Running a Malibu in saltwater. (or any direct drive / V-Drive)

[tbws]

I live in Florida basically surrounded by saltwater. We boat 100% of the time in the bays, intercoastal waterways, and Gulf. All of which are obviously saltwater. I currently own a seaRay and like it. We've wakesurfed a couple times & would love to get a boat with a direct drive or vdrive style engine for safety reasons. I'd love to buy a malibu. I've always thought they are a really nice boat.

My question is: Is it a horrible desicion to buy a Malibu to use stricktly in the saltwater? I've heard people swear up & down that they would never run one in salt & some make it sound like it will totally decay & fall apart instantly if a drop of saltwater gets on it.

The fact is, we use our Sea Ray in the salt 100% of the time. After every use we take it home, flush the engine, wash it down with a hose & soapy water, then rinse really good. It's got a couple little issues (what boat doesn't), but for the most part it performs & still looks great. The salt has in fact not destroyed it. I could only assume it would be the same for a Malibu? Am I missing something, or should these style boats be a "freshwater only" boat?

My other question is: If I shouldn't use a Malibu (or any directDrive / V-drive) style boat in saltwater, then are there any safe alternatives to wakesurfing behind a boat with an I/O? I am aware of the dangers, so don't lecture me on that. I'm just curious if there are practical safeguards like prop guards, extended platforms, or anything else out there that would take the inherent risk out of using an I/O for wakesurfing?

[Bobby Light]

I live in Florida basically surrounded by saltwater. We boat 100% of the time in the bays, intercoastal waterways, and Gulf. All of which are obviously saltwater. I currently own a seaRay and like it. We've wakesurfed a couple times & would love to get a boat with a direct drive or vdrive style engine for safety reasons. I'd love to buy a malibu. I've always thought they are a really nice boat.

My question is: Is it a horrible desicion to buy a Malibu to use stricktly in the saltwater? I've heard people swear up & down that they would never run one in salt & some make it sound like it will totally decay & fall apart instantly if a drop of saltwater gets on it.

The fact is, we use our Sea Ray in the salt 100% of the time. After every use we take it home, flush the engine, wash it down with a hose & soapy water, then rinse really good. It's got a couple little issues (what boat doesn't), but for the most part it performs & still looks great. The salt has in fact not destroyed it. I could only assume it would be the same for a Malibu? Am I missing something, or should these style boats be a "freshwater only" boat?

My other question is: If I shouldn't use a Malibu (or any directDrive / V-drive) style boat in saltwater, then are there any safe alternatives to wakesurfing behind a boat with an I/O? I am aware of the dangers, so don't lecture me on that. I'm just curious if there are practical safeguards like prop guards, extended platforms, or anything else out there that would take the inherent risk out of using an I/O for wakesurfing?

They make a saltwater package.

[tbws]

Is the saltwater package an upgrade kit for your engine? How does it work (basically)?

[Bobby Light]

Is the saltwater package an upgrade kit for your engine? How does it work (basically)?

It's a closed cooling system I believe. I don't have alot of detail but know a person that has had 2 of them and they have been happy with them.

[nbeihl]

***** DO NOT BE AFRAID OF SALT WATER *****

I just so happen to live in FL and my boat has been run in salt water (intercostals) since 1993. I just picked the boat up at the about 70 hours ago. I currently have around 800 or so hours on the boat. I have a closed cooling system on the boat. I would definitely say that my boat is in better shape than any boat that I have seen on the water that is more than 1 year old. Even fresh water run boats.

Closed cooling: Takes the salt water in through the current water pump (wears impellers a little faster) and takes that water through a heat exchanger which is made out of brass so it won’t corrode. In the heat exchanger, the antifreeze is cooled and run through the manifolds to cool the engine. The saltwater leaves the heat exchanger and passes through risers that are on top of the factory installed manifolds, and the water exits the exhaust. The only thing you have to replace are the risers every 6-8 years or so. They consist of 4 bolts and there are two of them, one on each side of the engine.

As for the rest of the boat, you would expect that there would be all kinds of corrosion, but there is not. I make sure to wipe everything down inside the boat with a wet freshwater towel after EVERY outing. If a lot of salt water gets into the boat, I hose out the carpet and wet dry vac all the water out and let it dry in the sun for the afternoon. I also run salt away though the engine to help save the life of the risers. Before each outing, I spray WD-40 on the tower where the pads attach to the fiberglass and on the wakeboard racks. I also spray WD-40 all over the engine to minimize the corrosion. (some people are against this…) I also have a layer of white grease on the entire oil pan. At most saltwater marina’s there is a freshwater hose to rinse your boat off immediately. This makes rinsing the salt off 100 times easier. You can hose most of it off before it dries and it will be much easier to clean later. Once it dries, it takes a full washing, and even then you can not get it all off. I also have to wax the boat twice as much as someone who runs strictly in freshwater. It takes me twice as long to clean the boat when I go to salt water than when I go to the fresh water. I generally spend about 1.5 hrs cleaning after a saltwater day.

