First Time Saltwater Preparations & Rusting Galvanized Trailer in Fresh Water???

[Nick Aulakh]

Ok guys that are saltwater folks, PLEASE guide this noob. PLEASE.. I am floating in a sea of doubt and misinformation.

I got 2 questions :-
1. The hardware on my galvanized trailer (fasteners, nuts) are starting to show corrosion signs and the weird part is I have ONLY went out a few times in freshwater lakes. So question is, are the fasteners not galvanized? Or at least stainless?? Do they use basic steel fasteners on a galvanized trailer from the factory?? Makes no sense. Do I need to change all my fasteners now?? What a giant PITA!!

2. In a week or so, I am planning to take the boat in saltwater (Brackish actually) and I understand the flushing procedure on the engines. I got a gallon of CRC salt terminator concentrate and I will flush the motors and rinse off the trailer. But my question is, what do I do about all the saltwater entering in the boat? Primarily from people jumping in and out of the water? Do I literally spray all metal in the boat with silicone? I use Yamalube spray protectant and that stuff is SUPER expensive. Is there a cheaper alternative? But do I spray things like captain's chair springs, window frames, seat hinges all fasteners inside the boat? Is all that stuff going to corrode without me spraying it all??? How do you guys protect the inside of the boat?

Sorry for the long questions but I am confused and also paranoid of introducing corrosion. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[Andy NJ]

1) Have fun.
2) Probably just surface rust on your fasteners. Stainless is a misleading term. Don't sweat it.
My use is 100% salt. 80 hours in 2 seasons.
3) Spray the jet pumps and all the business back there with yamshield, wd-40, pb blaster anti corrosion spray, CRC, or whatever you desire from the thousand suggestions you will have by tonight. I usually grab what ever is cheaper at the HD
4) spray your engines and the bilge with the same. (I do use yamashield here under the hood)
5) Give your latches, bimini clips and other small shiny stuff a quick shot of the same.
5) flush engines after use, Saltaway? ( Personally, never used any of those products, but you have it so use it)
6) Wash the entire inside of the boat with it. Everything is designed to get wet. Everything. When I get done, I soap every thing in the cockpit and rinse it with plenty of clean water.
7) Spend 10 minutes trying to figure how much water it takes to get that last bit to flush into the cockpit drain. (Just kidding, my pet peeve)
8) Don't forget to rinse down your anchor compartment, and ski locker.
8) Wipe er as dry as you can with Hot Sauce.
9) Open your seats and let it dry out.

10) Enjoy the memories. Don't sweat it.

 

[Sbrown]

It's only brackish water, so don't overblow it. My usual rinse after boating in the Upper Chesapeake Bay (brackish, also) is to take it to a freshwater lake and run it. It makes for a good excuse to get the boat out again.

 

[CraigAR]

Full time salt water boater here. On the days that we get salt water in the boat I just take it down to the local car wash that has low pressure guns and wash down the inside (make sure all your drain plugs are out, floor locker, engine bay and stern) and it dries out on the ride home. I go out the next day to do my wipe down with hot sauce, vinyl cleaner and rain x. I spray silicone in the engine bay, jet nozzles, boat buckles and winch. I've never sprayed the interior down with silicone and have had no problems. Of course this gets done once a week after we take the boat out. I can usually flush the engines and wipe every inch of the boat down in 2 hours, 24 footer.

 

[Nick Aulakh]

Hearing the responses I just think you guys have bigger balls than me! lol.. I do sweat about the corrosion as I plan to keep this boat for a while (it is such a perfect boat for wife and I). But thank you for the responses. So what I am getting is; I do need to spray/wash down most of the stuff inside the boat and the seats/electronics will be okay if gotten wet. I'll probably change my fasteners as I see corrosion issues on them individually just coz I am a paranoid f#@k. Also I am thinking I should cover/tape the anodes on the jet housing as I spray silicone back there. Need those bare. Need to find cheaper corrosion spray for general use. Yamashield is more expensive than my previous ex girlfriends. lol

 

[CraigAR]

