Stern drives in salt water

Some stern drive manufacturers offer fresh water cooling which is a system that does not allow salt water into the engine for cooling. If it has a closed system with a heat exchange you should be fine.

When used in saltwater conditions this system is particularly susceptible to corrosion.

Stern drives in salt water. The older stern drives were very poor for salt water. In more recent years the stern drive manufacturers did design systems for salt water Seacore by Mercruiser and Ocean-X by Volvo. If the stern drive had one of those systems then it would be ok for salt water still not as desirable as inboard but much less expensive too.

Stern drive in saltwater. I would say it is much better to get the sterndrive out of the water. That is a big advantage of an outboard is they come out of the water completey.

Even in fresh water a sterndrive will get moss growning on it. Of course if you use the boat often woukd be best. This is the primary reason that we do not recommend stern drives for use in salt water.

However if you own a stern drive boat its well worth the effort to pay attention to their condition by inspecting them frequently and taking care of small problems before they become big costly problems. Shroderer stresses that a lot of the early problems associated with using sterndrives in salt water have been eliminated. Protection of the metal parts has been improved via electric deposition plating an electronic painting system.

The majority of stern-drive equipped boats use a raw water cooling system to cool the engine and stern drive unit. When used in saltwater conditions this system is particularly susceptible to corrosion. The cooling circuit should be flushed with fresh clean water to remove salts from the passages.

Whether or not you should use it in Salt Water depends on the cooling system. If it has a closed system with a heat exchange you should be fine. If it is a raw water system I wouldnt do it unless you haul the boat frequently and flush it after each use.

The exhaust manifolds are cast iron and dont take kindly to salt water. Even though outboard motors and stern drive live in the saltwater there are a number of things you can do to prevent the growth of slime and barnacles. The clean as a whistle sterndrive pictured above just spent the previous eight months in the waters of Raritan Bay protected with Pacifica Plus.

Theres a rich history behind stern drives and there are a million and one stern drive boats on the water yet there are just two big players in todays market. MerCruiser and Volvo Penta. In a few unusual cases you might find an Ilmor here and there in serious high performance power boats and even more rarely you may see a diesel stern drive from Yanmar.

Plus an outboard would probably be easier to work on. Proper maintenance on a stern drive is an absolute pain in the ass and if you pay others to do your work the service over several years will cost much more than an outboard or straight inboard. The trick to making risers last in salt water is to use pencil anodes in the drains If they use a 18 plug drill and tap them out to 14 npt these anodes will last all seasonReplace with new ones every year.

Furthermore stern drive engines will require exhaust manifolds usually in 5-7 years in a salt water environment. Additionally stern drive engines require winterization if a hard freeze is expected. Understand that the purchase price will usually be lower for.

For boats moored in a saltwater environment you can still have the great performance. It just means your sterndrive will require a stricter routine servicing arrangement than trailerable andor freshwater rigs with legs. Along with the spend money to save money saying comes the advice to use it.

SeaCore is super-corrosion-resistant stern drive specifically engineered to thrive in conditions that would rapidly consume mere aluminum. MerCruiser Sea Core a comprehensive corrosion protection system for the engines transoms and lower units operated in saltwater. Saltwater and brackish water corrosion has been chewing up stern drives ever.

Stern drives left in salt water for any length of time with cost you significant money as you point out. By the sounds of it you are looking at a boat with two so that is 2x the cost. Even IF it has all been done by the book they take time money and effort to look after.

Cons of sterndrive motors. Since sterndrive motors are entirely outside a boats hull they are more likely to be damaged in shallow waters. Sterndrive motor boats are less stable than inboard motor boats.

Saltwater or brackish water are going to have a corrosive effect on the exposed sterndrive motors. Just like I stated if you OVER zinc a drive the anodes can be ineffective and let the drive actually corrode faster than when under zinced. Merc doesnt recommend or use Zinc for their anodes they now since 91 use an aluminum alloy for salt water anodes.

There are a few salt water guys that can chime in but. There is a different Mercathode system for salt water. Youll need to change the zincs for salt water.

Bottom paint needs to be suitable for salt water. The big issue is salt accumulation and corrosion in the engine parts I. If you have water leaking into the boat be glad you noticed it.

The drive should be immediatly removed as to stop any more damage and repair the leak. Water is were it shouldnt be and this will eventually ruin the gimbal and sterndrive unit. Water can leak in other areas as well.

Stern drives also called outdrives are a significant investment for the boat owner. Stern drives which sit outside the transom and remain partially submerged endure salt water oxides marine growth and other harmful elements that destroy their metal surface. If left unattended for too long they can deteriorate.

The sterndrives are heavier but offer a better power-to-weight ratio. These drives allow for a full unobstructed swim platform. Walk-around space is limited aft of the transom but outboards can be tilted out of the water which is really important in salt water.

Some stern drive manufacturers offer fresh water cooling which is a system that does not allow salt water into the engine for cooling. This protects the engine from corrosion and dramatically increases the longevity of the engine. Because stern drives in cruisers and bowriderssport boats offer the best accessibility to the rear of the boat.

Assuming that routine maintenance guidelines are followed the stainless-steel shafts and Nibral short for nickel-bronze-aluminum alloy propellers and rudders will outlive the painted-aluminum stern drive in salt water.