Brackish water and i/o motors

T

TRod62

New Member
Jul 24, 2020
10
Boat Info
Currently Boatless, Preparing to purchase a Searay 240 Sundancer soon
Engines
Boatless
Hello all. I am looking to buy a Searay soon and wanted to get some input regarding using and inboard/outboard in brackish water. I own a slip on an estuary which connects to the Chesapeake Bay. I don't have any plans to use the boat in the bay, but the river I am on does have some salt content (albeit much lower than concentration than the bay).

Any guidance? I am aware of flushing the motor, but want to make sure I'm not shooting myself in the foot with an i/o motor.

Thanks in advance
 
My opinion, you'll be fine. So many boats with I/O's stay in the water. Fresh or brackish water is a total bonus. Prep the outdrive well, apply good quality paint, stay on top of the anodes and you'll be fine. Don't over think it!

BTW- the 240 SunDeck is an awesome boat. I have had 2 of them and 3 270's! SunDeck boats rule!
 
Thank you for your response. Will take your advice and stop over-thinking it.
 
Below is a post I just made in another thread since I recently moved a freshwater boat to a salt environment.

Will your boat be left in the water, or pulled after each use? At minimum you should flush the motor whenever you pull the boat using a hose and out-drive muffs. I added Salt-Away to my regiment to add even more protection.

Also check your manuals, you may have a flushing port on the engine itself, my Volvo does. This means that even with the boat in the water you can hook a hose to the port and flush the block and manifolds with fresh water. This is great when you want to leave the boat tied to a dock for a few days.

Also, spray down the entire boat AND trailer whenever you pull it. Make sure to really flush the trailer brakes as they'll rust pretty quickly.

If you're looking at boats and one has freshwater cooler and another doesn't then lean towards the fresh-water cooled boat, all other things being equal.

Good luck and enjoy.

-------------

I just this last couple of weeks moved a freshwater boat down to the Florida Gulf coast. I did a fair amount of research on this and decided the best way to protect the boat was with the Salt Away (SA) product.

I've now completed the procedure twice.
  • Pull the boat out and lower the unit
  • Position water muffs over lower unit intakes
  • Fill plastic bowl of SA unit with Salt Away solution
  • Connect the hose to the SA dispenser
  • Connect the SA to the water muffs
  • Make sure SA dispenser dial is in Rinse position
  • Turn on water 100%
  • Start boat and let idle for at least 5 minutes to ensure thermostat has opened. (exhaust water will be HOT)
  • While boat is idling if you have a second hose use to rinse rest of boat.
  • Once hot turn SA dispenser to 'Run' and allow the solution to flow into the engine
  • Once exhaust water starts foaming turn off engine (Not SA Unit)
  • Turn off hose
  • Disconnect SA unit from muffs
  • Use the remaining SA solution to spray your trailer, trailer brakes, and boat
 
Thank you for the advice. My boat will be left in the water for an entire season at a time....then pulled at a marina and put into storage each winter. I will ensure I have fittings for a flush even when it's in the water. I have done some reading on salt away and intend to use it. Thanks for your process as well. Love your boat! She's a classic beauty! We are looking at 240 Sundancer. This will be our first boat (I have some boating experience but haven't owned one before). I would appreciate any advice you may have regarding the Sundancers from your experience.
 
The only issues if seen on our dock are Captains coming in on a low tide sucking up mud and silt. then shutting the engine down and not letting the engine run to flush it all out.

Before you put it in the water, check and or replace your zinc.
I've seen some wicked damage done to lower units due to stray current. Zinc is cheap, lower units aren't.

Which river will you be boating on?
 
Will be primarily on the Bush River
 
I've had a total of 6 different boats with 7 Bravo 3 drives kept in the water from mid April till October in the Upper Chesapeake with zero issues. Everyone will have different experiences but you should be fine. Best thing you can do is use the boat. Don't let it sit for weeks at a time without going for a ride.
 
I would also check the Bellows every year and replace them every other year.

if they fail you have to repair/replace the U-joints or worse.

I have lived this pricey issue.
 
Last edited:
rlynch03 said:
I would also check the Bellows every year and replace them every other year.

if they fail you have to repair/replace the U-joints or worse.

I have lived pricey issue.
Click to expand...
2 years for bellows?
Quality parts should last much longer than that.
 
SeaNile said:
I've had a total of 6 different boats with 7 Bravo 3 drives kept in the water from mid April till October in the Upper Chesapeake with zero issues. Everyone will have different experiences but you should be fine. Best thing you can do is use the boat. Don't let it sit for weeks at a time without going for a ride.
Click to expand...
SeaNile,
Thanks for the information. I am already leaning toward the B3 drive, so this is comforting to hear. Of course, regular maintenance is key, but nice to hear that you have had good experiences in salt water with i/o motors/drives.
 
How much do you know about dissisimilar metals and corrosion?
If not, good idea to read up on it. With the duo-prop stainless of the B3’s versus the aluminum casing, it is very important to keep the maintenance of the corrosion system - whether that is the Mercathode or zincs.
Zincs.com has a lot of good articles to read.
 
DWABoat said:
How much do you know about dissisimilar metals and corrosion?
If not, good idea to read up on it. With the duo-prop stainless of the B3’s versus the aluminum casing, it is very important to keep the maintenance of the corrosion system - whether that is the Mercathode or zincs.
Zincs.com has a lot of good articles to read.
Click to expand...
I've been doing my homework on dissimilar metals and corrosion. I'm aware of the dangers/risks associated with the issue and have a plan in place. Thanks for your comments.
 
Just make sure you have the correct anodes on for your water type, properly prep and paint your outdrive in the spring and then have a summertime full of fun. Seriously, goto any marina and look at how many I/O boats are in the water! Head to a saltwater marina and you will see 100's of boats with I/Os.

As incredible as the internet is the info and opinions will drive you crazy!
 
The issue with wet slipping an IO in salt, brackish is salt not fresh, isn't so much with the engine although you will need to change your risers on average every 4-5 years. The issue will be with your outdrive. Salt and stray currents will eat that aluminum outdrive like cancer especially if you have a SS prop. Ask me how I know?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,162
Messages
1,427,545
Members
61,070
Latest member
Justrite
Back
Top