Where you are going to see damage is in the trailer. There is no getting around it, you will ruin your trailer in a few years. You will be better off if you get a trailer with a “C-channel” frame rather than an enclosed tube frame. That way you can wash of all the salt rather than it sitting and rusting from the inside. If you do not have a galvanized trailer, that is what you need. You may as well take off the brakes to the trailer because they are going to be shot probably within a year. I am constantly using “Ospho” to minimize the rust. My initial issue Malibu trailer was galvanized and it is in good shape. Some parts of the trailer can not be galvanized and on those areas, I put a layer of grease all over it.

One thing that you may not realize is that the bow of most inboards sit way lower than standard inboard/outboards. Choppy water is tough to deal with. Also most people do not think about it, but inboards generally have low sidewalls which causes people inside the boat to get sea spray all over them when you are driving. The wind is always blowing near the ocean. It never seems to happen when we go to a freshwater lake or river.

There’s probably a few things that I am forgetting, but this is a majority of what I do. Like I said my boat has been in the salt for 16 years and I would put my boat against ANY fresh water boat. You just have to take PROPER care of the boat and you will not have any problems.

[wakeup]

If you are somewhat picky and tend to really take care of your stuff, you should be fine as long as the closed system is ordered.

As far as trailers, choose an aluminum or galvanized trailer. May not look as good initially as painted but around salt water its a must IMO. The BU dealers here in NC closer to the coast sell aluminum and look really good.

I would never surf behind an I/O.

But also you have to determine what are your highest priorities for your boat. BU's are not the greatest in choppy water, not built for speed, not specifically designed for salt exposure, etc. And here most everyone asks has a BU been in salt water when buying used which hurts its resale value. Might be different there.

Don't get me wrong, I'd choose by BU over a SeaRay any day of the week for wakeboarding, surfing and pulling most any water sport. Just some food for thought.

Enjoy.

[wakeup]

***** DO NOT BE AFRAID OF SALT WATER *****

(hijack)

Nbeihl, you happen to be around the Pensacola area by chance? I used to live there many years ago.

[nbeihl]

Currently I reside in Iraq (not the most glamerous of spots ), but I do have a vacation home (perminant residence) in the Florida panhandle that my family spends all of their time. I happen to live just East of P-cola.

[wakeup]

Currently I reside in Iraq (not the most glamerous of spots ), but I do have a vacation home (perminant residence) in the Florida panhandle that my family spends all of their time. I happen to live just East of P-cola.

Ah, keep you head down! I have family over there also.

[Baddog]

Currently I reside in Iraq (not the most glamerous of spots ), but I do have a vacation home (perminant residence) in the Florida panhandle that my family spends all of their time. I happen to live just East of P-cola.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

[oceanbu]

***** DO NOT BE AFRAID OF SALT WATER *****

I just so happen to live in FL and my boat has been run in salt water (intercostals) since 1993. I just picked the boat up at the about 70 hours ago. I currently have around 800 or so hours on the boat. I have a closed cooling system on the boat. I would definitely say that my boat is in better shape than any boat that I have seen on the water that is more than 1 year old. Even fresh water run boats.

Closed cooling: Takes the salt water in through the current water pump (wears impellers a little faster) and takes that water through a heat exchanger which is made out of brass so it won’t corrode. In the heat exchanger, the antifreeze is cooled and run through the manifolds to cool the engine. The saltwater leaves the heat exchanger and passes through risers that are on top of the factory installed manifolds, and the water exits the exhaust. The only thing you have to replace are the risers every 6-8 years or so. They consist of 4 bolts and there are two of them, one on each side of the engine.

As for the rest of the boat, you would expect that there would be all kinds of corrosion, but there is not. I make sure to wipe everything down inside the boat with a wet freshwater towel after EVERY outing. If a lot of salt water gets into the boat, I hose out the carpet and wet dry vac all the water out and let it dry in the sun for the afternoon. I also run salt away though the engine to help save the life of the risers. Before each outing, I spray WD-40 on the tower where the pads attach to the fiberglass and on the wakeboard racks. I also spray WD-40 all over the engine to minimize the corrosion. (some people are against this…) I also have a layer of white grease on the entire oil pan. At most saltwater marina’s there is a freshwater hose to rinse your boat off immediately. This makes rinsing the salt off 100 times easier. You can hose most of it off before it dries and it will be much easier to clean later. Once it dries, it takes a full washing, and even then you can not get it all off. I also have to wax the boat twice as much as someone who runs strictly in freshwater. It takes me twice as long to clean the boat when I go to salt water than when I go to the fresh water. I generally spend about 1.5 hrs cleaning after a saltwater day.

Where you are going to see damage is in the trailer. There is no getting around it, you will ruin your trailer in a few years. You will be better off if you get a trailer with a “C-channel” frame rather than an enclosed tube frame. That way you can wash of all the salt rather than it sitting and rusting from the inside. If you do not have a galvanized trailer, that is what you need. You may as well take off the brakes to the trailer because they are going to be shot probably within a year. I am constantly using “Ospho” to minimize the rust. My initial issue Malibu trailer was galvanized and it is in good shape. Some parts of the trailer can not be galvanized and on those areas, I put a layer of grease all over it.