Hearing the responses I just think you guys have bigger balls than me! lol.. I do sweat about the corrosion as I plan to keep this boat for a while (it is such a perfect boat for wife and I). But thank you for the responses. So what I am getting is; I do need to spray/wash down most of the stuff inside the boat and the seats/electronics will be okay if gotten wet. I'll probably change my fasteners as I see corrosion issues on them individually just coz I am a paranoid f#@k. Also I am thinking I should cover/tape the anodes on the jet housing as I spray silicone back there. Need those bare. Need to find cheaper corrosion spray for general use. Yamashield is more expensive than my previous ex girlfriends. lol

Nothing about having big balls, mine is a 17' ar240 $54k and I'm OCD about everything. Taking proper care of the boat will keepit in beautiful shape. That said, its it's a boat made to get wet, rinse that baby down!

 

[RedBarron55]

SO replace hardware with stainless in case it rusts and fails?
Buy some Instant Cold Galvanize and after washing and letting it dry paint the exposed steel parts and don;t worry about it.
The trailer is hot dip galvanized the hardware may be electro plated or not plated at all.
No big deal.
Paint them.

 

[Nick Aulakh]

I just looked up "instant cold galvanize".. had no idea there was such a thing. I am buying that! Thanks for the tip!

 

[RedBarron55]

There are several makes and the one that is an epoxy is the best.
https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-V2185838-Performance-Compound-Galvanizing/dp/B000LET8DA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531346769&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=epoxy+galvanize+paint

 

[Bennie]

We're on our fourth season, and exclusively in salt/brackish water.

Once we get home from the days use I flush the engines and then either that night or the next day the whole boat and trailer will get washed. Inside and out. Spray everything down, wipe everything off. We use Mary Kate on seats/interior, but that's just our preference.

If you pass a large enough cart wash on the day home I recommend that. When we visit family in Panama City Beach, FL we always use the local car wash to clean the boat and trailer.

Extra tip: buy a decent "pocket hose" and keep one on the boat. Makes flushing the engines & washing the inside easier, and because it's smooth the hose won't scratch your boat.

 

[Maccam26]

Just came back from 1 week of salt water boating... wow is all I have to say, that is rough environment for our boats. That salt water sticks to everything. Took me 3 days after I got back to get the salt off everything. Rust was already starting on surface of ladder etc... not sure I’d do that again, I guess I’ll call myself a fresh water guy for now .. at least until my shoulders recover from all the scrubbing

 

[Elliott]

100% Salt Water use for 1.5 years. As suggested, flush the engines with a salt neutralizer (I use West Marine's Salt-X - it is cheaper). Also, I use a hose end garden chemical mixer (the cheap plastic ones work fine) at maximum mix rate to spray down the entire inside, hull, exterior of the jet and clean out plug area with the Salt-X. I spray everything down before I flush the engines to give the solution time to work. Afterwards, I wash the boat with a wash/wax and a standard boat brush; I do not have to scrub to remove any salt. You could do the same to the trailer; my boat is in a rack at the marina.
As to the superficial rust on your trailer, treat it with the Must for Rust (Wal-Mart sells it). Just spray it on, and it will dissolve the rust. It is safe on any surface. You can let it work for some period of time (it takes hours), or you can just leave it. I have used it on the boat too to treat a screw head that was showing some superficial rust. I admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how well it works, and it is cheap. If you plan to use the Cold Galvanization spray, treat the surface with the Must for Rust until all of the rust is gone - first.

 

[Maccam26]

Great post @Elliott thanks

 

[Bennie]

Just came back from 1 week of salt water boating... wow is all I have to say, that is rough environment for our boats. That salt water sticks to everything. Took me 3 days after I got back to get the salt off everything. Rust was already starting on surface of ladder etc... not sure I’d do that again, I guess I’ll call myself a fresh water guy for now .. at least until my shoulders recover from all the scrubbing

We boat solely in salt/brackish water. One of my biggest tips is to wash your boat down (at least the inside and the engines) after EVERY trip. It usually takes us about 45 min to throughly wash everything (inside, hull, & engines).
A few years ago I purchased one of those pocket hoses to store on the boat so any time we dock, or use a ramp, near a water faucet I can quickly rinse down the boat. Makes a huge difference in the long run!

