I have a 15' jet boat project Im working on, I live close to the intercoastal waterway in FL. What do i need to know if I want to run in salt water, or is it not uncommon to run in salt water. BTW SBC. with a jacuzzi jet.
would he need a sea strainer? just asking.
Install heat exchange to keep salt out of the motor.
Use SALT AWAY after each outing.
Before you launch, WD40 fogged all over the trailer and any metal (including engine, wheels, hull fittings, exhaust, etc) will to wonders to help keep it protected from salt water.
rinse, rinse, rinse.
Have fun!
Finally, Something I know something about!!!! Okay, I'll jump in on this deal.I have had other boats and ran in salt water but this is my first jet boat. I guess one of my big concerns will be the headers. I plan on going wit Basset OT water injected headers and realize salt is not ideal and if there is anything diffrent I should do to save the headers other then a thorough cleaning and maybe some WD-40
We have ran our boat in the salt every year for that last 8 years or so. In fact, it's been in freshwater only a handful of times compared to almost exclusively in salt. The nearest lake that we can try to run is an 1 1/2 hours away whereas the salt is less than a minute.
Up until last year all we ever used was soap and water. The trailer, chrome wheels are all the original ones we brought home with the boat. This last year we have used SaltAway and it seems to work really well as well (though much more expensive than soap)
The only areas that I have ever had a problem with relates to the Bassett headers and the starter. We would often get water splashed up on the motor. The salt water would instantly evaporate away on the headers but leave little salt rings on the chrome. No amount of polish would remove it. Those same headers are now on the Sanger with no rust issues. The starter would get doused with water from everyone swinging and with time would cause problems. At the time these were just cheapo Schucks starters. I've since switched to Powermaster stuff and no problems period.
If the salt is close, don't hesitate boating there but just plan on cleaning the boat up when you get home. I've always been anal about not doing anything till theboat is clean and put away. Have fun
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Heres the Sanger in the salt as well.
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Florida salt is a bit more brutal than the Pacific, the alkalinity is high as well as the salinity...GT can you tell me some about the heat exchanger, what it is, how it installs,works...etc. Thanks in advance.
A trick I have used when on the Rogue is to take some Dawn dishwashing soap and water in a spray bottle at about 10:1 and spray it on all the shiny parts and let it dry, it forms a good barrier that can be washed off easily (this is actually how they keep copper plumbing fittings pretty while at the hardware store)...
Salt is most hard on any area of the engine that is exposed to air as far as in the cooling jackets, this is the number one reason for the addition of a heat exchanger...If you don't want to go closed cooling, I would recommend running it as cool as you can get away with (salt starts to crystallize at above 150*F) and flush often....Aluminum takes the hit first....
Good luck!
GT