One thing that you may not realize is that the bow of most inboards sit way lower than standard inboard/outboards. Choppy water is tough to deal with. Also most people do not think about it, but inboards generally have low sidewalls which causes people inside the boat to get sea spray all over them when you are driving. The wind is always blowing near the ocean. It never seems to happen when we go to a freshwater lake or river.

There’s probably a few things that I am forgetting, but this is a majority of what I do. Like I said my boat has been in the salt for 16 years and I would put my boat against ANY fresh water boat. You just have to take PROPER care of the boat and you will not have any problems.

+1 ...starbrite polish with teflon is excellent to use everywhere and I mean everywhere on the boat, especially on the hull. I put it on the hull and don't even bother buffing it off. Makes cleaning the hull really easy afterwards and waterspots just wipe off. My dealer also put zinc anodes inside the exhaust risers and on the swim grid, rudder and prop shaft. Coat the engine with Boeshield T-9 and any other exposed metal that you want. The stainless steel malibu emblems are not that high quality guage stainless steel and will have some rust spots but you can always buy new ones.

[Hharper350]

***** DO NOT BE AFRAID OF SALT WATER *****

I just so happen to live in FL and my boat has been run in salt water (intercostals) since 1993. I just picked the boat up at the about 70 hours ago. I currently have around 800 or so hours on the boat. I have a closed cooling system on the boat. I would definitely say that my boat is in better shape than any boat that I have seen on the water that is more than 1 year old. Even fresh water run boats.

Closed cooling: Takes the salt water in through the current water pump (wears impellers a little faster) and takes that water through a heat exchanger which is made out of brass so it won’t corrode. In the heat exchanger, the antifreeze is cooled and run through the manifolds to cool the engine. The saltwater leaves the heat exchanger and passes through risers that are on top of the factory installed manifolds, and the water exits the exhaust. The only thing you have to replace are the risers every 6-8 years or so. They consist of 4 bolts and there are two of them, one on each side of the engine.

As for the rest of the boat, you would expect that there would be all kinds of corrosion, but there is not. I make sure to wipe everything down inside the boat with a wet freshwater towel after EVERY outing. If a lot of salt water gets into the boat, I hose out the carpet and wet dry vac all the water out and let it dry in the sun for the afternoon. I also run salt away though the engine to help save the life of the risers. Before each outing, I spray WD-40 on the tower where the pads attach to the fiberglass and on the wakeboard racks. I also spray WD-40 all over the engine to minimize the corrosion. (some people are against this…) I also have a layer of white grease on the entire oil pan. At most saltwater marina’s there is a freshwater hose to rinse your boat off immediately. This makes rinsing the salt off 100 times easier. You can hose most of it off before it dries and it will be much easier to clean later. Once it dries, it takes a full washing, and even then you can not get it all off. I also have to wax the boat twice as much as someone who runs strictly in freshwater. It takes me twice as long to clean the boat when I go to salt water than when I go to the fresh water. I generally spend about 1.5 hrs cleaning after a saltwater day.

Where you are going to see damage is in the trailer. There is no getting around it, you will ruin your trailer in a few years. You will be better off if you get a trailer with a “C-channel” frame rather than an enclosed tube frame. That way you can wash of all the salt rather than it sitting and rusting from the inside. If you do not have a galvanized trailer, that is what you need. You may as well take off the brakes to the trailer because they are going to be shot probably within a year. I am constantly using “Ospho” to minimize the rust. My initial issue Malibu trailer was galvanized and it is in good shape. Some parts of the trailer can not be galvanized and on those areas, I put a layer of grease all over it.

One thing that you may not realize is that the bow of most inboards sit way lower than standard inboard/outboards. Choppy water is tough to deal with. Also most people do not think about it, but inboards generally have low sidewalls which causes people inside the boat to get sea spray all over them when you are driving. The wind is always blowing near the ocean. It never seems to happen when we go to a freshwater lake or river.

There’s probably a few things that I am forgetting, but this is a majority of what I do. Like I said my boat has been in the salt for 16 years and I would put my boat against ANY fresh water boat. You just have to take PROPER care of the boat and you will not have any problems.

+1 ...starbrite polish with teflon is excellent to use everywhere and I mean everywhere on the boat, especially on the hull. I put it on the hull and don't even bother buffing it off. Makes cleaning the hull really easy afterwards and waterspots just wipe off. My dealer also put zinc anodes inside the exhaust risers and on the swim grid, rudder and prop shaft. Coat the engine with Boeshield T-9 and any other exposed metal that you want. The stainless steel malibu emblems are not that high quality guage stainless steel and will have some rust spots but you can always buy new ones.

1996 sunsetter has been in salt water since 1998. Keep steering cable sprayed down with WD-40. Flush engine with fresh water after every use. Wash boat after every use and you will be fine. I have not had to replace any thing on boat because of salt water besides the oil pan. It is hard to get rust protection on bottom of oil pan. Engine has been sprayed with Amsoil HD rust protector since 1998. Engine has 700 hours in the salt.

[nbeihl]

+1 for starbrite polish with teflon... I just started using that stuff and it is awesome!