# Freshwater Boats in Bay



## minkmaster (Apr 5, 2008)

I have a Skeeter bass boat and have never had it anything but freshwater. Yet the engine is a Suzuki 4 stroke Marine motor and it is made for salt or fresh. What problems would I face if I used my bass boat in the bays and has anyone ever done it.



Some guys say if you flush the systems after use it wouldn't hurt to use in the bays but I am not so sure.



Any noted experience would be helpful...


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## fisheye48 (Sep 28, 2007)

i know of a few guys who fish the bays in bass boats...just wash everything good, they arent really built with saltwater in mind so things rust and corrode a little faster on them


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## FOODDUDE (Oct 3, 2007)

What is your trailer made of , steal dosen't last longin salt water .


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## minkmaster (Apr 5, 2008)

I live in Missouri so it would only be occasional use like when we are on vacation for a week here and there.


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## FishAddict (Feb 2, 2009)

Once that trailer gets in salt water, you won't stop the rust. Rent a boat or charter one.


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## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

The trailer takes the worst beating. Even though I have a galvanized marine trailer, I back my boat and trailer down into a lake to flush motor and trailer after each use.


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## minkmaster (Apr 5, 2008)

Is there any type of protective coating you can get them sprayed with??? My boat is fiberglass so I wouldn't think you would have to worry about that but that bedliner coating. I wonder if that would keep out the trouble.


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## MULLET HUNTER (Oct 3, 2007)

just a thought.....back in the day i cracked the topcap of a blazer vlx150 crossing garcon point in a bass tournament.... don't get in a hurry and be carefull the bay can rock and roll at times.


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## Dragnfly (Jan 25, 2008)

Salt will screw your carpeting up as well as all the parts (screws, nuts, bolts, hinges ect.)not made for the additional wear and tear from salt water. It will "age" your boat much faster. Its not going to matter how much you wash it after each tripIf you want to keep the resale value up or are planing to keep it awhile in good working order, I'd keep it in fresh. I gave up my bass boat for a flats/bay boat. You can use it in both. Only thing is you dont have all the amenities a bass boat offers. In fact several bass boat manufactures make dual water boats. I think Ranger or Tritonmakes one with removable carpeting, dont know how well that would work. The low profile wont be fun in 2'-3' chop. Of course there are alot of folks that do it. Just a matter if its worth it to you.


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## Gulf Coast Outfitters (Oct 8, 2007)

I did it for two seasons in my bass boat, didnt mind the extra work to keep it clean. Wash it as soon as you get home, flush the motor. And buy some anti corrosion agent and spray it on everything thats metal in the boat. The trailer took the biggest beating, but just a few rust spots, more anti corrosion spray..... I had fun, picked my days to go out, even caught some kingfish in it a few miles off shore on a calm day. 



I did eventually sell the boat and conformed to a real fishing rig, now have a proline walk around.


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## born2fizh (Feb 6, 2008)

i had a blazer bass boat i used in salt water the only draw back was that it sat so low in the water and the bigger boats did not care when they got on plane and all i iwould see was a wall of water i didnt mind it but did not like the wike and kid in the boat with all that


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## Tyler Windham (May 5, 2009)

Your trailer will hate you unless it's galvinized!


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## Jighead (Feb 11, 2009)

Just wondering... would a product like "salt away" solve the problem if sprayed out of a garden sprayer after lanch? Then take it out and head to the car wash? 

Your motor and boat would be fine but like someone said take it easy because shallow. I mainly fish in Mobile Bay and Perdido, until I learned my way around I dug several ditches with my motor (still do from time to time).


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## FishAddict (Feb 2, 2009)

The only way I'd do it with a painted trailer is go to a marina and have them launch and load with a forklift. I know of no way to protect a painted trailer. If you ever lived around salt water you'd understand. It is not kind to steel.


