advice on running in salt water

[bj84]

Just after some opinions on using os21xm outboard in salt water and if i did how to clean the most effective way?

 

[Peter Zala]

Hey bj84

well i have run outboards in saltwater and now i run inboards, most importantly is to clean up after your finished, dont wait for tomorrow, dont wait till after dinner but as soon as you get home or even at the bay if there is fresh water available.

always clean your whole boat hull and motor with fresh water, you then need to flush your water tubes with fresh water just have a peice of tube with you and a ladden of fresh water and attach the tube to where your normal water pickup would be and blow fresh water thru it a couple of times, i use a syringe for this.

then make sure you spray all metal parts including the whole outside of the engine and leg with something like WD40, you can also get some corrosion X to help prevent corrosion.

other things try to set the boat up with SS steering arms rods that dont go into any tubing otherwise they can seaze up also try to setup the accelertor again using a hard rod without a tubing. try and make sure all your nuts, bolts, washers are stainless steel or anodized aluminium.

what else always check your boat before going to the water make sure nothing has seazed up.

and again maintenance lubricate and grease everything.

I guess an outboard in salt may be a little harder than an inboard as most of our boats have enclosed engine bays as oppossed to the outboard, so just a little more cleaning.

hope this helps

Cheers

 

[chunk t]

Listen to Peter. It may seem counter productive to soak everything with water (I mean everything!) but you must remove the salts before they dry. The threads on the needle love to whick the salt water up the whole length of the needle, and you don't want corrosion there. If you absolutely cannot flush the engine and hull with fresh water where you run at. Get a hand towel dripping wet with fresh water and keep it in a plastic zip bag. When you're done for the day wrap the engine and lower unit in the towel and bag it until you get home and can do a thurough cleaning & oiling.

chunk t

 

[[email protected]]

Just after some opinions on using os21xm outboard in salt water and if i did how to clean the most effective way?

Don't do it! That's the best advice. But Peter summed it up well!

Also, You gotta blast that sucker with WD-40 big time. Plus the cable has to be taken out, inspected, and cleaned very very well. I'd give the cable a few firm taps on the table to get any salt water out that has seeped inside or it'll rot the cable inside out.

 

[Scott Norris]

I agree. If you like your boat, just don't do it!! If you absolutely have to, Wash Wash Wash and the soak the whole boat in Marvel Mystery Oil and Corrosion X. Salt Water & these boats don't mix well. Especially if you get any moisture at all around the electronics!!!

 

[Peter Zala]

I Have to say, it was a long time ago when i ran outboards down in Sydney harbour and it really didnt last long due to salt, you have to remember the engine gets wet and really salt will destroy it quickly, those of us who run in saltwater here are using mainly large offshore boats where the canopy covers the whole boat and very little salt can get in.

i would dare to say after your first or second run in salt you will find many problems and wont to do it again.

take the advice of the others dont do it, either build something else a 12 cell electric i also use them and they are well sealed and have lots of fun in the harbour or a completely enclosed boat.

just some food for thought.

 

[FloridaScaleBoater]

Years ago, I attended a race at the model yacht pond, Mission Bay San Diego, Ca. I couldn't understand why most everyone else had pump type garden sprayers with them, then it dawned on me, when every time I got to the pits, with my .21 rigger, and mono, and found the carb barrels were seized????

That,s right, after every heat, they would completely dowse the entire boat, hardware, engine, everything with the fresh water they brought with them, I only attended one race there!!!

very nice location, race site, but some pre planning is a must

Good luck in the salt

Rick Bellinger

 

[Ed.R]

Not to mention the really BIG fish !!

Ed.R

Ya'll need a bigger boat for sure.

 

[fishfiles]

Just after some opinions on using os21xm outboard in salt water and if i did how to clean the most effective way?

90 % of all the running I ever did was in salt or brackisk water as I have always live here in the New Orleans Area , and I have not had any problems , I do have solid throttle and steering rods without tubes , all stainless and aluminum gear and do flush the boat and motor ever trip ------I have a couple of fittings with a valve that hooks between the hose and the intake tube to flush the tubing , head and exhaust cooler , also wash the whole boat inside and out with dawn dishwater liquid and water , then water , blow it out with air and drench it with WD 40 ---I grease the shaft ever trip

 

[Jerry Dunlap]

I ran OBs at Mission Bay at the last NAMBA Nats held there(1994?). After the day of racing, I completely tore my K&Bs apart, cleaned them in the solvent tank they had running, spayed everything with WD 40, then reassembled, and ran afterrun oil through the engine and regreased the shaft. Probably the best "forced" maintence I've ever done.

