I have a 21 foot sport deck boat. We are going to Galveston next week. Is it possible to have fun fishing the bay and protected areas. I don't have any electronics on it right now. No weather radio. Not set up for saltwater whatsoever. The family and extended family want me to take it so we can cruise around a little bit, site see and fish some.
I was going to bring the flusher for the outboard and wash it down every day before parking it for the night.
We will be in a beach house near Crystal and there is a marina near by with a ramp.

I have been on charter trips but never ran around in my own boat.
I will LEAVE IT AT HOME if you experienced guys tell me that's best.

Suggestions? on areas we might use it?

What kind of trailer do you have. Is your boat rigged with stainless cleats, prop, etc.? Any carpet?

I have a regular painted trailer not galvanized.

Boat has stainless hardware, cleats and stuff.

It's a Nauticstar 210. I have put a trolling motor on the front and we do quite a bit of fishing out of it.

prop is painted aluminum, no carpet..

Trailer probably wouldn't handle it so well.

your boat will do fine, i see those around here, there are 2 or 3 in Bayou Vista. be sure to give the trailer a good rinse everytime.

True. You are going to drop the boat in and then park the trailer all day. I didn't give a lot of thought to the trailer.

Trailer is dead meat sorry.
Carpet? Toast
Wiring under dash? You'll watch it turn green.

"One" trip to the brine is all it takes.

Your trailer will be a rusted piece of junk in about 6 months or less.

"Advisable" and "doable" are two totally different things.

Generally speaking, there are two types of fishing boats. 1) The boat that gets waxed more often than your car; and 2) the boat that is pure utility. The first type of boat often has a color scheme that matches the trailer and towing vehicle. You can tell a utility boat because there are often stains from stinkbait, and metal folding chairs are sometimes used to replace boat seats.

In short, yes your boat will float in the ocean. But no matter how carefully you clean it afterwards, you will most likely be able to tell it has been in salt water.

Thanks for the advice. I have decided against taking it. Besides the whip of pulling it to Galveston from Dallas area with the gas prices on the rise, I don't want to have to worry about having to fix a lot of stuff when I get back. I'm going down there to relax and not worry about tearing stuff up.

We will try to get out on a couple charters of some kind.

Smart move.

Wise. In my experience, anytime you doubt your skills/experience or your equipment, you should listen to that little voice....

I think NOT taking it is the smart choice!! The salt does a number on everything!! We store our boat in POC because we don't want to risk a trailer breakdown-bearings, or the cost of hauling from DFW area. We are meticulous on taking care of our boat, rinsing, flushing, waxing, greasing, and the salt still takes a toll on it. Go down and enjoy.