Cleaning/Maintaining yamaha boat in saltwater

[MrBubbaGump]

As others have said and everyone has their own opinions. I have been using my boats in salt water for years, I just sold my 2007 SeaDoo Speedster 200. No matter how late it was I always at a minimum flushed my engines with salt away as soon as I get back from the boat ramp. I live in an HOA neighborhood and have done this at 1am before, yes I'm sure the neighbors love me. I am also the guy that tends to leave the boat in the driveway when I plan to take it out again in a few days. I never coated the engine bay with any silicone spray and just recently was it starting to show. Some of the clamps were rusting out, so on my new 210 I am now adding that to my ritual. I am a big believer in Salt Away and that if you use it every time you pull the boat out of the water you should have no engine issues. For reference here is a picture of the engine bay on my previous now 15 year old boat that was used almost exclusively its last 6 years in salt water. It shows that as long as you do proper maintenance you should have no issues.

 

[Alexegan88]

Boat primarily in South Florida saltwater. After every use, I Flush the engines with salt away until the bubbles stop, usually five minutes. Then use a foam cannon to spray a quart of salt away all over the inside and outside of the boat and trailer and the back of my tow vehicle, hitch area, and even rear wheels. Then I bought a pressure washer and I rinse it all off starting from inside the boat and then I do the outside. The engine compartment and clean out port compartment I rinse with the regular hose and occasionally put salt away from the foam cannon in there. The pressure washer works a lot faster than a hose and helps me avoid needing to brush or scrub anything, but of course you need to make sure you keep at least a foot away depending on the pressure and the tip you’re using. Even after all of that I run the hose a bit around the deck to get any residual salt off out the scupper or into the bilge and out the drain. The last step is I keep all of the hatches and seats open for a day or two to let everything air out. The whole process takes 30 to 45 minutes, but hey who doesn’t like playing with a hose, we’re all still just kids at heart.

 

[jocolo21]

You can make it as comllicated or as simple as you want, i grew up in an island so been in salt water all my life, Salt Away Salt Off etc, didnt exist goog ol water and soap did it for us in PR, now a days my engine is coated with corrosion x that stuff is magic, i spray the whole interior with a foam cannon then preassure wash it down. Same with the exterior, flush the engines with salt away is i have it. Aerolon wax the outside, done in 1.5hrs.

 

[HernandoBeach]

Do people use anti-fouling paint on the jet drive parts? I've seen a few jet boats in my neighborhood that leave them in the water all the time. The water here is brackish but barnacles will start forming in about 2 months time as I found out on my tin boat. I flush my jet boat and park it in the garage after every use. I flush the outboard boat and leave it in the water but it has bottom pain now.

 

[Damsroy]

Do people use anti-fouling paint on the jet drive parts? I've seen a few jet boats in my neighborhood that leave them in the water all the time. The water here is brackish but barnacles will start forming in about 2 months time as I found out on my tin boat. I flush my jet boat and park it in the garage after every use. I flush the outboard boat and leave it in the water but it has bottom pain now.

I do. This is my 4th summer in saltwater and the boat still look immaculate. I had to replace the reverse control cables and the rudder last year. I have a new steering cable assembly also ready in the garage for when it is necessary (bought the replacement part thinking it would happened much sooner but still going strong).
With additional maintenance and systematic flushing/rinsing/cleaning those boats do awesome in salt water.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/documenting-the-long-term-effect-of-wet-slipping-in-salt-water.24703/

 

[jocolo21]

Do people use anti-fouling paint on the jet drive parts? I've seen a few jet boats in my neighborhood that leave them in the water all the time. The water here is brackish but barnacles will start forming in about 2 months time as I found out on my tin boat. I flush my jet boat and park it in the garage after every use. I flush the outboard boat and leave it in the water but it has bottom pain now.

No my first yamaha for 5 years never an issue. 2 nd had it for 2. No issues eiter, and dont expect any with this one, rinse wash flush.

