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Old     (superair502)      Join Date: Mar 2010       10-07-2013, 6:16 PM Reply   
Would you guys be nervous about buying a newer boat only couple years old if it was used in salt and had closed cooling system? I mean doesn't the salt never get near inside of motor and trans? Don't really understand closed cooling system. Trying to help my buddy look for a good used boat.
Old     (boardman74)      Join Date: Jul 2012       10-07-2013, 6:53 PM Reply   
If you are buying a salt boat you need to look at it far more carefully. I would recommend having a professional check it over.

Closed cooling only closes some of the system. You have a heat exchanger that gets salt/ raw water ran thru it. Manifolds still have raw/ salt water ran thru them. Trans and V drive I am not sure, but I bet they are also raw water.
Old     (boardman74)      Join Date: Jul 2012       10-07-2013, 6:55 PM Reply   
Plus the salt water and salt air gets everywhere else on the boat and trailer. Wet people drag it in the boat, its in the ballast system, if you dunk the bow its all over, packing dripping, etc. You get the idea.
Old     (hco)      Join Date: Jun 2006       10-07-2013, 7:03 PM Reply   
A good used boat is one that's never been in salt water.
Old     (superair502)      Join Date: Mar 2010       10-07-2013, 7:53 PM Reply   
Where and what should he start checking when lookin at the boat?
Old     (TParke)      Join Date: Aug 2011       10-07-2013, 10:40 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by superair502 View Post
Where and what should he start checking when lookin at the boat?
The first thing I would check is the anodes. Most boats that are made for saltwater have one for the transmission and one for the engine. They need to be replaced about every 50 hours. If they aren't doing simple things like replacing those then most likely they aren't doing a whole lot of preventative maintenance. Also the engine mounts usually start corroding first. Depending on the year and hours the manifolds have to be replaced. If they haven't done this I would recommend it. We operate in saltwater 100% of the time and after we ride we flush the engine and wash the whole interior/exterior. It is more than double the maintenance on a freshwater boat to keep it looking and running great.
Old     (kx250frider617)      Join Date: Aug 2013       10-07-2013, 11:29 PM Reply   
It all depends on the previous owner. When you look at their boat, check out their truck and garage and see if they keep their thing clean. I wouldn't hesitate on buying a used salt water boat but, I also will keep using the boat in salt. If it's a factory closed cooling system, I'm sure the manifolds are part of the system. Look in the bilge and see if there is rust or salt deposits on the vdrive and trans. Check the stitching of the upholstery. If the boat is just wiped down, salt will still build up in the threads. That's another way to check if the owner took care of it. Also, if the boat really has been used a lot in salt, the carpet will be stiff. I would pay more attention to the trailer than the actual boat. Check if there's any rust, especially the leaf springs. Surface rust on u-bolts and hardware is normal. The key to salt boats is maintenance and a good cleaning after every trip. If your really anal, a regular raw water cooled boat can last forever in the salt. Except if stores on a lift or in the water
Old     (wakedaveup)      Join Date: May 2012       10-08-2013, 4:19 AM Reply   
Mase- I noticed your profile handle is "superair" does this mean you are looking at a newer style Nautique? If so, and to better help you, are you looking at a Coastal Edition or just a Nautique with a 6LT engine? The reason I ask is because if you are looking at a Coastal Edition then the engine is a complete closed loop system and water never touches the block, risers, manifolds, etc. PCM also uses closed cooling systems standard on any 6.0LT engine (even non Coastal but these are not a complete closed loop system). If this is the case and it is not a Coastal Edition, only the engine block is closed cooling leaving other components such as the manifolds and risers exposed. To sum it up the best I can, if it's a Coastal Edition I would say a compression test is pretty much all you would need to verify the engine is solid. If it's not a coastal and just the block is closed cooled, I would have a surveyor check it out for you because the engine was more susceptible to salt damage.
Old     (cadunkle)      Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: NJ       10-08-2013, 7:29 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by wakedaveup View Post
are you looking at a Coastal Edition or just a Nautique with a 6LT engine? The reason I ask is because if you are looking at a Coastal Edition then the engine is a complete closed loop system and water never touches the block, risers, manifolds, etc. PCM also uses closed cooling systems standard on any 6.0LT engine (even non Coastal but these are not a complete closed loop system). If this is the case and it is not a Coastal Edition, only the engine block is closed cooling leaving other components such as the manifolds and risers exposed.
I'd love to know how raw water never touches the risers and where the discharge of raw water is. That would be a very unusual setup. Typical closed cooling is just the engine, manifolds and risers have raw water running through them and are wear items. Some of the better closed systems include the manifolds and have a larger heat exchanger to handle the additional heat from those, the manifold to riser connection uses block off gaskets.

I've never seen or heard of risers which can be plumbed as part of a closed system. There would have to be some sort of raw water discharge port hard plumbed into the riser, rubber would not be able to handle the heat of straight exhaust gas with no water to cool it and protect the rubber hose. Alternatively double wall hard exhaust could be plumbed farther back or all the way out. This would be quite expensive as it would have to be double wall, able to be plumbed with the coolant recirculating, and also made of either stainless or copper to survive in salt. Anyhow, never heard of it. It's possible but sounds like a very custom and expensive system, surely cheaper to just replace risers when they get too crusty.
Old     (imscarlet)      Join Date: Mar 2008       10-08-2013, 2:45 PM Reply   
"I've never seen or heard of risers which can be plumbed as part of a closed system. There would have to be some sort of raw water discharge port hard plumbed into the riser"

Well actually you almost have it in the above statement, raw water is passed through the heat exchanger and then flows out the exhaust via a special dump port where the rubber connects to the riser end this is usually made out of stainless. If you look carefully at the image you can see the water dump hose coming up under the elbow

Old     (cadunkle)      Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: NJ       10-08-2013, 3:00 PM Reply   
Interesting, and they're able to ru O2 sensors as well. This must be new since the catalytic converter mandate. With catalyst built in to the risers it makes more financial sense as catalyst risers must be quite pricey. Of course it's cheaper to just not run a catalytic converter at all, but the tree huggers are a zealous cult. Regardless, interesting system.
Old     (imscarlet)      Join Date: Mar 2008       10-08-2013, 4:40 PM Reply   
That one was introduced 2006 by Indmar (still currently being used) and the cats have to stay dry so they water cool the manifold, return the water back to the engine and then dump it via the dump ports so on the closed cooled engine (salt series) all they do is change the way they route the water. This has a pre-cat o2 sensor and the post cat o2 sensor (one you see in the picture) for closed loop operation.

The PCM/Crusader uses a configuration where their cat sits between the 2 exhaust outlets from the cylinder banks and exits via a single outlet (Modern PCM powered boats have only a single exhaust outlet on the transom specifically if fitted with the Cadmium exhaust system)
Old     (wakedaveup)      Join Date: May 2012       10-09-2013, 7:34 AM Reply   
^^thank you
Old     (imscarlet)      Join Date: Mar 2008       10-09-2013, 12:36 PM Reply   
BTW PCM branded engines used closed cooling for the block and heads only (raw water still passes through the risers) as stated above and the Crusader engine is the full salt series version that uses coolant in the exhaust risers.

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