Salted or UnSalted?

Blueone said:
I think you missed the point.... freshwater people inherently think salt water boats are bad no matter the duration they spent in salt. you are trying to convince that group other wise.... You won’t succeed
Click to expand...
Which possibly make a freshwater boat that spent a vacation in Florida a good deal, assuming it's in good condition.
 
Steve in Minneapolis said:
Good grief...

I suppose you think there is only corrosion on visible surfaces? I'm asking to learn and to gut-check what the dealer said. I'm smart enough to know that salt air can affect the boat in ways you can't see. But, I came to ask people with experience to see if it's a big deal or not.

What I hear is a very mixed bag of responses.
Click to expand...
Just because a boat was run in salt water one winter does not make it a 'salt water' boat. The boats a 2018, almost new, it hasn't spent much time anywhere on the water, fresh or salt. Maybe it should be passed up for some reason but I wouldn't automatically let that reason be 'salt water'.

It sounds like this boat is a private sale. If so I suspect your dealer is throwing 'salt water' on it in hopes he can steer you toward something he has.
 
Interesting. So, no, I don't think the dealer is trying to influence my decision, but he has given me things to consider. This is a small community, and it's clear that the dealer is in it for the long run, not a single sale. Besides other things, the pricing on a new boat today is the same as it was a year ago, or even during boat shows. For the most part, any boat I want is 15% off MSRP, and that's across the board. They don't have anything in stock... it's order only because everything has been sold, including what they had intended to stock for the next 6 months. He could be raising prices today because demand is high, but he's not. I'm comfortable he does not have an ulterior motive.

What I can surmise from what everyone said is that it could be noticeable in the future that it was exposed to salt, by things like a green coating on some surfaces, or potential pitting on some surfaces, both of which may indicate other problems that may not appear until later, or may not ever appear. And, it should be a good boat for a long time in the future. Obviously plenty of boats have been on the ocean for decades, and they continue to float and run.

But, there is a value implication. Now and later, it may have a "stigma" (warranted or not) that there could be salt-related issues. And that stigma can lower the value or make it harder to sell. My thinking is that if it has been "salted", I should be able to see it, and if I can't then a surveyor should. If there is no evidence, I'll ignore it and move on. If there is evidence of salt, even then it should be fine to own and may never have a problem. But I should be getting a good deal because long-term it will depreciate faster. Right now, I think it's a fair deal, not a super discount, and not a price gouge. But, I could take a hit in the future, if it's apparent to the next buyer. Does this sound right?

We are taking a second sea trial this weekend. I'll look a little closer in the bilge as well as discuss it frankly with the owner. I will let you guys know what we decide.

This has been an enlightening discussion. Thanks for all the feedback, and I never intended for people to be arguing. I didn't expect so much interest in the question, but I do appreciate the banter!
 
If that was my boat and I was selling it a few years from now.....when asked I'd say it was a fresh water boat. Ya, one winter I took it to Florida with me and put on about 30hrs(I'm making up numbers) but the rest of the 700hrs are all fresh water. Any potential buyer that would try to chisel on the price because of it's 'salt water' use would be sent packing. That's my .02
 
Some final thoughts. If you are going to take the hit for it being a “salt water” boat, get the max price reduction, so that in the future if it happens you are covered on both repairs and difference in value. I doubt you will take the hit for salt water in reality.

Don’t tell the surveyor about this “history”. As you’ve related it, you don’t really know. You’ve just heard rumors. I say this for two reasons: a) surveyors are human and they carry the same opinionated attitudes as the rest of us, b)Many surveyors feel the need to find things to justify their existence, cover their butts and prove their worth.

Just as right now, when you go to sell you only heard a rumor. If there is no damage when you go to sell there’s no obligation in my mind (legal, moral or ethical) to tell potential buyers that five years ago the previous owner might have used it in the ocean because there is no defect. So the matter goes away. Clearly if there are issues there is an ethical issue as there would be with any other defects or damage.
 
Agreed, Henry. Good advice on the surveyor. I will ask the seller when I see him tomorrow morning. If he says no, then I'll take it at face value.

I'll mention too, that he told me his reason for selling is that he wants outboards because he wants to be able to tow and use the boat in Florida. We talked a little about boating on the ICW, and at the time it didn't click with me that he may have had the boat there. I mention this because someone above implied the dealer may be making it up to cast doubt on the boat that isn't theirs.
 
Amazing isn’t it? Saltwater boat vs fresh is a religion.

Can’t change beliefs.

Only experiences matter.
 
Steve in Minneapolis said:
Interesting. So, no, I don't think the dealer is trying to influence my decision, but he has given me things to consider. This is a small community, and it's clear that the dealer is in it for the long run, not a single sale. Besides other things, the pricing on a new boat today is the same as it was a year ago, or even during boat shows. For the most part, any boat I want is 15% off MSRP, and that's across the board. They don't have anything in stock... it's order only because everything has been sold, including what they had intended to stock for the next 6 months. He could be raising prices today because demand is high, but he's not. I'm comfortable he does not have an ulterior motive.

