Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Salt Water, Flushing, and other pitfalls


Recommended Posts

Crew,

I may be taking my boat from it's home in Atlanta to Sanibel/Captiva area. Is it okay to run the boat in the salt water for a week, then bring it home and have it flushed/winterized? OR, do I need to flush it after every use while down in FL?

Flushing: How do I do that? lol

Seriously, I have a 2002 23XTI. I have been looking at Fake-a-lake or it looks like it's pretty easy to rig a hose fitting... which is better? Easier to use? In brief, what is the procedure on flushing out saltwater (how long to fun fresh water thru)?

Any tips/resources would be great.

Thanks

Phil

Link to comment

Instead of flushing when you get home, I would give the engine a good run in fresh water. As for the boat, a lot of soap and water. My 1970 boat spends most of its time in salt water and still going strong. Your trailer will probably suffer more than your boat if it is a painted trailer.

Link to comment

As far as flushing after every use or just at the end of the week...I guess it all depends on how anal you are. I assume you have fresh water cooling so when you are running in the salt you will have salt going through your whole engine not just the exhaust manifolds.

We have an 07VLX with the Monsoon. Before we could have a half loop closed cooling system put on it we ran it in the ocean (pacific northwest) for about a week and didn't flush it once until we pulled it out of the water and took it home and put it away for the winter. In the spring the motor was fine but the aluminum EXT manifolds were corroded. There is a thread on here somewhere about the EXT corrosion issues due to the casting holes being filled with a dissimilar metal.

When we flush out the boat we use a product called SALT ELIMINATOR. It comes with an applicator thing that you just hook the hose to. We have a hose hookup on the transom for flushing but I do believe there is some kinda way to hookup a hose where the raw water intake is inside the boat...at least you can with the VLX under the seat near the transmission.

We also have the exhaust manifolds zinced.

I guess I would say if you don't have a monsoon than I wouldn't be too worried as long as you flush everyday and use SALT ELIMINATOR. Remember when you flush you need to first have your motor at normal operating temp so your thermostat opens and get fresh water going to all parts of the engine. Once that happens than I would flush for about at least 5 minutes.

Sorry for the long winded answer. Hope it helps. By the way we ride exclusively on the pacific ocean.

Link to comment

I have a direct drive and I remove the 1 1/4 pick up hose from the raw water pump. I made up a fitting that attaches to my garden hose and the raw water pump. I use it mostly to run in the driveway while working on the motor. However, you can do the same thing to flush the system. All I have to do is loose the clamp on one hose, slide it off and attach the fitting I made. Once you turn on the water it will start to circulate even before the engine is turned on. Once it is running it forces the fresh water throughout the system.

Link to comment
As far as flushing after every use or just at the end of the week...I guess it all depends on how anal you are. I assume you have fresh water cooling so when you are running in the salt you will have salt going through your whole engine not just the exhaust manifolds.

We have an 07VLX with the Monsoon. Before we could have a half loop closed cooling system put on it we ran it in the ocean (pacific northwest) for about a week and didn't flush it once until we pulled it out of the water and took it home and put it away for the winter. In the spring the motor was fine but the aluminum EXT manifolds were corroded. There is a thread on here somewhere about the EXT corrosion issues due to the casting holes being filled with a dissimilar metal....

not trying to be a wise a$$ or anything, but technically a boat that pulls water directly from the lake (whether salt water or fresh water) is called RAW water cooling, and a boat that has some type of heat exchanger and antifreeze (whether half loop or full loop) is called FRESH water cooling.

Link to comment
As far as flushing after every use or just at the end of the week...I guess it all depends on how anal you are. I assume you have fresh water cooling so when you are running in the salt you will have salt going through your whole engine not just the exhaust manifolds.

We have an 07VLX with the Monsoon. Before we could have a half loop closed cooling system put on it we ran it in the ocean (pacific northwest) for about a week and didn't flush it once until we pulled it out of the water and took it home and put it away for the winter. In the spring the motor was fine but the aluminum EXT manifolds were corroded. There is a thread on here somewhere about the EXT corrosion issues due to the casting holes being filled with a dissimilar metal....

not trying to be a wise a$$ or anything, but technically a boat that pulls water directly from the lake (whether salt water or fresh water) is called RAW water cooling, and a boat that has some type of heat exchanger and antifreeze (whether half loop or full loop) is called FRESH water cooling.

you are right! meant to say raw water cooling...thanks

Link to comment
After you idle flush and the motor is up to normal operating temp, flare the throttle several times to increase the water preasure which will blow additional salt out.

Be careful doing this when flushing. You can damage the impeller if you don't supply enough water. Depends on the pressure and flow of your local water supply as not all city water supplies are made equal. My Flushpro instructions state not to exceed 1100 RPM (IIRC).

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...