Advice pls: freshwater boat to ocean

[Canuck_123]

Hi All,
The dream is becoming a reality this summer - going to buy my first sailboat and need some advice please!
I live in Toronto and will be buying a boat this spring. The plan is to sail her in Lake Ontario for the next two summers and then sail down to Florida at which point I'll start my liveaboard life.

The boat I end up buying will very likely have never sailed in salt water (nor have I!), but as mentioned I intend on taking her south with the Bahamas being the likely cruising ground.

To keep this thread narrow in scope I'm looking for advice specifically on what considerations need to be made re: fresh vs salt water. Is there something i should be looking for when deciding what to purchase and/or what should be done to the boat and engine before going into salt water the first time?

I'll be buying something in the 30 to 36 foot range. C&C's are very common on Lake Ontario and lots for sale. There's a Catalina 34 and a CS34 that have both caught my eye, but I'm not loyal to any particular make (yet!).

Thanks in advance for your advice!
Don

[a64pilot]

I'd say if you have the option, always buy a fresh water boat over a salt water one, Fresh water ones, especially those from up North seem to age much more slowly. I assume ones up North often spend a lot of their lives on the hard?

[donradcliffe]

The materials in most boats were designed for salt water, and you should be fine. The only thing you may have to change is the anodic protection--use zincs instead of magnesium.