First time in salt water... help me prepare.

[turbodriven]

Ok so next week I'm taking my boat on vacation. We've got a house in the Keys that sits right on the water. It's got a dock and everything but not a lift. So my question is two fold #1... what should I do to prepare my 18ft fiberglass runabout (merc/alpha1 i/o) for a short stay in saltwater. And #2... is there a danger to leaving my boat moared for a few days instead of putting it back on the trailer each night. The ramp is a ways from the house (not convenient), they have limited hours, and it's $10 each time. Worth it though if salt water really is like battery acid as I've heard.

Oh... all my zincs appear to be good. They look to be about 90%. And I'm fully prepared to heavily fresh water flush and wash everything in the boat the very minute I pull it out of the water.

 

[tommays]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

its early in the year for marine goop BUT i would worry if you left it in more than 4 days without a haul and scrub down

You anodes " zincs" are a different material in fresh and saltwater

They need good cleaning with a SS wire brush or sandpaper to work well any white coating on them stops them from working

I use the standard merc saltwater ones on my trailer boat in fresh and saltwater but strange things can happen and you need to keep and eye on it


Tommays

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

where are you going in the Keys, we spend August on Little Torch Key. leave the boats in the complete month, they get used everyday. take plenty of bumpers, and dock lines. i can be calm, and 30 minutes a gail blowing,

 

[turbodriven]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

where are you going in the Keys, we spend August on Little Torch Key. leave the boats in the complete month, they get used everyday. take plenty of bumpers, and dock lines. i can be calm, and 30 minutes a gail blowing,

Big Pine Key.

That's a good point. I'll make sure to bring plenty of bumpers and lines. Not sure what kind of mooring goodies the dock at the house will have. It'd be nice if it has whips but I'm not going to count on it.

 

[Mark42]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

Wax, wax and more wax. Also, the dock should have a hose. Hose down the boat every day.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

if your on the south side of big pine, it's the same cut we stay on. launch at dolphin marina. it great water, do you have a depth finder? i ran aground my first time out.

 

[turbodriven]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

if your on the south side of big pine, it's the same cut we stay on. launch at dolphin marina. it great water, do you have a depth finder? i ran aground my first time out.

The house is about 4 blocks north of A1A? on the west side of the key. I do have a depth finder... and charts... and gps. And a spare prop in case all those and my eyes fail. My intention of course is to be very careful though. Everyone has said that it's a lower unit graveyard out there. Just have to do my best and try to stay in the channels. We'll see how I do.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

just google earth the location, same cut, your on the gulf side of A1A, we stay across the bridge, about 7 block south of A1A. the area your in has a channel marked some what, the the dive boats use. you are in the graveyard area. that whole side (Big Pine) of the cut is shallow, on both sides of A1A, use the western bridge to go thru. good luck, and have fun. i took my 18' center console out to the reef for snorkeling. follow a dive boat from right there by the bridge. you can see land, from the reef.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

also if your on one of the canals, docking is much better, we're on the open cut, and it gets really rough.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

The house is about 4 blocks north of A1A

Not too much around there that is much further from 1. That is a beautiful area!! Make sure to visit Looe Key with some dive or snorkel gear; it's like swimming in an aquarium.

Make sure your bilge pump is functioning properly, and your batteries are fully charged. Have a great time, stay away from brown water; blue and green are safe, white-a possibility.​

 

[turbodriven]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

Yeah we are on a canal. So hopefully things will be calmer. My poor boat won't get beaten up so bad.

Our intention is to swing out to Looe key for an afternoon. I think thats probably the one you were at. I have the GPS coordinates already written down so finding it will be simple. No need to follow anyone out there.

 

[Solittle]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

Growth ( ie. barnacles) on the bottom in the Keys depends a lot on where you are, water temp and flow. You can tell by passing your hand below the water level along the bottom. If it feels like sandpapger that is the barnacles. Best bet is to ask at the nearest marina where you will keep the boat in the water. Whatever you do be prepared to fresh water clean everthing below the water line when you pull out. Barnacles will wash off easily if scrubbed with fresh water right away. If left to dry they can be like concrete.

It is not a real big deal. I've been running in salt for 35+ years.

 

[Frugal Floater]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

If you get spray, take the advice from others...rinse it down. No reason to worry about salt as long as you don't get lazy after a long day of boating. Take the time to rinse everything down and flush you motor asap after taking pulling it out of the water. Also, try not to back your vehicle into the salt water or submerger your trailer wiring connection. If your boat is not a "saltwater boat", then be sure to rinse places where stainless may not be found (seat adjusters, etc..).

Again, 5 minutes after boating is salt is all it takes...no worries.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

if you don't a have a chart of the area you can download for free here:

http://www.maptech.com/support/downloads.cfm?CFID=461059&CFTOKEN=228

it's not perfect, but better than nothing.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

I leave my 20 footer in for up to three weeks, and just powerwash the hull, rinse the rest down when out. A couple weeks is nothing​

 

[mattttt25]

Re: First time in salt water... help me prepare.

agree... a week in saltwater isn't going to hurt anything. put a good coat of wax on before you launch and you'll be fine. clean her well inside and out when you get home.