I was wondering.....have any of you ( or would you ) take your Bass boat to the gulf for Flats fishing? Ive heard if you buy a SALT WATER SERIES Trolling motor and just flush your MAIN motor after your done....you might be safe. is this true? What would the salt water do to your motor, boat, or anything else?

Thanks guys....your info is greatly appreciated.

you'll destroy your trailer unless it's galvanized. If you have the diamond plate on the fenders or steps no amount of quarters at the car wash will get all the salt out from under the diamond plate.

Yeah, from everything i have heard, the boat and the outboard is not your biggest consern as you can clean out the salt flushing it or taking it directly to a freshwater lake and running it a little after a day in the salt water. The trailer will take the damage. You will never be able to get all the salt out of the hollow frame of the trailer. It will rust from the inside out along with alot of the exterior trailer parts. If i lived close to the coast, i would be looking for another trailer so that i could go flats fishing.

Flats fishing in a bass boat! How will you do that? They may skim the water on plane because they are a pad hull but i dont see how you will do any good when not moving. Generally speaking bass boats float pretty deep.

I've done it, but your electrical system will suffer too. Plan on spending $15 in quarters at the car wash...and I mean wash everything. I would remove everything from the boat and wash it, inside and out 2-3 times. It's a major pain....and really not worth it.

DO NOT even think about it with a box channel trailer. You can get by with a good wash and occasional use with C-channel.

Just go buy a kayak or a jon boat. They work, and its not worth dunking the bass boat. All the screws, contacts, and everything else is steel, not stainless so it will all begin rusting immediately. Not to mention the trailer will begin rusting before you put the boat back on it!

Been 45 miles out in a 223 champ bout 2 or 3 years ago with a buddy. he had an alum trailer. He fishes the bays and jetties all the time I don't think the boat has ever seen freshwater. Says he's never had any problems though.

Hey Robert.....just a question. No need for a smart [censored] remark.

But everyone else....thank you for your advice. My dad wants to go fish down a Kehma ( hope I spelled that right ) and I didnt want to go thru the hassle of renting something or going on a charter thing. Guess Ill tell POPS we should rethink it then. But thank ya guys. I really appreciate it.

You can rent small skiffs somewhere down there, I bet. Pretty cheap too.

I would worry about all the open wire connections.

Ya ill look into renting something. Thanks OLDFROG and SNMCC!

Hey Shankn

I am not sure about your boat or if you even own one but every single fastener on mine is SS. I would not have it any other way even in FW. On another note there is not a hole on my boat (even on top of the cap) that is not sealed with silicone. Not the wiring might be another issue. I still would not put it in SW.

I apologize was not intended to be a smart remark. I was unsure of your experince with fresh water boat and the coast. You don't sound by that question that you are a costie I would hate to see you stuck on a sand bar because your boat floats so deep. I have seen it before. I have had to hand my push pole to one bass boat guy and one ski boat guy in the past in hopes that he was not stuck so bad that he would need a tow. If you don't have tow insurance for the coast an assist or tow can cost a $1000 or more. Good luck and don't put the trailer in the water. Boat will probably be ok but trailer would take a beating. I have a galvanized and it's all rusted up, crazy how corrosive it is.