How well does a Bassboat take to Saltwater?

[Rod Martin]

Will be doing more fishing in florida over the next few years. Looks like maybe a combination of saltwater & fresh. Should I be looking at more of a bay style boat or will a standard Bassboat standup OK?

Thanks in advance for any insight on this
Rod Martin

[rexford]

I have been told that most bass boat engines are not
suited for salt water as they have aluminum parts.
Obviously they sell marine engines for salt water
but I would check yours before heading out. I saw
a tournament on TV last year where the guys were
cutting across a salt water bay and I was curious
about that myself.

Thanks,
Mike

[CW2 Tucker]

The carpet and seats are about the only thing on the boat that will wear out faster in salt. Wash the boat a lot and keep up with your gel coat. You might want to seriously consider an aluminum trailer. Painted steel gets eaten up fast. Also check with your motor manufacturer to find out about your motors resistance to salt water. Most modern motors will be fine with a little more routine maintenance. Forgetting to flush out your motor with fresh water when you get home will no longer be an option. Water impeller replacement should be more frequent along with checking for excessive wear in your water jackets. I would rather have aluminum in my motor than steel if I was on the salt water.

Fish ON!!!

[912nitro]

There is a company in Florida that makes Bass boats.
Their name is Storm Boats, & a few years ago they had a boat on display at a BassMasters event .
3 or 4 years ago they started making a boat called a * flats / bass * boat. it is 22 ft. long & has all the bells & whistles of the traditional bass boat.
It has no carpet & the deck surfaces are textured for non skid footing.
As far as tradational bass boats in salt water, they will be just as at home there.
Its the motor that needs special care.
From what i've read, Mariner motors has the same dimensions ( bore & stroke etc. ) as its conterpart H.P. in the Mercury lineup.
Only the Mariner has all internal parts that will be exposed to water made of stainless steel, so its their saltwater version.
Merc's can be bought with some stainless steel internal parts.
On saturdays, sometimes there is redfish tournaments down in the Louisiana & Florida costal flats.
You see standard bass boats, & speciality boats like i described.
with Etecs, Mercs, & Mariners.
Stratos, Ranger & someothers makes salt water versions of their boats for the flats fisherman.
There are more options available than you can imagine.
Like aomeone already posted, the kee is a good boat washdown & engine flush after every use.
In fact, most of the salt water ramps i've been to have washdown stations available.

[Marc]

I've used a bassboat to catch stripers and blues in the Chesapeake Bay, and salmon in the Puget Sound. It can be done with care, but there are definitely some things you want to know.

The first time you dunk a steel trailer in the saltwater, you will get rust...no way to avoid it. You can manage it by good soap and freshwater wash down, or by using a product called SaltAWay with fresh water...but you will still shorten the life of your trailer big time. Get an aluminum or at the least a galvanized trailer, and don't spend a fortune making it fancy because eventually you will replace it as well.

Most modern outboard motors are fine in the salt. They have sacrificial anodes, and easy connections for flushing with freshwater after use.

Your wiring is something you really need to maintain. Salt in the moisture in the air will coat every electrical connection, from bussbar terminals to splices to battery terminals. Coat them with dielectric grease first or you will shorten their lives as well. All metal bolts, fittings, and parts will benefit from wiping them down after use with oil on a rag, or at least sprayed with WD-40.

Your entire boat should get a freshwater bath to get the salt out of the carpet and off of parts. I usually drive to the closest coin-operated car wash and drench the whole rig in soapy water and rinse.

That being said, a bay/flats boat is designed better to withstand the rigors of saltwater (especially the trailer) and might be a wise choice; but you can use a regular bassboat if you must.

[Rod Martin]

The home we bought in florida is a small home meant for retirement with a small garage. I did'nt know if it was worth pulling this boat back there or just picking up something like a carolina skiff for back there, whatever it is, I have to be able to put it in 18' of space.

[Scott L]

Rod, IMHO you can probably get more for your current bass boat here then in Florida. In the south the bass, bay and flats boats are everywhere. Per capita there are few bass boats in CA. We pay a lot more for our boats then back east.

You should be able to find a very nice bay/flats boat to fit in your garage. New or used. The last time I was there (3 yrs) the guide I went out with for redfish had a 17-18' flats boat. There was 3 of us on the boat and it worked well (of course the guide was up on the back platform poling us along. BTW that was the first time I saw one of those power poles attached to the stern of the boat. There was another guide near us that had a 22' boat that could not go as shallow as us. The other benefit with the smaller boat is a smaller engine (less $$$s).

I believe Triton and possibly Ranger had a bass boat designed for saltwater (no carpet, saltwater T-motor etc.), but you should spend some time on the different styles of boats and types of fishing you will pursue down there. The flats/ bay boats will work well for bass in freshwater as well.

Good luck.

[DeltaDan]

One of the most important things is to install a Fresh Water flushing system to the trailor breaking system.....and use it right away both after launching and trailoring your boat.

[Rod Martin]

Thanks guys I'll keep all of this in mind while I'm back there looking.

[CW2 Tucker]

Nitro 898 is a salt water bass boat.

[parker]

the triton lts series are great boats and they are set up very similar to a bass boat except the center console. great boats