Q: This summer, my family plans to take our boat on vacation to Pensacola on the Gulf of Mexico. I've heard that salt water can ruin a boat. We have a 22-foot deckboat with an I/O. Is there anything I can do to prevent this?
Tom Sharf, Berne, IN

A: By all means, take your boat and enjoy the Santa Rosa sound. Salt water can cause corrosion, but you can still enjoy your vacation without destroying your boat. Just plan ahead.

Before you leave, spend a Saturday afternoon applying a good protective wax or polish coating to all of the fiberglass surfaces - decks, topsides and even unpainted bottom areas. This will make rinsing away salt residue a lot easier at the end of your vacation.

Your I/O-powered boat has what's called "raw water cooling" for the engine. The same water that floats the boat is pumped through the cooling system before being dumped overboard in the exhaust. This means that throughout your vacation, you'll be pumping salt water through the heart of your engine.

To prevent long-term problems, purchase an "ear muff"-style engine flusher. This clips over the water intakes on the I/O lower unit and allows you to connect a garden hose to supply fresh water. With the "muffs" in place, you can run the engine and flush out any salt water. Flushing should be done as quickly as possible after the boat comes out of the water.

Salt-Away Products© makes a special chemical treatment for getting rid of salt residue in engines. You need to purchase the mixer unit that attaches to the garden hose, as well as the chemicals. Read and follow the instructions. Whether you use this product or just a freshwater rinse, be sure to do this job every time the boat is hauled out of the water before the engine cools down.

Pull the propeller off the lower unit, and wash down the inside of the hub and the shaft. Then, apply the recommended lubricant to the shaft, and re-install the prop with its nut and keeper. This will prevent the prop from seizing to the shaft so you can remove it easily in the future.

Use the same Salt-Away product to rinse down the whole boat after it's out of salt water. Salt residue can be tenacious, and it can promote corrosion long after you're back in Indiana. So, carefully rinse down the whole boat with this product. Or, rinse off the boat with fresh water at a do-it-yourself car wash before trailering home.

Don't try to wipe off dried salt rime with a dry rag. Salt crystals are sharp and hard enough to scratch and dull a fiberglass gel coat. Always wet the boat before using a rag or soft bristle brush to clean the hull.

Finally, don't forget your trailer. It will be subject to saltwater corrosion from contact when you're launching or retrieving the boat. Be sure to rinse it down thoroughly with fresh water immediately after use. This is especially true of any brake mechanisms or electrical parts, such as the plug that connects to your tow vehicle.

Wheel bearings are rapidly damaged by salt water. Consider installing bearing hubs with grease fittings on each wheel. These allow you to squirt grease into the hubs so that water entry is far less likely. An added attraction is that you can check the lubrication on the long road trip. A "dry" trailer bearing can really ruin your day on the highway.

Along those lines of thinking, consider purchasing a spare wheel and tire for your long road trip.

Send your BoatCraft Q&A questions to Dave Brown c/o Boating World, 2100 Powers Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30339. You can also e-mail your questions to editor@boatingworld.com. Due to the volume of inquiries, Dave Brown will be unable to answer every question.