Re: can and outboard be kept in Salt Water
Salt will slowly dissolve the aluminum all the time it is in contact with it. You need to minimize their exposure to it. Flushing with fresh water after each use is a must. The internal surfaces are barely protected to bare entirely. Only flushing gets the salt water out. Tilting them out of the water will also help, but not so much if you just trap the salt water inside because the motors won't drain properly when tilted.<br /><br />Other things that help are electrical in nature. Electricity accelerates the process. You can easily remove that factor by installing battery switches and turning them off when the boat isn't being used. Galvanic corrosion is also electrical in nature, but there is only a limited number of things you can do about that. Different metals in close proximity in a bath of conductive saltwater turns each motor into somewhat of a battery itself. The most reactive metal will be the first to dissolve. Aluminum is very reactive. But Zinc is more reactive. So there are chunks of it placed strategically on the motor to sacrifice themselves instead of the aluminum. They have to be replaced when they dissolve enough, and they have to be free of grease and paint so they can make good contact with the saltwater.<br /><br />If you do nothing, those motors will dissolve to uselessness in a matter of a few years. If you take good care of them, you can easily triple to quadruple their lives.
