sea water v fresh water

toshiba2010

hi all ...

would just like to know what are the pro,s & con,s of fresh water boating to sea water boating .like what affects does sea water have on a fiberglass boat compared to fresh water affects on a fiberglass boat . plus the pro,s and con,s of the affects on the outboard . just asking this question because i would like to go boating in howth but my boat has never been in sea water .. sorry to all if this question sounds stupid . thanks in advance .

miss no stars

My 41 year old Fiberglass boat has always been in salt water and seems fine. Don't have an engine or enough knowledge to make any comment.

Just make sure when it comes out that it gets a good hosing down. If you're keeping it in the water, you'll need a decent anode or two (depends on metals involved) or to keep the engine out of the water.

As an aside, I've sailed for years in howth and sutton. I also spent two summers instructing on a lake in the USA. The freshwater drove me mad. Was very difficult to keep mildew on my buoyancy aide under control, a problem I've never experienced in salt water.

toshiba2010

cheers mate thanks .

fergal.b

Whenever I use salt water I make sure everything gets a good wash down and the engine is well flushed after each trip, I also grease the wheel bearings every few weeks or if it will be left sitting for a while after the last dip.On fresh water the boat and trailer also get washed and checked for weed and so on before I move to different waterways this helps stops invasive species from spreading.
Remember there are no stupid questions



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toshiba2010

cheers and thanks .

davlacey

give it a coat of antifoul if your going to leave it in for a while .

toshiba2010

thanks for the info .

Steve

Get a tube of silicon grease and coat all your electrical connections - salt water eats them in no time.

toshiba2010

thank you . noted .:)