JD

 

[theringwah2002]

Just after some opinions on using os21xm outboard in salt water and if i did how to clean the most effective way?

As I said the other night, just come to Penrith instead!

Mark

 

[impba3548]

I made a few runs in the salt water behind dads house back in 73' and it only took one time for me to realize that was not the best thing to do ha!! I waited till the next day to clean up and that was a big mistake!! One has to do what one has to do but if there is an option I would run in the fresh water............

mike

 

[dannyual767]

I haven't been able to find anywhere in the Amelia Island area (just north of Jacksonville, FL) where I can run in fresh water. I've run my gas AM Avenger twice in saltwater when I was living in Ft Walton Beach, FL. I cleaned the boat up as soon as I got home both times. Never had any problems.

I always clean my boats when I get home. Its just what I do and I'll keep doing it. I always remove the cable and clean it as well. All of the replies are great because we can all read about the experiences of others .

 

[John Palica]

Years ago, I attended a race at the model yacht pond, Mission Bay San Diego, Ca. I couldn't understand why most everyone else had pump type garden sprayers with them, then it dawned on me, when every time I got to the pits, with my .21 rigger, and mono, and found the carb barrels were seized????

That,s right, after every heat, they would completely dowse the entire boat, hardware, engine, everything with the fresh water they brought with them, I only attended one race there!!!

very nice location, race site, but some pre planning is a must

Good luck in the salt

Rick Bellinger

I had the same experience with my scale hydro at the San Diego Nats in the late 80's. Ran my first heat with no problems. I fueled the boat and let it sit for the next heat. Next heat came and my carb was frozen. Of course the locals knew exactly what had happened and sprayed the carb with WD40. You learn fast when something like that happens. Never ran in salt water before and I'll avoid it if I can in the future.

 

[Peter Zala]

OK here is something interesting, live inbetween the Bondi beach and the Sydney harbour each one is about 1 km either side, if i leave any steel exposed in my garage, for example the exposed part of the zenoah crankshaft where the collet screws onto it starts to show rust, or the shaft of an electric engine sitting on the work bench will start to show surface rust, engines that have come straight out of the box and never touched any type of water, thats how strong salt can be.

However dont get me wrong all water is there to be used, and i dont find it any more inconvenient to clean my model boats after a day in the harbour than i do cleaning a full size boat after a day out on the harbour, both boats should just have as much stainless steel as possible, i personally cannot get to freshwater as the racing pond is 2 hours drive from me and i have a 6yr old with a sporting & social life like a celebrity and a 20month old who is the boss, my wife is with me she also drives boats and therfore the harbour is our only option for some afternoon fun a nice picnic and quick exit home,

So what i am saying is dont be scared of salt just be aware of the procedures that need to be followed to in order to keep having fun and not spend countless hours fixing, figuring out and burning a hole in your wallet.

cheers

 

[Mike G]

My home water is salt, WD-40 is my best friend! Spray everything like the stuff is free. B)

 

[Mike Hughes]

Motor tear down is a must. I have run at the Mission Bay course for the Muncey Memorial. That is the only race where at the end of the day I just drop the motor straight into a bucket of fresh water and do the intial cleaning with it. Then I tear it down and brush all parts clean with WD40. I was spraying the boat down with fresh water and brushing with a small paint brush. Even after all that the steering linkage rusted up and had to be replace. Even the radio box had a little moisture and that rust up too. It was a fun race but a lot of clean up after.

Mike

 

[Peter Zala]

My home water is salt, WD-40 is my best friend! Spray everything like the stuff is free. B)

I like that, never thought of it that way but how true it is.

 

[Josh Stollfuss]

You think that's bad I have a Land speed record car that I run at Bonneville salt flats in Wendover Utah. The salt gets packed into every place imaginable on that car, like wet snow getting packed into a wheel well.. I've bathed that entire car in WD40 before. But there is something to be said for running wide open at 200+ mph for seven miles on the worlds largest parking lot..

Josh-