I/o in salt fulltime

[hobopacket]

So I have a issue I am trying to work out.

I have a older very well taken care of wellcraft with the original alpha 1 outdrive. It's been a freshwater boat for its whole life until recently. I keep super good care of it water dripping it in salt. Dip it and the trailer in the lake and run it. Wash the whole thing down etc.

Now we live in the middle of nowhere and would love to keep it in a slip at the coast for a cost efficient little condo so to speak but I worry about the effects on the outdrive and not being able to flush with fresh.

We would have to boat in the water around south east Florida.

Also might add the boat had never been bottom painted and I worry about doing that and taking down the value of the boat.

Should I sell and just start fresh with an inboard or outboard boat and skip the stern drive? Problem is we love our boat!!!

Thanks for your help.
Mv hobopacket.

[a64pilot]

So your going to buy a Condo with a slip?
Then install a boat lift and then you don't have to bottom paint and you can flush out your engine after each use. Best thing you can do other than put it under a roof, if you can do both, then a boat will likely outlast you, if taken care of.
If you cannot install a boat lift, then see about dry storage at a local Marina
I would not wet store in I/O myself, however many thousands do.

[hobopacket]

No, no condo, rather use the boat as a little get away at the coast.

Keeping in dry storage takes the fun out of it imo.

[Pete7]

If you do go for keeping it in the water then you need a non copper antifoul paint for the stern drive, unless you can lift it completely out of the water which is unlikely. If you can't lift it, then put it fully down so the rams are inside the pistons to stop barnies growing on them in short order. You also need a gap of one inch around the drive on the stern; free from copper antifoul paint or the copper paint will corrode the ali drive. Also check that you have a zinc seawater anode and not an ali one which is only for use in fresh water on the drive. Also don't put any shorepower anywhere near the boat or horrible things will happen.

With regular maintenance and a good clean of the drive antioul paint every few weeks an Alpha drive will withstand being kep in saltwater.

However, a floating dock or lift will save a lot of work and avoid antifouling the boat and drive.

[hobopacket]

Pete,

You are saying repaint the drive every few weeks or clean it?

I was thinking cleaning the outdrive and bottom once a month and then new zincs and paint yearly. I do a have full cover to protect from the sun.

Also, explain the no shorepower?

[a64pilot]

Why not just put it on a trailer? I did that for years. Only takes a couple of minutes.

[hobopacket]

Pay for a slip just to put it back on the trailer, pain in the ass, that's what we do now.

Would much rather drive the 4 banger the 1.5 hours to the coast and hop on the boat.

[Pete7]

chances are you will end up with Internationals Trilux paint for the drive as it doesn't contain copper. However, its only medium strength so will need a wipe over every few weeks. Because the drive is so close to the surface and therefore sunshine, weed will grow quickly on the paint despite your best efforts. If you don't paint the drive then you will have your own eco system around the drive in a month, folk only do this once because cleaning it is a .........

You would hope that every boat moored near you would have a really good system for ensuring that main electricity doesn't go anywhere near the sea. Sadly stray currents from other boats, pontoons and electrical leads dangling in the water will quickly eat away at anodes and particularly aliminium drives. I have seen a friends Honda 90 outboard gearcase eaten through in 6 weeks.

On a yacht with shorepower regularly attached there is an RCD device and probably a widget to stop minor electrical leaks, but this is over the top for a day boat.

[rwidman]

You can't paint the inside water passages of the outdrive. And you can't easily flush the engine and dive with fresh water if he boat is sitting in salt water. Pulling it out and flushing it after each use is the best plan. Most dry stack marinas do this as part of the contract. You can call ahead and they will put the boat in the water so it's ready when you get there.


That said, there are some I/O boats at my marina in wet slips. Everyone has a diver come once a month and the divers clean the outdrives as well as the hulls. Your outdrive will not last as long if kept in salt water but that's the price you pay. They can be replaced when they have problems.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by hobopacket

Pay for a slip just to put it back on the trailer, pain in the ass, that's what we do now.

Would much rather drive the 4 banger the 1.5 hours to the coast and hop on the boat.

Very common around here for I/O boats to be stored in boatels, high-and-dry storage...

Call ahead, they launch before you get there, use the boat, they haul and store after you return. Various services can include rinsing and flushing and so forth...

