Help Please!

[georgia_dawgs08]

Does anybody here know whether or not there is a physical or chemical test that can be done to determine if a boat was used in salt water or not, any help is GREATLY appreciated, Thanks, Jason

[rinconking]

usually it cant be coverd up, you should be able to see the effects of salt water rather easily.

[WakingMeHappy]

Look anywhere you have bolts, nuts, screws or hinges. Look where the exhaust manifolds are mounted. Check out the starter and alternator. Under the dash (backside of gages) where no one thinks of looking or cleaning. If you can't find any signs of corrosion than you good to go. Also check all storage compartments for illegal aliens. (sorry, I had to throw that one in)

[nbeihl]

The trailer will tell you a lot... If the trailer looks unusually worn for its age, then you can probably assume that it has been in saltwater. (You also know what happens when you ASSume...)

Besides that, I would look where the rudder attaches to the steering cable. Generally saltwater will get in the bilge and no one ever cleans back there. You may see some corrosion there...

[georgia_dawgs08]

well I have the dealer where it was bought from making the claims that the boat has never been in salt and wants to attribute the cause of the corrosion that is present to be from tannic acid found in the lakes and rivers of florida, reason I ask is the boat was claimed to have never been in salt water and have since had more than one mechanic tell me that it had. I however need some hard evidence if I am to do anything about it.

[Mike00LXI]

Bottom line...if you are having doubts about the boat, which it clearly seems you are then you should walk away and look for another boat. There are a lot of great deals out there. Just my opinion.

[WakingMeHappy]

well I have the dealer where it was bought from making the claims that the boat has never been in salt and wants to attribute the cause of the corrosion that is present to be from tannic acid found in the lakes and rivers of florida, reason I ask is the boat was claimed to have never been in salt water and have since had more than one mechanic tell me that it had. I however need some hard evidence if I am to do anything about it.

Florida??? If this boat has been in Florida (and I grew up there) it has been exposed to saltwater or at least the salt air. I have no problem puting my Bu in salt water, I make sure I clean it real good. I just don't see how a Florida dealer can say any boat in Florida hasn't been exposed to salt water at one time or another.

[RTS]

My boat has spent its life on the tannic acid filled lakes of the Butler Chain in Central Florida. There is no rust on/in the boat nor on the trailer. The tannic acid he refers to come from the cypress trees that line our lakes and makes our water dark. It does NOT corrode the internals of our engines nor our trailers. I have never flushed my boat or trailer in 7 years. He is wrong.

And I don't know where the Florida = Salt water/salt air theory comes from. Not in Orlando. Here, our lakes are certainly not salty, and unless you drive very close to the coast, our air is not salty, either. When I drive to the beach, I know I'm getting close because I can smell the salt air, but you've got to be within a couple miles.

Listen the the mechanic(s) that are telling you it has seen salt, go find another boat at another dealership (unless you are OK with the level of corrosion the boat displays).

Edited August 6, 2009 by rts

[georgia_dawgs08]

The problem is I have already purchased the boat and the motor had been cleaned pretty well, until I started having cooling problems that were not related to the impeller, so I pulled off the manifolds and they were clogged with rust. I cleaned those and got the motor to cool correctly and now the mechanic tells me that the boat has definately been in salt water. I bought the boat under the premise that the dealer assured me that it had never been in salt or brackish water, so to take the next step which would be to have my lawyer write the dealer a letter is to get evidence that is as solid as possible. I didn't know ifit was possible to do some type of metal scrape and have it anyalyzed or not. I didn't really believe the tannic acid story since tannic acid is used as a rust inhibitor on several types of iron.

[nbeihl]

Do not feel bad about the boat. If you already have it and you are happy with the shape it is in... (it does not show major signs of salt corrosion) I would not be disappointed. I had the same thing happen to me with my first boat, I did not know it had been run in salt water, and I had no issues with it besides the manifolds being rusted on the inside. From what you are saying, after you fix the cooling problem, you should be golden...

[georgia_dawgs08]

I wouldnt say golden being that the fact that the boat has been in saltwater, even if only a couple of times, greatly reduces in my eyes the value of the boat and the trailer