Neutra-salt or F.W. cooling for my new boat?

[mpstan01]

Hi,

First time post here.

Can you all help me out here? I just bought our first boat, a Glastron 21 foot cuddy with a 5.7L 280hp volvo-penta. Our family plans to play on large lakes, ski and tube, and also get into the San Juans, in our backyard (live near Bellingham WA). How often? Depends on how much we like it I guess..... This boat will be trailered, no plans to keep in water except for over-nighters possibly.

The boat has not been delivered yet, and I can still decide on options. Our dealer has recommended neutra-salt system rather than fresh water cooling.
A good friend feels that would be a mistake for a nice new boat, and I've had one good talk with a mechanic that thought FWC would be still overall the best. Also might fwc be advantageous for resale? Does having both hold any merit?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Neutra-salt or F.W. cooling for my new boat?

Welcome aboard!...New boat? Fresh water cooled hands down, and when ya yank it out the salt (I'm south Puget Sound), just put a flusher on and a "Salt-Away" dispenser hooked up. Buy the dispenser (comes with a quart of solution), and another gallon of solution anywhere, like Boaters world. Set ya back about $75, good for a long time as ya only use 4 oz at a time. It will prolong the manifolds. In the fresh water lakes, just use it and have fun (or after coming out the salt, run it in fresh water as soon as possible (like on the way home).

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Neutra-salt or F.W. cooling for my new boat?

Ditto what Scaaty said.

 

[mpstan01]

Re: Neutra-salt or F.W. cooling for my new boat?

Sorry I'm being a little slow; by installing a flusher you mean a T that I can hook a hose to when I get home to flush the manifolds/risers/outdrive? Can I use ear muffs instead?

I think I was quoted $200 for a Neutra-Salt system; if it's as good as salt away perhaps it would be a good investment.......

I'm still not clear whether it's recommended to fresh flush when you get home even if you have use Neutra-salt.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Neutra-salt or F.W. cooling for my new boat?

Our dealer has recommended neutra-salt system rather than fresh water cooling.
A good friend feels that would be a mistake for a nice new boat, and I've had one good talk with a mechanic that thought FWC would be still overall the best.

Ayuh,........

Freshwater Cooling Wins,............ Hands Down,..... No Question.....

 

[Don S]

Re: Neutra-salt or F.W. cooling for my new boat?

IF you are going to be running in salt water, a closed cooling system is a must, and if you are going to keep the boat in salt water most of the summer, the closed cooling AND the NeutraSalt system would be ideal. That way you could keep the manifolds lasting longer, the engine is antifreeze cooled and if you want to boat during cold weather, it's much easier to drain the raw water side of the cooling system without worrying about the block draining as well. The engine will also run warmer with a closed cooling system which is much better for the engine.

 

[mpstan01]

Re: Neutra-salt or F.W. cooling for my new boat?

I would anticipate maybe 2 or three weekends each summer where the boat might stay in saltwater. So maybe 6 overnights max per summer.

They quoted me about $1000 to install FWC. I've not run into a single person who thought they'd skip this expense. I wonder if the dealership is so slammed he doesn't have time to deliver in a week like he promised. Actually I believe he is sincere and truly believes FWC is unnecessary but he does install lots of FWCs.

So FWC, no neutra-salt, and flush thoroughly the risers/manifolds/outdrive with fresh water each time when I get home?

Do T flushes only apply if you don't have FWC? Do most people with FWC just use ear muffs to flush the raw water portion of the system? I want it configured so that in a few years when I'm more knowledgeble, I can look back without regrets and say I started out right!

Thanks guys

Perry

 

[Don S]

Re: Neutra-salt or F.W. cooling for my new boat?

Give him a break and some extra time to install it. The FWC system is going to help in resale value also. Cause you're not going to convince a buyer (in a few years) that you run in salt water and always flush proper.
If you flush the raw water system with Salt-Away and their Mixing Unit after each time instead of just using water, your $800 manifolds and risers will last a lot longer. You don't need to have a Neutra Salt system installed