My Supra in Salt Water?

I have a 2008 Supra Sunsport 22V. I recently moved from AZ to SoCal. There isn't a whole lot of places to ride unless I bite the bullet and put the boat in Salt Water. I have heard that it's a terrible idea and I have heard that it's a great idea. I'm hoping to get some opinions from people with similar boats. Owning a boat is pricey enough. How much more maintenance in $'s can I expect from salt water use? Thanks!

Can't quote a dollar amount but I've owned and used watercraft (not wakeboard boats) in salt water and it really does eat everything pretty relentlessly. Short term maintenance costs wouldn't really be any higher but you'd have to spend more time cleaning everything after each outing. Your biggest expense will be the more rapid depreciation.

Most inboards aren't really optimized for salt water duty. If yours is like mine there's still a fair amount of regular bare steel hardware. Check all of your gas struts. I'd bet they aren't SS and they will rust/fail within a season or two.

I'd look into installing an aftermarket closed loop cooling system.

If you have a steel trailer get rid of it and get an aluminum trailer, that will be the first thing to go. Even with an aluminum trailer you will still end up replacing springs and axles every 5-7 years (price you pay)... After that flush the engine and rinse everything off inside and outside the boat, including the engine compartment after every time out. After you get a system down it doesn't take too much more work. I can do mine by myself in less than 45 minutes (or 2 beers)... If I got some help only 20 - 30 minutes (still 2 beers)...

I've definitley seen the most wear on my trailer. The wheels and suspension are going pretty fast. Invest in some Salt-A-Way. It's a solution that you can hook up to your waterhose. It's good for flushing the engine as well as cleaning your boat. Also, I would spray the engine and other steel/metal parts with some corrosion protection after every use.....something like T-9. It's all a pain in the A$$ but it's worth it to be out on the water!!