What I can surmise from what everyone said is that it could be noticeable in the future that it was exposed to salt, by things like a green coating on some surfaces, or potential pitting on some surfaces, both of which may indicate other problems that may not appear until later, or may not ever appear. And, it should be a good boat for a long time in the future. Obviously plenty of boats have been on the ocean for decades, and they continue to float and run.

But, there is a value implication. Now and later, it may have a "stigma" (warranted or not) that there could be salt-related issues. And that stigma can lower the value or make it harder to sell. My thinking is that if it has been "salted", I should be able to see it, and if I can't then a surveyor should. If there is no evidence, I'll ignore it and move on. If there is evidence of salt, even then it should be fine to own and may never have a problem. But I should be getting a good deal because long-term it will depreciate faster. Right now, I think it's a fair deal, not a super discount, and not a price gouge. But, I could take a hit in the future, if it's apparent to the next buyer. Does this sound right?

We are taking a second sea trial this weekend. I'll look a little closer in the bilge as well as discuss it frankly with the owner. I will let you guys know what we decide.

This has been an enlightening discussion. Thanks for all the feedback, and I never intended for people to be arguing. I didn't expect so much interest in the question, but I do appreciate the banter!
Click to expand...
I have never sold a freshwater boat without the potential buyer asking me if it was ever in salt water.... What would your answer be?
 
Well, if the seller tells me no, and the survey doesn't say otherwise, I'd say no, not to my knowledge. If the seller tells me yes, then my ethics are such that I would tell them yes, the PO had it in salt water, and this is what happened when I checked it out with a survey.
 
NorCal Boater said:
Steve, for the record, we always argue on here. Want proof? Look at the COVID-19 threads.
Click to expand...
Argue?..... I am flat out bullied all the time :( .... don’t start the mask thing again. My boat neighbor just walked by with a mask on and it said.. “My mask is as useless as my Governor” :)
 
Last edited:
I believe Mercruiser offers a 3-year no-questions asked corrosion warranty on its drive package. Please correct me if I am wrong.

If that is in fact true, Merc has a lot of confidence in its factory installed corrosion kits. Then it is doubtful one year in saltwater would cause significant damage.

My work boats are used exclusively in fresh water (that is, if you consider the southern part of the MS River to be “fresh”). We battle corrosion and marine growth constantly. In fact, I lost a lower unit to corrosion after less than 18-months in fresh water due to a poor corrosion system.

My point is, being a fresh water boat does not exempt it from corrosion issues. It still comes down to owner maintenance and care. Don’t relax if someone says “fresh water only.”
 
I live in a brackish region. Folks here that look at boats for sale know this and surveyors know what to look for. FWC is a big thing for me. Won't buy a slipped boat without it. Trailer boats not as much. We regularly see 1000 to 1500 hours on big and small blocks. Regular changing risers & manifolds are a must. See more B3 corrosion than anything. I would not rule out a saltwater boat with the right equipment and care. Seacore and FWC are much more common on newer boats. Get a good survey.
 
Steve in Minneapolis said:
Good grief...

I suppose you think there is only corrosion on visible surfaces? I'm asking to learn and to gut-check what the dealer said. I'm smart enough to know that salt air can affect the boat in ways you can't see. But, I came to ask people with experience to see if it's a big deal or not.

What I hear is a very mixed bag of responses.
Click to expand...

And most, if not all, of the people who bad mouth salt water boats are not speaking from experience but rather are voicing opinions and those opinions are usually not even their own!
 
Last edited:
Okay guys, here’s what happened. I took a buddy, and we looked it over pretty thoroughly. It’s clean. I don’t see any rust in the engine room, or any other concerns. He will have the scratches repaired so the outside should look like a new boat. I did notice some minor surface rust on the Bimini poles, which I assume is from it being in a salt environment.

Owner says he had it in FL but only launched it twice... apparently because it’s too much hassle to deal with flushing it and associated salt related cleaning. There’s no way to know if that’s true, but could be. It has about 100 hours on it, which also backs up the claim.

So unless I learn something different I think we will go ahead with it. Survey to be done in the upcoming week. Anyone think it’s a bad idea? If so, why?
 
I think its a great idea! But bimini bows are usually aluminum or stainless....not sure how there would be rust on them.
Shawn
 
Rust staining on stainless is common. Being stainless steel does not mean it won’t show signs of oxidation (rust) under the right conditions. While immersion in water (even fresh) on a regular basis will cause it fairly quickly, there are a number of factors involved.

Keep in mind there are grades of stainless and within those ranges of alloy mixes. One possibility is the tubing was made from steel that was on the lower end of rust resistance. Does this mean sub grade SS was used? No, as I said all stainless will show signs of staining over time.

While immersion is the fastest track to staining, a high humidity environment can cause it. In fact one of the standard paint tests used in evaluating commercial marine hull paints is to score a painted test sample and stick it in a heated test booth with very high humidity (70-85%) for a period of weeks.

Most likely the result of being in a warm humid environment more than exposure to salt. But yes, the exposure to salt in the atmospheric humidity would be an accelerating factor. The correction a quick clean up with metal polish and then some polish/wax will clean it up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,220
Messages
1,428,858
Members
61,115
Latest member
Gardnersf
Back
Top