Bass Boat in the Bay

[Avalonjohn44]

I want to buy an aluminum bass boat, maybe one of those 17' Trackers, and I'm going to get it with vinyl instead of carpet. 95% of the time I will be in fresh water, but want to venture once or twice a year into the back bay in southern NJ to do some crabbing.  I'm worried about the salt from some of the posts I've seen here an elsewhere. Is this just a bad idea, or will it be ok if I thoroughly wash it and flush the motor afterwards?

[Catt]

I have a 16" Alweld & a 15' 5" Stratos, both see saltwater 4-5 times a year. A thorough flushing after I get home has prevented any corrosion.

You biggest area of concern will be electrical connections.

[BrianinMD]

Another area of concern would be the trailer, make sure its suitable for the salt.

[WIGuide]

Trail Star trailers (made by Tracker) would not be a trailer I'd recommend for use in salt water. It's a closed tube style trailer that fills up when you back it in and then it drains out. Because there is no access to the inside of the tube steel, it's bare metal from the factory, and bare metal and saltwater do not play well together especially when you can't rise it off. 

[Avalonjohn44]

On 5/11/2016 at 9:17 AM, WIGuide said:

Trail Star trailers (made by Tracker) would not be a trailer I'd recommend for use in salt water. It's a closed tube style trailer that fills up when you back it in and then it drains out. Because there is no access to the inside of the tube steel, it's bare metal from the factory, and bare metal and saltwater do not play well together especially when you can't rise it off. 

Could holes be drilled to flush the tubes, or is that an exceedingly bad idea?

[GetBent]

What about a Ranger TP 190? Or order the rt 178 or rt 188 with Aluminum trailer. I myself am struggling with those choices. I may even consider a Xpress. 3rd world problems I guess. 

[Avalonjohn44]

That's a nice looking boat, but with a decently sized motor the cost goes out of my range.

[WIGuide]

On 5/14/2016 at 11:01 PM, Avalonjohn44 said:

Could holes be drilled to flush the tubes, or is that an exceedingly bad idea?

That might work, but if it was my trailer I wouldn't be doing it. The problem is even with holes you aren't going to be rinsing everything that was wet when it was submerged. Not to mention the fact that it might void any warranty, or weaken the trailer to the point of failure. 

A better bet is to find a boat with a galvanized trailer, or at very minimum one with a C channel or I beam design which allows you to completely rinse everything.