Wakeboard boat for Fresh or Salt water??

I live in South Florida and I am wondering if any of you use your wakeboard boats in the intercoastal. Are ski boats specifically designed for fresh water or is it ok to use them in salt water?

Steve you better get at the very least a galvanized trailer and either closed cooling or at the least a flush kit.

I have an 04 Malibu with a painted galvanized trailer and flush kit if your interested.
No reasonable offer refused...it's in the classifieds

So Russ, I take it you've been using it in saltwater...has it been a good experience or a bad experience?

salt water doesn't hurt a boat at all as long as you take the additional steps necessary to protect the boat and engine, ie. flushing after use, spraying off the hull/trailer after use, keeping the engine coated with water displacing lubricant.

I have had an 01 vlx that was on a painted trailer. I owned it for 9 months and never put it in salt water but the trailer started to show little signs of rust when I sold the boat. I then ordered an 02 with a galv trailer, closed cooling and the flush kit. I owned if for 13 months and only put it in salt on the 4th of july to see the fireworks. I sold it and ordered an 04 last summer and did not get the closed cooling, but got the flush kit and had the trailer people paint me a galv. trailer. I have not put this one in salt water yet, but if I still own it on the 4th of July I am sure I will.
I also spray the engine twice a season with corrosion coat, like Tom says. The trailer gets the worst cause when you launch the boat you dip it in the salt (or brackish) then take it right out and the air works it for 4-7 hours, then you dip it again, recover your boat and go home and clean. Salt water and air don't need much time to start working on corrosion.

I second that. We had our VLX moored for one week in brackish water (ie. mostly fresh but a little salt) for a week while we were getting our first 10 hours on it. Pulled it out after a week, and there were already (corrosion) pits forming on the wedge. We were planning on getting the zincs installed at the 10 hour check, but never expected anything to happen for a week in brackish water! If you keep it moored, make sure you get the sacrificial zincs installed.

Thanks for the input everyone.

Lucky where did they install the zinc's, on the wedge?

I am in the intercoastal waterway off the Gulf every ride. I don't have the closed cooling, but I do flush for approx. 10 minutes after use.

I did have a painted trailer and had the frame galvanized. I wish i would have just bought an aluminum trailer. You can get them for around 2K.

Yes, we put zincs on the wedge and on the drive shaft (that's the rod that comes down to the prop right? ok, I don't know much about engines!). It doesn't seem to affect the wedge performance.

I live 2 mins from the ocean in Vancouver Canada and will keep my 2004 Mobius LS moored for 4-5 months this year. I have a friend who lives on the water and keeps his Nautique in the ocean all summer, with proper care you will be alright. Here is what he has been doing for years and I am going to follow in his foot steps:

1) Install zincs on the drive shaft, rudder and underneath the swim grid ( you actually have to drill a hole through the rudder but this will not impede performance).
2) Install a fresh water cooling system, this way the salt water only passes through your manifolds and riser's.
3) Install a flush kit, this guy flushes his motor after EVERY TIME HE OPERATES HIS BOAT. This is pretty anal but I will tell you, he turns his Nautique over every 4-5 years and gets top $ due to the condition of his boat. This flushes the salt out of the riser's and manifolds.
4) spray all engine mounts with anti-corrosive spray once a year.
5) He pulls his boat out of the water every 3 weeks and washes / waxes the hull.

Unfortunantly the trailer becomes sacrificial even with a trailer flush kit installed. One thing I see he is doing to his new trailer is replacing the carpet "step" in front of the wheels with an aluminun pate, this is because no matter how well you rinse the trailer there is no way to get the salt out from underneath the carpet and over time the trailer starts to rust.

yea what everyone else said...but I also use grease and a paint brush.

spray and wipe all the metal parts with WD-40. Then coat/paint a thin layer of grease over these parts. It will help repel water and salt air.
It cleans up easy with soap and water...really it does been doing it for 3 years now.

If you leave your boat in saltwater for as long as I do every year (6 months) you will want to make sure that you re-grease the rudder every 2months. flush the bilge with tons of fresh water once a months, and check everything else over every weekend.

I am working on a checklist for this type of stuff which hopefully will be done soon and I will post!

Scott - do you live in Deep Cove?

Yes I do and I keep my boat moored at Seycove marina.

Salt water just means you have some extra work to do- flush the motor well & wash and CRC Everthing ever few uses. It's definately harder on the boat but dont let that stop your riding.