Running in salt water

[BHChieftain]

Hi,
I found a nice location that allows RC boats near me, but it is salt water. Would running in salt water be ok provided the hull and hardware were rinsed well, or is this generally a bad idea???

-Chief

[hydromaddicted]

Salt Water is fine just make sure to rinse very well and flush any cooling lines that have been exposed?and double clean and lube your flex shaft.

Where are you boating at? I'm not to far from you.


James

[sailr]

I wouldn't suggest it. If you get ANY salt water in your motor, receiver, or speed control they are probably toast. Salt water is an excellent electrical conductor! Just my opinion. If you absolutely MUST, then I would soak the heck out of everything electrical with Corrosion X, put the receiver in a balloon, and seal up your speed controller with conformal epoxy.

No matter how hard you try, some water always seems to get inside boats!

[hydromaddicted]

I wouldn't suggest it. If you get ANY salt water in your motor, receiver, or speed control they are probably toast. Salt water is an excellent electrical conductor! Just my opinion. If you absolutely MUST, then I would soak the heck out of everything electrical with Corrosion X, put the receiver in a balloon, and seal up your speed controller with conformal epoxy.

No matter how hard you try, some water always seems to get inside boats!

Lots of people run in saltwater it's not a problem just take some precautions
http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...ight=saltwater

All water is an excellent conductor!Sounds like you need to spend a little more time on water testing your boats.I've never had a problem with water always getting in a boat?If I do I keep working on them until they run bone dry inside.

James

[BakedMopar]

I run Salt water everytime out. We have no fresh water ponds to run in. Just flush with fresh water at the end of your day and spray some WD40 on the hardware.

[m4a1usr]

Salt water can certainly effect certain parts of your boat. I dont how many of you have real boats or jetskis but running any hull in salt water does cause degradation of parts. First off, its corrosive. Thats a fact. Next it contains biologics (algae, plankton and the likes) and depending on what type of shoreline you run it in you can have what I call "junkage" or floating debris. Water lines can become plugged or blocked.

And the aluminum components we have in our RC boats are prime candidates for electrolysis to occur. We dont have sacrificial anodes on our hulls like real boats do. Also salt crystals grow on metal that becomes hot. A form of condensation of a sort. Its worse for bare metal but certainly happens on even anodized aluminum.

John

[BHChieftain]

Salt Water is fine just make sure to rinse very well and flush any cooling lines that have been exposed?and double clean and lube your flex shaft.

Where are you boating at? I'm not to far from you.


James

Hi James,
I'm in San Jose. My son is running a proboat fastech, and I have a syncron on order. I met up with callsign bigwavesohs-- he runs a converted aquacraft tunnel cat and his son runs an aquacraft sv. We are joining Model Mariners in Fremont and will be up at Kaiser Cove.

The site I was referring to in my post was Shoreline Lakes.

Shoot me a PM-- maybe we can meet up to run some boats.

-Chief

[sailr]

Since you have now insulted me with your comment regarding not testing enough...anyone that says they have NEVER gotten water inside a boat is either a liar or running slow scale stuff. I've only been running R/C boats since 1975. How about you? But then I'm running go fast stuff at 40-60mph. Water will crawl up a flexshaft, etc. etc.

I have run in salt water and had lots of trouble. For those here that say it's hunky dory, go for it. There is also a big scale club here that won't even run in brackish water because it has played havoc with their boats.

For those who have never had a problem with salt water, God bless ya!

Lots of people run in saltwater it's not a problem just take some precautions
http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...ight=saltwater

All water is an excellent conductor!Sounds like you need to spend a little more time on water testing your boats.I've never had a problem with water always getting in a boat?If I do I keep working on them until they run bone dry inside.

James

[hydromaddicted]

Sailr if you were insulted by that you have some thin skin. I said I do have those same issues but choose to spend the time to correct them and suggested you do the same.There are many helpful hints here and on the red board to help with this.

This is'nt about who or how long or fast just because your personal experince is'nt great with salt does'nt mean others have had or will have the same issues.


James

[Xcesive8]

I run in the Salt EVERYTIME aswell.
There are no large freshwater lakes anywhere near me.

Location to me is just as important as watching my boat go around.
Why limit yourself to a location just because its the only fresh lake around your area. Dont you ever drive over a bridge and cross a river or lake and think wow, id love to run there!! Who cares if its salt, just take precaution.

For example, i will only run in salt if i have hatch pins aswell as my tape.
I will take a can of CRC or WD-40 with me, and after every pull out, before i undo tape i give the hardware a quick spray. Then when i pop the lid, i have my chamoi there and rinse out with a bottle fresh water, wipe down inside, even if you cant see water in hull, just a quick wipe down to make sure you collect salt spray or whatever. I have a syringe i suck up frersh water out of a 600ml bottle and pump thru cooling. It takes longer to type this than to do it, it becomes habbit.

At the end of the day, if you look after your stuff in any conditions, it will look after you.

[crabstick]

I run in salt all the time, as I live at a beach. My FE boats are watertight! and I leave them taped down until i get back home (100m) I use a salt flush that I use on my waverunner etc called "Salt away" I flush the cooling sys, then wash the whole boat with "salt away", after that everything gets a good spray with inox, and the flex shaft is removed and soaked in auto trans fluid or 2 stroke. Our Club pond is brackish water and everyone runs / races in it.

My Gas boats I run a watertight radio box, and when I get home the same happens, flush cooling system with salt away, then wash the entire boat down inside and out with salt away, then everything gets a douse with inox, and then I pull the plug on the motor and pour 2 stroke down the plug hole with the piston at BDC, after ten mins i will tip the boat upside down and then pull the starter 5 times or so to pump a majority of the oil around the motor then its plug in, pull the flex and soak in oil, then lastly pull the bung from the radio box to air out. If i dunk the motor which is not that common then it gets a dousing of WD-40 through the whole motor, then 2 stroke oil, then upside down with the plug out to pump wd40 and oil out,then i start it and run it for 1 min or so.

Most of my electrics are coated with dp-270 too.

[BHChieftain]

I run in salt all the time, as I live at a beach. My FE boats are watertight! and I leave them taped down until i get back home (100m) I use a salt flush that I use on my waverunner etc called "Salt away" I flush the cooling sys, then wash the whole boat with "salt away", after that everything gets a good spray with inox, and the flex shaft is removed and soaked in auto trans fluid or 2 stroke. Our Club pond is brackish water and everyone runs / races in it.

Thanks for the tips. What's inox?

-Chief

[crabstick]

http://www.inox-mx3.com/inox.htm

Inox-mx3

anti conductive, anti corrosive, anti moisture etc etc really good stuff, have found it the best thing to spray round my waverunner as I only use it in salt, and have no corrosion or rust anywhere.

[Chuck E Cheese]

no problem with salt water here, i run gas, nitro, FE and the only time i have problems is when i get water inside the hull. even then, i rinse the heck out of it with fresh water and blow dry when i get home. corossion block and wd40 are your friend and just make sure to take care of your stuff. i even run a FE outboard with no problems

[sailr]

I use corrosion X . Basically the same thing.

http://www.inox-mx3.com/inox.htm

Inox-mx3

anti conductive, anti corrosive, anti moisture etc etc really good stuff, have found it the best thing to spray round my waverunner as I only use it in salt, and have no corrosion or rust anywhere.