I have a 2001 Nitro bassboat with a Merc. 115 four stroke outboard that
has only been operated on Illinois freshwater lakes. We are thinking about
moving to the west coast of Florida, near Homosassa. I have noticed several
Merc outboards in that area are badged as "Sal****er". Is there a major
difference between my motor and the "sal****er" version? I assume the
significant difference is in the corrosion resistance of the cooling water
circulation system. Can I use my current rig in a sal****er environment
without major damage? Should I sell it in Illinois and by a sal****er
boat/motor in Florida?
I know this is a lot to just toss out there and simply ask for "HELP" but
I also know this NG has a lot of participants that understand situations
w/o a lot of detailed introduction. Thanks for any advice .

--
Robert Hutton

On Thu, 5 Feb 2004 00:57:58 -0600, "Eric H"
wrote:

I have a 2001 Nitro bassboat with a Merc. 115 four stroke outboard that
has only been operated on Illinois freshwater lakes. We are thinking about
moving to the west coast of Florida, near Homosassa. I have noticed several
Merc outboards in that area are badged as "Sal****er". Is there a major
difference between my motor and the "sal****er" version? I assume the
significant difference is in the corrosion resistance of the cooling water
circulation system. Can I use my current rig in a sal****er environment
without major damage? Should I sell it in Illinois and by a sal****er
boat/motor in Florida?
I know this is a lot to just toss out there and simply ask for "HELP" but
I also know this NG has a lot of participants that understand situations
w/o a lot of detailed introduction. Thanks for any advice .

To answer the engine question, yes, they are a little different in
that the corrosion coatings are different and some of the metals and
fittings are stainless. There isnt' really much difference.

Are you planning on using the boat inshore salt and inland fresh? If
so, then you are fine as long as you flush the engine every salt trip
and wash things down. Expect some corrosion on fittings and the like
because they probably aren't stainless. The boat isn't really
designed for this type of activity, but a once in a while trip isnt' a
problem. As to the boat itself, as long as you keep a weather eye
out, obtain a marine radio and the usual safety stuff it will be great
on the flats and in the rivers.

However, you might be wiser to sell the boat and pick up one of the
Nitro inshore boats like a center console. Triton makes a couple of
light tackle boats in the 18-20 foot range as does Ranger which makes
a great inshore/inland boat - The Intercoastal series. You might also
want to take a look at Polar which has a solid line of boats, although
they aren't as versatile as the other's I mentioned.

Can't help you with price comparisons between Florida and where you
live where ever you live. :)

For the record, I own a Ranger 200C which is a 20 foot center console
that they only made for two years. I think it's the perfect boat for
inshore/inland although it dosen't handle small water very well - it
can be a beast to launch in shallow water. I have a tin boat for that
kind of stuff.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
----------

"I thought I'd just go fishin', but the fish
were not amused. And I caught myself just
wishin' that I was in the fishes shoes. Just
swimmin' in some deep blue water not a care
in my head, watchin' some fool with a line
and a pole hidin' by the riverbed."

Joe Ely, "Back To My Old Molehill" - "Flatlanders,
Wheels of Fortune - 2004"

"Eric H" wrote in message ...
I have a 2001 Nitro bassboat with a Merc. 115 four stroke outboard that
has only been operated on Illinois freshwater lakes. We are thinking about
moving to the west coast of Florida, near Homosassa. I have noticed several
Merc outboards in that area are badged as "Sal****er". Is there a major
difference between my motor and the "sal****er" version? I assume the
significant difference is in the corrosion resistance of the cooling water
circulation system. Can I use my current rig in a sal****er environment
without major damage? Should I sell it in Illinois and by a sal****er
boat/motor in Florida?
I know this is a lot to just toss out there and simply ask for "HELP" but
I also know this NG has a lot of participants that understand situations
w/o a lot of detailed introduction. Thanks for any advice .

You won't harm your outboard in salt water, if you clean it, and flush
it as soon as possible after use. Once upon a time, there were no
freshwater/sal****er models.

Hmmmmm. your query brings up a question that I need answered too.