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## bwhite55 (Oct 13, 2007)

we've used the same boats in fresh and salt for years. my grandpa has had the same 2 boats for close to 30 orso years. he's had the tiller for close to 20 years i think and he recently got the 4 stroke about 3 years ago after about 15 or so years w/ the 2 stroke....he also recently got a new trailer for the bigger one. the key is flushing everything out ASAP. we even flushed out the motors w/ a water hose after hitting escambia rivers. if you aren't from around here and are only using it for ocassional vacations, i'd pick and choose the days you go out, and even then, there are miles of areas around here w/ brackish water that you can catch bull reds and slab founder and specks, which are a hoot on ultralight line. one thing that was mentioned was the low walls of a bass boat. bass boats are made for speed and standing/casting. i'd suggest if you were gonna use it for vacations, you can get a crossover type boat from several different coompanies...you might consider one that suits both needs and trading in your bass boat.i was raised on the saltwater moreso than freshwater, and i think salt is 100x more fun than fresh tho, so its up to you.


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## RMS (Dec 9, 2008)

I used a 1984 20 ft Champion bass boat in saltwater for several years in the 1990's. The boat is still in the family with no particular issues. 

I would stop on the way home and aggressively back the trailer down and pull it out ata freshwater ramp about five times(got a few strange looks at times) to rinse the trailer, and thoroughly wash the boat when I got home. Today no one would ever know the boat has been in saltwater.


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## johnsonbeachbum (Oct 1, 2007)

> *RMS (6/15/2009)*I used a 1984 20 ft Champion bass boat in saltwater for several years in the 1990's. The boat is still in the family with no particular issues.
> 
> 
> 
> I would stop on the way home and aggressively back the trailer down and pull it out ata freshwater ramp about five times(got a few strange looks at times) to rinse the trailer, and thoroughly wash the boat when I got home. Today no one would ever know the boat has been in saltwater.




If it is a painted tubular steel trailer, the above advise is about as good as can be done.

With a tubular steel trailer, the salt will kill the trailer from the inside out.

There is nothing you can coat the inside with to prevent the corrosion.



If it is an open channel trailer then you could rinse it of salt a whole better.



Pressure washing the carpet after would be a good thing too.


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## RMS (Dec 9, 2008)

The Champion I refer to has an open channel frame. I my humble opinion,steel tubing should not be used on a boattrailer for the reason stated, regardless of intended use.


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## FourchonFish (Jul 16, 2009)

Terrible idea all around. They are truly not built for that application.


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## Biller48 (Oct 1, 2008)

I have a 04' TR175 Triton Bass boat with an optimax 115, i have used it in both salt and fresh water for about 4 years now. I am OCD when it comes to upkeep and have had no problems with the boat. I do frequently grease, silicone and meticously maintain all fittings, electronics and exposed metals and allways flush the engine with fresh water. The rest of the members are right about the trailer, mine has held together good, due to i only launch at ramps with washdown stations provided( NAS PENSACOLA, EGLIN AFB). I have some small rust spots on the springs and fender wells. It is cool to land grouper, cobia, snapper, tarpon and snook on a bass boat though. The reason i use the boat in salt water is i could not pass on the family deal i got on it, 100 bucks a month. Plan to get into a 21-23 foot walk in Jan-Feb. Good luck, Happy hunting.


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## billyk (Nov 15, 2007)

I had a ProCraft Bass Boat that I used many years in the Savannah, GA area. I would wager that my trailer only saw salt water 6 times max, as lifts are very common in that area, and that is what I primarily used to get on the water. In the 3 years that I lived in GA, my trailer was destroyed by rust, and like I said, I only used ramps maybe 1/2 dozen times. The trailer was made of painted, open channel steel.

I used to take my boat to a car wash after every trip, washed the carpet, trailer...everything, ( rods and reels too !! ) then applied the wax from the car wash on everything. The vacume's at those car washes do an amazing job of pulling alot of water out of the carpet. I also used an aerosol spray anti corrosion product on all things metal and electric...by that I mean inside the connections for the bow light, stern light, fish finder mount. 

Sold the boat about 3 years after that...new trailer ( aluminum this time !! ) but the boat was in good working order.

Pick your days, those low profile, low gunnel boats can be interesting when the waves pick up !!


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