 

[Dixemon]

You don't need anti fouling paint. You need DockyDock!

https://dockydock.com/us/?gclid=CjwKCAjw9NeXBhAMEiwAbaY4lgplupA_7DRz3vxDiUpLyNZMg7tqyzOljPmwcRdU-U5QlgcNfhdt9RoC4cQQAvD_BwE

 

[Judge]

You don't need anti fouling paint. You need DockyDock!

https://dockydock.com/us/?gclid=CjwKCAjw9NeXBhAMEiwAbaY4lgplupA_7DRz3vxDiUpLyNZMg7tqyzOljPmwcRdU-U5QlgcNfhdt9RoC4cQQAvD_BwE

That is pretty cool...... but it probably suck up against the intake grate on a jet.... and flushing would be an issue too.

I just dropped a chuck of change for a lift to dock my new '22 275SD in SWFL. Besides the protection from it not sitting in salt water, I wanted the protection of it not sitting in water during tropical storms and possibly low-grade hurricanes.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I used motorcycle chain wax (it's a airasal can just spray it on everything except the anodes) on all the exposed metal parts of the boat. It will turn it a golden hew so you know when it's gone. A once of prevention is worth a lb. Of cure. Although I did use salt away after every salt water trip. Don't forget the trailer also on salt away. View attachment 182954

Ive used this on my dirt bike chains for years. I can tell you this stuff is pretty tenacious. Not only does it have excellent lubricity It also has anti corrosion additives. It can be easily removed with WD-40 or Kroil.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Here's some pics to show what flushing the motor with a salt-neutralizer will do to your engine. My engine is 4.5 years old, has been run in saltwater 100%, 200+ days on the water and flushed every single time. For comparison I pulled some pics from the web of a Yamaha Marine Engine with some issues. The first two are from the web. Last three are mine. Bottom Line: Flush Flush Flush that engine.

View attachment 182906

View attachment 182907

My Engine - flushed every time, mainly using "Salt Terminator", buy it by the gallon.



View attachment 182912

View attachment 182908

View attachment 182909

Great post !

 

[Seno]

100% salt water use here. We will flush each engine 3 minutes with "Dawn" in our salt away dispenser. We wash down the entire exterior of the boat every time we go out (Maguire's wash & wax), and spray down the entire trailer with dawn then wash it off. Everything on the inside will get hosed off then protected with a vinyl protectant ( we have used Maguire's, 303 and a few others). If the inside floor & mats need to be cleaned we use dawn or simple green. For the vinyl we use simple green only where needed then re apply protection the area cleaned. Many people use harsh stuff on their interior seating surfaces which strip the protection, we only clean when its necessary and always protect it with a cover when its not being used. All boating exterior metal is coated with Yamalube, WD40 Silicone specialist waterproof, or a similar product). I would rather do more now and have to do less later on in my boats life. Each to their own

 

[Ozzyj93]

Like you said, everyone will have their own opinions and procedures, but I can tell you mine. Salt away is a must. I flush both engines ASAP each and every time we go in salt. After that, I take the salt away mixer and attach a garden sprayer to the end and literally hose off every square inch if the boat and trailer. Inside and out. Then go back and rinse everything with the hose. It definitely takes a while, but in my mind the preventative maintenance is easier than dealing with the corrosion once it has set in. And the time I get to spend with the family at the sandbars and exploring the intercaostal is completely worth it to me. Also, cover everything metal in the engine compartment and all the moving parts of the jets with yamashield or white lithium grease. Some will say this is overkill and some will say it's not enough. This is just what I came up with and its working so far.

Hi. Do you usually use a whole bottle of SaltAway every wash? Is it by ounces and can it be mixed with water?

 

[fireflymedic]

Hi. Do you usually use a whole bottle of SaltAway every wash? Is it by ounces and can it be mixed with water?

It comes with an applicator you just use a few ounces at a time. Kind of like a liquid fertilizer applicator