Saltwater boat care

We have never taken our boat in saltwater before but finally decided to take the plunge a couple weeks ago and was wondering what you guys did as far as flushing/washing etc. the boat for use in the salt.

We have a 24' Carolina skiff with a 150 Suzuki four stroke. all hardware is stainless or aluminum, has an aluminum trailer and all electrical connections are sealed.

Before we hit the water I sprayed the lug nuts, trailer jack, winch, and nuts/bolts on trailer, light plugs and steering components with corrosion x.

After each use we took the boat out of the water and sprayed the entire boat/motor/trailer down with the hose and flushed the motor and at the end of the trip we did the same and took it to a car wash. When I got home I re-applied corrosion-x to the lugs, trailer nuts/bolts, winch and jack.

Am I missing something? Going way overboard? or doing ok?

Thanks for any advice.

I would wash the boat with soap and water after each use, if possible. Flush the livewell and run the pumps with fresh water. Your boat and motor are made for saltwater use. Enjoy.

So if we go to the coast for 3 days you think I need to wash soap and water in the morning and evening every day?

We were there for 3 days rinsed with fresh water and flushed and did soap car wash before we headed home.

A daily spray down and a wash after arriving home will surely suffice.

You're good so far.
Check your bilge and live well pump connections they get overlooked.

Thanks Jerry and Pat.

The boat is not used in the salt often, maybe a handful of trips a year, just want to make sure we are doing what we can to prevent corrosion.

One thing that gets overlooked a lot: Make sure that any screw-type hose clamps are 100% stainless steel. Automotive clamps have a stainless band, but a ferrous screw. If you use automotive clamps in saltwater, there's trouble in your future!

IslandJim

The only way to save yourself from trouble down the road is don't put boat in salt water.
You can't get all of the salt off.What the salt water don't get to the salt air will.

I rinse mine off with a water hose, and get it to the lake asap to rinse the trailer really good, run fresh water through everything

Its already happened the boat has touched the salt water, we are just trying to take the best care of it we can.

I sprayed everything down every outing with fresh water including the aluminum cross members on the aluminum trailer. I also dis the same with the pressure soap car wash before the trip home. Hopefully we will see years of service out of this new rig. And again we don't live at the coast, we will probably never make more than 3-5 trips a year, maybe less.

Pull the cowling off and liberally spray the entire power head assembly with Corrosion X, Boeshield, or something similar.
Don't be bashful about hosing it good.

We looked at a triton one time and both cowlings were rusted through in the back.

Also hook up to the motor and run fresh water through it for 5-8 minutes, you should be good. But spend a lot of time on washing the trailer, that thing carries your investment. If an axel drops out, you'll be in trouble. Rust is a killer. And spray corrosion x (green can) all over your engine and wiring, it'll help in the long run.

Sounds like you're doing pretty good.

Yep if you've never done this or similar be sure to do it. Since your boat is a saltwater boat it shouldn't be an issue it's when you use say a bass boat in the saltwater things will/can get messed up, way to much mild steel and unsealed things to ever get cleaned good enough to not rust or for corrosion to set in down the road

I sell a product call BTS Protectant. It was invented to be used in salt water conditions. To prevent mildew and rust due to harsh conditions. See my other post in classified for it. I'm in San Antonio area. Contact if interested.