I have a 2009 Triton 20x3 Pro that I love to bass fish out of. My question is, would it hurt it to take it inshore fishing? I'm about to pull my carpet up and it is fiberglass underneath, like a center console deck. If I do, what do I need to avoid doing, and what do I need to do after as far as salt.

Looking at fishing around Baffin, Redfish, and Corpus Christi Bays

There's a reason saltwater-specific boats use galvanized or aluminum trailers, and use tinned marine-grade wiring. You can do it, but you will pay the price.......

If you do it, before you go, spray down your wiring with something to protect it from the salt air and spray, and rinse the outboard, boat, trailer, and your gear with Salt Away immediately afterward.

If you have a painted trailer, you don't want to back it in to salt or even brackish water.

Don't mean to sound argumentative to Jim Ford, but no amount of rinsing or Salt Away will stop it from corroding. By all means still use the salt away, but you can 100% expect to see rust on the hardware and welds within a week or two.

All of your electrical connections under your dash? Green cancer. All the connections behind bow plates and such? Green cancer. In the bilge, pumps, battery connections on board charger? Green cancer.

You've already been told about your trailer, it's toast after the first dunk in the brine.

Plus, a bass hull is really out of it's element in the bay. They draft way too deep, and take way too much water to get up and going in, you'll be limited to where you can go.

You will 100% regret it. Baffin is hyper saline. The ULM, Corpus and Redfish bay a little less. It will wreak havoc on you boat. Even for a saltwater bait that’s a tough environment. .

Painted trailer will quickly be history. Anything that can corrode will regardless of how well you wash and rinse it. Carpet wouldn’t be the issue. It would be the least of your worries.

Dot do it. The damage will cost more than a guide. Also not discussed is your motor. Saltwater motors water jackets are made for corrsion. Sacrificial anodes and stainless components. The moist salt air is enough to start the boat down a irreversiable road. I worked offshore for years and never have seen corrosion like on the water. Its like a hungry animal looking for steel

Just remember this, Baffin and LLM are 100X higher salinity than a Louisiana marsh. Seriously, there is nothing you can do to protect that bass boat.

OP not trying to pile on but as Pat mentioned aside from the salt damage that boat isn’t real safe in the bay. Had a friend who had a Promaster bay boat. It was technically a bay boat but designed more like a bass boat. He sunk it right outside of Rockport in 15 mph winds because water kept coming over the bow. Last Saturday it was blowing to 40 and I was looking at 4’ rollers in Copano bay at about 2 seconds apart.

Good point. I run a boat without sides. Kind of like a surfboard, water doesn't collect anywhere, just rolls off. Freaks out the noobs, but doesn't take long to get used to.

No, don’t do it.

Rust never sleeps

I saw a friends bass boat deteriorate pretty quick after fishing salt water; pumps, live well, and trailer. He moved here from Mississippi and fished brackish water there.

Sounds like I need to sell my bass boat and buy a boat I can do both out of.

Thanks for all of the suggestions

I have taken my xpress multiple times with no issues other than trailer. I knew that was a sacrifice.


Zero electrical or rigging issues I did spray down the power head and under dash and shifter area with a silicone spray before and did a solid wash down flush after each day on the water.