Also no uncommon for folks to rent a wet slip with a lift in a marina, or to install their own lift (by agreement with marina)...

Saw all that down in south Florida when we lived down there, too...

-Chris

[Hunky Dory]

I had a Bayliner Explorer that had been in Lake Nipigon in Northern Ontario Canada. This lake is fresh water free of pollution and is cold. When I bought the boat it had a beautiful black smooth barrier coat applied, I thought this surface would repel critters because of the hardness. I trailered the boat to St Augustine and boated to Key West. On my way back north three months later, moving fairly regularly during this time The boat was pulled out and put on the trailer. To my shock, through lack of experience with warm salt water, the bottom was covered with barricades that made the surface fee like 50 grit sandpaper, and it had green whiskers 3 feet long. I had a Marina pressure wash the bottom and immediately a couple of coats of anti foul was applied. What you don't know can actually hurt.

[Cheechako]

I have done this. The salt can eat up zincs fast for sure. The long hair growing on the outdrive not great either.
If you can find a "launch on demand" boat storage place that is an excellent option.
-Your boat is stored dry,
-You can fresh water flush after using,
-you just call and tell them what time and they have the boat in the water and ready to go.
-No bottom paint needed.


The bottom paint used on outdrives is marginally effective and requires renewing often.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by hobopacket

So I have a issue I am trying to work out.

I have a older very well taken care of wellcraft with the original alpha 1 outdrive. It's been a freshwater boat for its whole life until recently. I keep super good care of it water dripping it in salt. Dip it and the trailer in the lake and run it. Wash the whole thing down etc.

Now we live in the middle of nowhere and would love to keep it in a slip at the coast for a cost efficient little condo so to speak but I worry about the effects on the outdrive and not being able to flush with fresh.

We would have to boat in the water around south east Florida.

Also might add the boat had never been bottom painted and I worry about doing that and taking down the value of the boat.

Should I sell and just start fresh with an inboard or outboard boat and skip the stern drive? Problem is we love our boat!!!

Thanks for your help.
Mv hobopacket.

Sell her to a lake person and buy something that worse case is a prop And outboards are great today. Either way don't have an outdrive in salt water if not taking her out of the water when not in use. And that is iffy. JMHO

[LLizzard]

I hate Alum drives in salt water, be they IO's or Sail Drives, however the worlds marina's are loaded with IO's in salt. You do have to be meticulous in your prep and ongoing maintenance. Non-copper anti fouling paint is a must!! Even paint the bellows and prop (even with wear, some on the prop is better than none). Be vigilant on monitoring your zincs and as they get down toward half the original size, consider changing them. Carefully scrutinize the marina wiring and neighboring boats to make sure no cables are in the water. Strongly consider adding an isolator inside your boat where the shore power comes in to essentially separate you from problems coming in thru shore power, a couple hundred bucks can save you thousands.
For the engine, you may still be able to flush it with a flush bag or some similar devise connected to a hose. Adding Salt-X or SaltAway will help with the water passages of your engine and will prolong your exhaust manifolds.
All the above adds up in $, but is probably cheaper than buying another boat with unknown issues.

[Al B]

I have the same problem
Always a boater, living east of Orlando .
I own a 2004 Regal Commodore . 2860 - bit over 30 with swim platform
Wife & myself are retired . Decided on a larger boat ( have 21 ft walk around fishing boat ) so we can sleep aboard and enjoy our retirement-

Regal has twin IO .
If you don't give a damn about your boat leave it in salt water .
Regal is a lot of boat too trailer . Have a 3 axle but not fun
Found a marina at ocean that offers many options
Live aboard - wet - in/out barn in/out yard
IN/OUT can leave their boats in water 8 days a month . Floating when available , piling always available No extra charge for electric & water . So I sleep aboard few nights a week .
When done they haul, put into yard, I clean & flush . This way IO stay clean
I called others and none offer the ability too stay on your boat . If you choose too leave in water they charge as transient over and above .
A similar boat with twin IO was pulled during recent Storm Mathew .
Bottom along with IO was painted, Growth was sinful .
I am listing boat soon too get a larger type with shafts & diesel too leave in water full time . One thing that I find tuff is cleaning boat when done . A lot of work in a short window .
Good luck