If I remember correctly, the anode ( rust-preventive sacrificial anode) that
is on every engine MAY be a different alloy for Sal****er versus Freshwater.
I'm doing the opposite of you. I am moving a 16 ft. Carolina Skiff from the
Texas bay system to my place in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Perhaps I should be
changing the anode coincident with that move???

Anyone know the answer????
--
RichG
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 15:18:07 GMT, "RichG"
wrote:

Hmmmmm. your query brings up a question that I need answered too.

If I remember correctly, the anode ( rust-preventive sacrificial anode) that
is on every engine MAY be a different alloy for Sal****er versus Freshwater.
I'm doing the opposite of you. I am moving a 16 ft. Carolina Skiff from the
Texas bay system to my place in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Perhaps I should be
changing the anode coincident with that move???

Anyone know the answer????

I'll give you the basic course in chemistry. The following is a pet
peeve of mine.

Electrolysis is the result of stray current. The corrosive effects
can be the same as:

Galvanism - which is the correct term for the corrosion caused by
contact between two dissimilar metals.

A sacrificial anode basically reverses the flow of electrons and
neutralizes the current flow between dissimilar metals. The anodes
are made of zinc and in the process of neutralizing the current flow,
self destruct (technically, that's not what happens, but for all
practical purposes, that's the answer).

To answer your question, yes - different zinc alloys for different
situations, however I assume your boat is trailored so I wouldn't
worry about it all that much other than to just watch the ones that
are there and replace them once in a while.

Good luck.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
----------

"To the fisherman born there is nothing
so provoking of curiosity as a fishing rod
in a case."

Roland Pertwee, "The River God" (1928)

Thanks for the short course.

After searching and reading about anodes on another site, it seems like the
smartest and simplest reaction to this issue is to replace my present salt
water anode with a freshwater anode. Once she gets to Wisconsin...I"M NOT
going to tow her back here to Texas!

RichG
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 16:00:07 GMT, "RichG"
wrote:

Thanks for the short course.

After searching and reading about anodes on another site, it seems like the
smartest and simplest reaction to this issue is to replace my present salt
water anode with a freshwater anode. Once she gets to Wisconsin...I"M NOT
going to tow her back here to Texas!

RichG
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

That's the best thing to do - that way there's no messing around.

Actually, to save yourself some money, you can clean the old zincs
until you get to new metal - save you a few bucks and gain some time
if necessary.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
----------

"To the fisherman born there is nothing
so provoking of curiosity as a fishing rod
in a case."

Roland Pertwee, "The River God" (1928)

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 15:18:07 GMT, "RichG"
wrote:

Hmmmmm. your query brings up a question that I need answered too.

If I remember correctly, the anode ( rust-preventive sacrificial anode) that
is on every engine MAY be a different alloy for Sal****er versus Freshwater.
I'm doing the opposite of you. I am moving a 16 ft. Carolina Skiff from the
Texas bay system to my place in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Perhaps I should be
changing the anode coincident with that move???

Anyone know the answer????


It's generally zinc for sal****er and magnesium sp for fresh water.
Mark E. Williams

"Maynard G. Krebbs" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 15:18:07 GMT, "RichG"
wrote:

Hmmmmm. your query brings up a question that I need answered too.

If I remember correctly, the anode ( rust-preventive sacrificial anode)
that
is on every engine MAY be a different alloy for Sal****er versus
Freshwater.
I'm doing the opposite of you. I am moving a 16 ft. Carolina Skiff from
the
Texas bay system to my place in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Perhaps I should
be
changing the anode coincident with that move???

Anyone know the answer????


It's generally zinc for sal****er and magnesium sp for fresh water.
Mark E. Williams

I run an aluminum boat in both fresh and salt water. I just replace my
zincs when they look bad.
Bill

Unless your boat is moored for some time in the water it really doesn't mater
much. If you just launch in the AM and recover in the PM and dry store the
boat in between outings you arn't likely to have galvanic corrosion issues.
Your original annodes could last for years! But keep an eye on things to be on
the safe side.
Best wishes
Mike