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Wakesetter and Saltwater compatability


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Moving to Jacksonville Fl from Kentucky where boat was only used in fresh lake water.

Will using may 2015 Wakesetter in saltwater exclusively, and stored on a lift on the inter coastal between Jax and St Augustine end up ruining my boat?

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2 hours ago, 0526 said:

stored on a lift on the inter coastal between Jax and St Augustine end up ruining my boat?

Not if you add a flush kit, coat things that corrode and be anal about keeping it clean and as salt-free as possible.

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No matter how much you take care of it, the boat won't last as long in that climate. It will last probably as long as you will want to keep it, but the sea air corrosion will be a pain to keep on top of. The same goes for the motor and everything else that has saltwater run through it. You can flush and flush, but it will eventually succumb to the climate. Resale value will suffer too, unfortunately. 

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Resale will suffer but if you plan on keeping it and taking care of it I say go for it!  Add a full loop closed cooling system and enjoy it!

I'm on season 12!  

There's lots of other boats in saltwater and they seem to be fine.

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In 57 years of salt water boating, (yup, since 1962), my family or I have never had a problem related to the salt water. Maintenance and cleaning are key. It tastes better too.

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23 hours ago, electricjohn said:

In 57 years of salt water boating, (yup, since 1962), my family or I have never had a problem related to the salt water. Maintenance and cleaning are key. It tastes better too.

I agree, but I added a closed cooling kit to mine so I don't need to worry about block rot or winterizing the engine.  I have to treat cast iron manifolds and risers as expendable since they rust out in about ten years, and I don't see the need to have a block rot also.  When this set of manifolds is done, I plan to bite the bullet and buy aluminum or stainless.

In any event, I think every engine should have closed cooling.

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1 hour ago, Eagleboy99 said:

I wish mine had this.  WOuld have saved a lot on winterization and extended my seasons.

 

It was a fun project.  I had to make a few brackets rather than use the generic ones from the kit, but that was so I could get it under the hood without any modifications. 

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Most systems (and AFAIK all aftermarket systems) still have raw water on the exhaust side. So it’s not like there is no winterization to do at all, but it does substantially reduce the number of drain points. On mine it’s the exhaust manifolds, the heat exchanger, the v drive, and the raw water intake hose. 

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On 12/1/2019 at 11:38 AM, 0526 said:

Moving to Jacksonville Fl from Kentucky where boat was only used in fresh lake water.

Will using may 2015 Wakesetter in saltwater exclusively, and stored on a lift on the inter coastal between Jax and St Augustine end up ruining my boat?

You sure other than where your lift is that as you head “up river” on the St. John’s that you won’t be in a lot of brack? I agree where your lift is MAY be mostly salt but rivers really help create a lot of brack 

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The flush option and bonding anode options are good for saltwater use. Flush the engine after each use to get the salt/brackish crap out of the raw water side. Anode to prevent electrolysis/stray current damage.

 

Beyond flushing the biggest determination on how the boat will last with saltwater use is how well you care for it.

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8 hours ago, 23LSVOwner said:

Beyond flushing the biggest determination on how the boat will last with saltwater use is how well you care for it.

Indeed.  Spray the entire engine (except the pulleys and belts) with light spray oil a few times a year.  Hit *everything* including the oil pan and engine mounts.  I've been using Power B'laster for quite a while.

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