Moving my 360DA from Lake Erie to FL - Prep for Saltwater

[h2o_seaforce1]

I moved to FL from Lake Erie and my 360 Sundancer will be shipped here in two months. Can anyone recommend the appropriate modifications for saltwater: engines, elbows, risers - ? I've got the Merc 8.1's (TVD-8.1 SHO MIE T-420PHP V-Dr) and looking to line her up to get the work done before she's launched. Grateful for any experienced recommendations - thank you!

 

[hughespat57]

First thing change all your anodes to real zinc

 

[dtfeld]

First thing change all your anodes to real zinc

Maybe...Zinc is fine for salt, but if brackish, then Aluminum. Aluminum will actually work in all types of water... fresh, brackish and salt. Check with these guys https://performancemetals.com/pages/navalloy-aluminum-anodes. You will also need to redo the anodes on a much more frequent basis.

Bottom Paint - marine growth is much more aggressive. You gotta have it, and possibly different that what you were using. Bottom paint, will have to be touched up more frequently and completely replaced more often.

Diver - You'll need one on retainer maybe even every 3-4 weeks in the summer depending where you are.

Flushing ports. You'll need to be able to flush your AC units and anything else that uses sea water for cooling. A way to recirculate barnicle buster or rydlyme makes the job much cheaper and easier.

Washing and waxing...going to have to wash every time out and wax more frquently.

That would be my partial list...

 

[my3sons]

Your boat was made to be in saltwater, so you don’t need to do anything except change the anodes if they’re not aluminum and check your exhaust manifolds to see if they are aluminum. If the anodes are still zinc, as the boat left the factory, they should be changed before splashing in salt as they get a coating on them that reduces their effectiveness. If someone changed them to magnesium, those definitely need to come off. If aluminum, you can leave them or go to zinc.
If the boat has always been in freshwater and is pre 2005, it most likely still has the aluminum exhaust manifolds on it and those will not last long in salt, maybe 3-4 years. Those were a merc goof that they changed to cast iron around 2005 when it became obvious that they were corroding away and causing problems. Yours may or may not be aluminum as yours is an ‘05.
The big difference in being in salt vs fresh is the maintenance schedule outlined in the posts above.
Welcome to CSR.
Good luck with the move