advice on salt water to fresh water

M

minnesota

New Member
Dec 26, 2008
27
my boat was used in salt water but stored out of the water after each use. It was not flushed out after each use either and was used for 4 seasons and winterized after each season. I will be keeping it in a fresh water lake from this point forward. Is there anything I should be doing to the boat's engine in the spring when I take it our of storage because of the salt water? any other advice would be appreciated as well. Thanks.
 
Check the sacrificial anodes to be sure you have the proper ones for fresh water if you will be storing it in a slip.
I think it's zinc for salt and magnesium for fresh.....More experienced guys on that will chime in
 
The exhaust risers and manifolds are the things you need to watch. I would probably consider replacing them in due time as a precaution.

Also make sure you have cleaned the boat thoroughly to remove salt from hardware.
 
"Aluminum anodes are essential for Mercury stern drives as Zinc does not provide sufficient protection. Mercury recommends aluminum anodes for both salt and freshwater on their stern drives. Aluminum anodes last 40 percent longer than zinc anodes. "

I use aluminum on my freshwater sterndrives.
 
minnesota said:
my boat was used in salt water but stored out of the water after each use. It was not flushed out after each use either and was used for 4 seasons and winterized after each season.
Click to expand...

Are you saying you never flushed it out or just didn't after each use. You should of been flushing it out after every use in saltwater :smt009
 
the previous owner did not flush it out after each use when it was pulled out of the water...4 summers like that. thanks
 
I wouldn't worry about it. Mine was a salt water slipped boat for most of its life, then a fresh water boat for two years, and now a salt water lift stored boat again.

Maybe spray down the bilge and engine well to wash any salt residue away. The rest of the salt should take care of itself.
 
Being in saltwater for 4 summers and never being flushed just sounds real bad.
 
I would advise the least noble annode which is magnesium for a B III in fresh water. I would remove at least the exhaust elbows and inspect . This will give you a good look at the type of corrosive loss you may have. Reinstall with new gaskets. This is a vulnerable area in the exhaust system which can lead to water ingestion failure. I would think there will be signs of problems after four years and it may be wise to replace the exhaust manifolds as well. This is very easy to do mechanically and not prohibitively expensive ,and will insure that the exhaust water goes where it should and not into your engine.The minor expense of rebuilding exhaust now will hurt for a little while while forking over funds for a new Mercruiser power package will really sting. This is just my opinion you understand however I am the victim of two water ingested engine failures all do to exhaust mating surface failure, not pretty!
 
minnesota said:
the previous owner did not flush it out after each use when it was pulled out of the water...4 summers like that. thanks
Click to expand...

As noted by others, this IS one of the biggest contributors to the upcoming expensive repairs. If the boat sits in the salt water it's not as bad as if it's been out of the salt water and not flushed. The dry lost is what will eat up all of the metal components. I'm not mechanic expert, but I think some of the salt water remains in the block when you take the boat out, but the top part of the block, risers, elbows, outdrive, etc. will be expose to the obuse.

I'd do very detailed inspections and assess potential issues. Once all is settle make sure to flush the rig after each use in salt water.
 
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