A freshwater trolling motor... In salt

[JasonGotaProblem]

Minn kota has a fresh water trolling motor for under $100 currently. The saltwater equivalent is much much more.

What if I take a freshwater version disassemble it and grease everything? Does it become more salt friendly? Has anyone tried that? If this sees more than monthly use I would be amazed.

[Keta]

Wash it down after being exposed to saltwater and it should last.

[oldmanjoe]

Are you looking for trolling motor for the kayak or you have some thing bigger ?

[JasonGotaProblem]

Are you looking for trolling motor for the kayak or you have some thing bigger ?

Kayak. I wanna expand my range despite my egregious lack of physical fitness.  I also have a much heavier "2.5 seat" kayak I've been meaning to test out after installing a bass boat seat over a year ago. It would be nice to minimize how much I need to paddle that one given the folks I'd take on it (wife, kid(s)) aren't very experienced paddlers.

[oldmanjoe]

I will check latter on today , I have a saltwater  trolling motor You can have .  Not sure if it is 12 or 24 volt That a Neighbor gave me when he went to a spot lock  .

Easier than I thought . 12 volt 54 pounds thrust . Maybe you can make fit your needs .  I did not get the deck plate for some reason  . It`s set at 48 inch now , but look like it can shorten to 20 inches easy enough .

[JasonGotaProblem]

Hard to argue with that.

[Squidder Bidder]

I would guess that the saltwater version has more robust seals and rings and such. But it's possible that MinnKota is just charging a premium for a "saltwater" version. (Do the comparable freshwater and saltwater motors have differing color schemes with the saltwater being white and therefore a better match for typical saltwater vessels' color schemes?).

[JasonGotaProblem]

Based on what ive read the Minn kota freshwater models achieve their price point by using cheaper metals that are not salt friendly, where the saltwater models (at more than twice the price) use a lot more stainless steel for moving parts.

The cheaper brands (im talking the ones close to that $100 price point) that claim to be salt models also use cheap metals. But they attempt to use seals to keep the water out. Reading the reviews you see a lot of the same stuff you see about reels that try to use seals against salt: often they fail to keep water out, but succeed it preventing or slowing the waters exit, which we all know is worse.

I've seen many say, like Lee, that if you're really good about rinsing then they'll still do ok. But also that If you're bad about rinsing you get maybe 3 uses.

I haven't seen anyone say they attempted to grease/coat the metals. I imagine that's something a reel nerd would try, but most reel nerds aren't huge cheapskates like me.

[oldmanjoe]

   Cheapskate ? More like frugal , Baby needs a new pair of shoes !!!     

[Cor]

My first amateur reaction is "no ways" ocean water eats everything, even stuff made for it!

However if you always (that means precisely that) rinse it of thoroughly, perhaps even run it in fresh water it should be fine.   Have never tried it myself.

I have a few times had to service deck wash pumps for boats, they are made for sea water, but corrode inside.

[jgp12000]

A charter boat capt in savannah told us
Years ago to throw our aluminum cans
Overboard? He said he did a test once: an aluminum can in a bucket of ocean water would disappear in 2 weeks

[oldmanjoe]

A charter boat capt in savannah told us
Years ago to throw our aluminum cans
Overboard? He said he did a test once: an aluminum can in a bucket of ocean water would disappear in 2 weeks

I think he was mistaking .   When he was a little boy and the cans were tin ,than I would agree .
Glass bottom boat rides would make you sick , to see how many on the sea floor !

[Keta]

Glass bottom boat rides would make you sick , to see how many on the sea floor !

When I could dive I noticed a dead area of the bottom around aluminum cans that were tossed overboard by slobs.

[jgp12000]

I will have to do a mythbuster on this aluminum can theory next time I go to the beach.I will bring back a gallon of ocean water and take some pictures.I don't litter and it didn't feel
right doing so,he said it like it was fact though.Maybe didn't want deal with the cans all day,he seemed like an upstanding guy .I been fooled before...

[oldmanjoe]

   

       Kinder like sitting in a aluminium boat eating M & M , will they melt in your hand or your mouth .