rinsing down the trailer is all that's needed. We also try to minimize wet bodies and equipment in the boat, which is really easy to do with a starting dock. I spray plenty of Corrosion Block or the equivalent all over the engine, mounts, etc. in the bilge. Trailer brakes and trailer lights probably take the biggest hit - no matter how much you rinse, you're on borrowed time it seems.

[epyscs]

We went through a number of Nautiques running in salt and had the same riser issues as others noted. They corrode internally and we replaced every 350 to 400 hours. It seems the casting of the manifolds on them have issues. We had engine replacement after Nautique didnt replace both manifolds and the other one failed letting water into the engine.

[Teddy]

@bassfooter and @epyscs did you have closed cooling systems with a heat exchanger or were the boats you had to replace risers on using salt water in a raw water cooling system? The boat I am looking at has a closed cooling system with a heat exchanger. I think that should make it so the heat exchanger is subject to corrosion issues but the engine and risers should be without concern. Thoughts?

 

[swc5150]

To answer your original question, I would not buy a saltwater boat. Would it likely be serviceable for years to come? Of course? Maintenance costs could be higher, as salt could deteriorate things you don't see, but anything can be repaired at a price. As you can see from the posts above, running a boat in salt takes proactive measures. Do you know for sure the owner has taken precautions? If someone plans on keeping their boat a while, I'm assuming they would? If they're selling annually, would they bother? Just food for thought...

[Ryno]

@Teddy You are correct, the exhaust manifolds should be fine, though you may eventually see corrosion in the heat exchanger. Though this will usually take much longer before it's an issue.

[PT Mike]

@Teddy just to clarify there are two types of closed cooling systems. The most popular and cheapest is the half system, antifreeze in the block but raw water or salt water going out the manifolds and risers. A full system which is not as popular on ski boats runs anti freeze through pretty much everthing. Either way the heat exchanger is basically a radiator, raw or salt water cooling the anti freeze.

[PT Mike]

BTW, I've been boating in salt my whole life. A low hour, well cared for salt water boat is worth a tad less to me then a low hour, pristine fresh water boat.