Freshwater to Salt

[Predator]

Was wondering if any of you freshwater boat owners ever get the itch to go for some Stripers in our bays or tidal rivers? The boat and motors I have now have never been in the salt. Just curious if its worth the risk or not?

[AndyS]

A whole new ball game. The back bays are an outstanding fishery but you have to put in your time and learn the ropes. It almost seems like so much water so little time. Right now there are stripers, weakfish and bluefish in our bays and tidal rivers. I'll get salty in the fall, spring is best for the sweetwater.

[Predator]

Originally Posted by AndyS

A whole new ball game. The back bays are an outstanding fishery but you have to put in your time and learn the ropes. It almost seems like so much water so little time. Right now there are stripers, weakfish and bluefish in our bays and tidal rivers. I'll get salty in the fall, spring is best for the sweetwater.

Yeah I can sure get into those for sure but I'm more so asking about the risk of the salt damaging my freshwater boat. The guy I bought it from said id be nuts to put it in saltwater. As he hasn't since 1995. Its a 14ft Starcraft deep v fully carpeted with all gadgets working fine. A freshwater boat. Some guys tell me to just wash it good after going into saltwater but others say otherwise. You can't get it all off. But one thing for sure is I can't rinse the interior because it's fully carpeted. Does that alone tell me its not meant to be used in saltwater? Thanks guys..

[briansnat]

I hit the Shrewsbury for crabs often and tried fluke and stripers there too. I've done great with the crabs (except for last year), but not so good with the fish (only caught some small fluke and snapper blues). Though a friend just contacted me and wants to go out for stripers because he hears they are hitting. I think I'll take him up on that and hit the Shrews soon. I like the Shrewsbury because it's relatively close to home and it has a free ramp (I'm a bit of a cheapskate). I can also reach the Navesink and even the bay in under an hour from the launch.

Anyway I don't think there should be any issues with putting your boat in saltwater as long as you flush the engine thoroughly and hose down the boat and trailer when you get home. I often use the saltwater trips as an excuse to hit Monksville or Pompton (the closest lakes to me that allow motors) the next evening to give everything an even more thorough rinse, though it's really unnecessary. My boat is fully carpeted as well and the salt has not impacted it. I let it dry and vacuum. The previous owner told me that he took his kids crabbing and fishing on the bays in it for for many years and was only selling it because they were grown up and on their own. The motor is a 1992 Yamaha and the boat itself is much older, but everything still works fine despite years of saltwater use.

[Hoop79d]

An outboard will be fine so long as flushed as mentioned above. An electric motor is another story if you were thinking of bringing one along. Trolling motors are made in fresh and saltwater models, with the latter having stainless components with corrosion in mind. A freshwater trolling motor used in salt, no matter how much care it receives, will not last. As far as electronics and the boat itself, you can use a product like salt-x which adapts to a hose a-la miracle grow and greatly increases the amount of salt which is removed by rinsing alone, definitely worth it. You can even run it through the outboard if you're really worried. Same goes for the trailer. Salt's nothing to be afraid of, but it certainly should command our respect and attention!

[jimmythegreek]

its fine to put a tin boat in the salt, the trick is to wash it thoroughly afterwards. The biggest thing is saltwater baots have different wiring and components usually, more resistant to saltwater. Flush the motor well and rinse her off good, dont use an electric trolling motor it will corrode on the screws/bolts. lots of guys do it

[Anthony]

http://www.saltawayproducts.com/