 

[Grover70]

In agreement with everything here. I've got two years of saltwater use on my FSH now. Salt-Eliminator has been my go-to for flushing the engine, usually 3 -4 minutes at a time. Sprayed down the engine with misting fresh water and a quick coating of WD-40 or similar. Spray down the entire cockpit, soap and water, spray again, then dry. I used to open up the hatch in the wet-locker every time and spray down but I've sealed it up so good I don't have any water in there anymore. I use chain-oil on the exterior engine components and marine grease on any moving parts. I fill the bait net/ 5 gallon bucket locker with fresh water and clean the whole boat with that using a WORX portable sprayer, cleaning brush, and chamois when I'm using ramps without access to running fresh water. I do the clean out back at my storage site.

Regarding the trailer: I spray down the trailer just as thoroughly. Especially the leaf springs, disc brakes, and rims. I make sure fresh water saturates any holes in the cross-members of the trailer. I WD the leaf springs, lug nuts, and any moving parts around the winch and the folding tongue. The chain rusts no matter what I do. Spray WD down the crank for the adjustable post too. Mine rusted quickly in there.

It seems like a lot of work at first...and it is, no joke...but I've got it down to a science now and I can get it done within the hour. Less with help. Just be systematic.

 

[Cgeetter]

In agreement with everything here. I've got two years of saltwater use on my FSH now. Salt-Eliminator has been my go-to for flushing the engine, usually 3 -4 minutes at a time. Sprayed down the engine with misting fresh water and a quick coating of WD-40 or similar. Spray down the entire cockpit, soap and water, spray again, then dry. I used to open up the hatch in the wet-locker every time and spray down but I've sealed it up so good I don't have any water in there anymore. I use chain-oil on the exterior engine components and marine grease on any moving parts. I fill the bait net/ 5 gallon bucket locker with fresh water and clean the whole boat with that using a WORX portable sprayer, cleaning brush, and chamois when I'm using ramps without access to running fresh water. I do the clean out back at my storage site.

Regarding the trailer: I spray down the trailer just as thoroughly. Especially the leaf springs, disc brakes, and rims. I make sure fresh water saturates any holes in the cross-members of the trailer. I WD the leaf springs, lug nuts, and any moving parts around the winch and the folding tongue. The chain rusts no matter what I do. Spray WD down the crank for the adjustable post too. Mine rusted quickly in there.

It seems like a lot of work at first...and it is, no joke...but I've got it down to a science now and I can get it done within the hour. Less with help. Just be systematic.

I got some SS chain at west marine to replace the stock safety chains, pricey stuff but no more rust!

 

[dzeppos]

I have a painted trailer / I’m started to see some light rust (tubes inside the back lights and hold on cross beam). Outside looks perfect. What can i do to slow or stop the process - or see where it is coming from. It’s only been in salt one time - ever - and i immediately bathed it in fresh water the same day several times. Any suggestions are appreciated. I do store outside (although it’s california so we don’t get a lot of rain). ? Thx

 

[haknslash]

I have a painted trailer / I’m started to see some light rust (tubes inside the back lights and hold on cross beam). Outside looks perfect. What can i do to slow or stop the process - or see where it is coming from. It’s only been in salt one time - ever - and i immediately bathed it in fresh water the same day several times. Any suggestions are appreciated. I do store outside (although it’s california so we don’t get a lot of rain). ? Thx

Fresh water dunking alone isn't going to do too much. You really need to use something like Salt Away on the trailer and boat.

 

[Jeel]

I just picked up a new leftover 2019 AR 240 with a galvanized trailer ...the leaf springs , lug nuts and some nuts at the end of bolts were rusty and this was before i ever dunked it in salt water..i bought a bottle of Corroseal and treated everything that was showing rust...that might have been good enough for most people but thaen i painted all treated areas...i even painted all of my trailer rims black and ordered new lug nuts ...if you dont know what corroseal is , google it , the stuff is amazing ..i will use salt away after everytime the trailer goes in the water

 

[Jim Crane]

The bolts on the trailer are so big that a little surface rust is no big deal unless you ignore it for 15 years.

With that said, pay attention to the bolts securing the license plate. They are small and will be the first to go if not using stainless steel.