I'm thinking about buying a Nacra that has been sailed mostly on the ocean. I'm a little hesitant though because I've heard that salt water ruins boats fast. Can anyone tell me if this is true?
Thanks in advance!!!
Is salt water bad for cats?
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Posted: Sep 15, 2008 - 09:50 PM
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Posted: Sep 16, 2008 - 09:57 AM
Yes salt water can be hard on boats... (and anything else that can rust).
BUT I have owned 3 cats that have been sailed in the Gulf of Mexico their entire life. They were all 15-25 years old.
Any boat new or old... salt or fresh water can have problems and hardware failures.
Salt water can act as conductor of electric corrosion between dissimilar metals (galvanic reaction). For this reason, i spray down my boat with fresh water after every sail, and on Sundays i bring it to the car wash and give it a thorough rise. This probably slows down rust in most places but it?s where you can't see that is the real issue... most failures happen where little oxygen is (inside bolt threads, etc)
I would look at the boat and if wouldn?t let a little rust it stop me from buying it.
I have had to get aluminum welding done to repair beams, and rudder castings... and its just a part of sailing.. so is ripping sails, breaking gear, falling off your boat, capsizing and bleeding from some new scrape or cuts from my trailer... I LOVE IT ALL!!! :)
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Posted: Sep 16, 2008 - 02:48 PM
Just always make sure to thoroughly wash your boat after sailing it in saltwater. Helps to increase the life of all the parts in getting the salt off the boat.
Otherwise, I agree with everything Andrew said, except the scrapes from the trailer
they hurt
yellowhulls
edited by: yellowhulls17, Sep 16, 2008 - 01:49 PM -
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Posted: Sep 16, 2008 - 06:37 PM
Hey thanks for the info guys! It sounds like I'll just want to look over the metal parts carefully, but it shouldn't be too big of a deal. Also, if I may trouble you with one more question, does salt water damage fiberglass any faster than fresh water does? -
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Posted: Sep 16, 2008 - 10:22 PM
thats a good question i dont know the answer to. i know the real enemy is UV damage and delamination (seperation of the layers from use, weight, UV and other).
As per the metal parts.... cracks and such are a red flag... but they can be hidden. look very close to the stress areas where the hulls and beams meet.
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Posted: Sep 17, 2008 - 08:23 AM
All gel coat will get blisters sooner or later. There is nothing I know of in fiberglass that reacts to salt. The blisters are the result in water osmosis or poor application of gel coat.
My G-Cat is 20 years old. It was sailed in the gulf of mexico for most all if it's life. When I repainted it, no blisters.
But do electrically isolate metal to different metal. My righting system connects to the aluminum cross member... it is stainless plate. I placed an 1/8 inch rubber pad between the two metals to help reduce corrosion. The only connectors are the stainless rivets.. can't do much in way of isolating those.
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Posted: Sep 17, 2008 - 04:08 PM
Thanks guys! This info should be very helpful! -
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Posted: Oct 08, 2008 - 06:24 PM
Hey! Thanks for putting my mind at ease about the salt water issue. I went ahead and bought her :) I'll post pictures as soon as I get a chance to take some.
edited by: rhuntbach, Oct 08, 2008 - 05:26 PM
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