salt water

(Sensitive readers may skip this thread.)



So I discovered what you’ve all been saying about the “salt water out-of-control nose”. Very nice. To have a cascade of watered-down snot suddenly gush out of your nose. (Surprise!)



A question:



Is it really important to rinse your boat off after each use in salt water? I know everyone does, but why? (Inquiring minds want to know.)



Many thanks in advance.


Why rinse
In my case, I have metal parts that corrode or get sticky in operation. My foot pegs are the Yakima type made of aluminum. Mine work ok but I have seen others that seem frozen or difficult to adjust. Also, my backband has spring loaded ratchet adjusters… Again salt will get in there and cause problems. YMMV on your boat and the fittings it has. I for sure rinse all my other gear and the boat is right there… so I do it…

And nose plugs do help, but do not prevent UUND.

(Unexpected Unwanted Nose Discharge).


(what’s YMMV?)

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary

at home
I hose everything down when I get home.



If the yak were in salt water daily, I’d be more thorough because the salt does rub and stress the metal and fabric bits.



Joanne

salt water

– Last Updated: Jul-13-07 6:19 PM EST –

Salt water wii evaporate and leave a salty crust on your boat and gear. It will corrode and eventually rust the metal fitting on your boat. Salt water is the most corosive environment on the planet. Vaughn Fulton

even stainless steel?
(I’m paddling a Chatham 18)


The salt water will drip
and cause your car to rust.

Salt’s OK
Just add a bit of lime and lick it clean…

I rinse mine once in a while

– Last Updated: Jul-13-07 7:11 PM EST –

but I am in the salt water for about 6 hours a day 5-6 days a week.

The only things I really rinse are my tow system, radio, and digital camera. Sometimes I am lazy and leave my other gear on the line during a rain storm... does that count.

The salt is corrosive and will rust/corrode metal, even salt resistant metals. The salt can also damage the webbing (if you have any), deck lines, and bungee cords. So, the things I rinse regularly are prone to corrosion and rinsing seems to extend their life.

When I say I rinse my kayak once in a while I mean 6 times a year - maybe.

Especially Stainless Steel
There is no metal that does not corrode from contact with water. Stainless steel is very susceptible to chloride attack from the salt in the water. It looks like stress fractures along the metal grain boundries.

I used to be much better
about it than I am now, but then again, I live a mile from a good-sized lake. I just go there for a couple of hours, roll a lot, and everything is clean again for a few days.



Salt water is good for you! It’s a decongestant, aphrodisiac, provider of countless hours of fun, and the ultimate solvent. There isn’t much that salt water can’t destroy given enough time. And by the same token, there isn’t much it can’t give you either, if you go into it with the right attitude.

Love the smell of salt air
and the salt marsh, but its hell on gear. I either wash or rinse everything every time, including racks, car.



I remember shopping for a car on Cape Cod about 1971 -72 and seeing new Fiats rusting on the lot; close a door and rust particles would fall on the ground…some other imports almost as bad at the time…

Yes
Yes, you definitely want to wash the snot that ran out of your nose off of the boat. Wouldn’t be appropriate to let it just build there.

Titanium is virtually
inert in salt water. There are several grades of stainless, or as engineers might say “corrosion resistant” steel. Cheaper grades common in most kayaks will display surface corrosion in time.

Is that what I have to look forward to…
… When I learn to roll? It’s not in any of the books or videos I’ve seen… Might want to wash off the PDF too (if you’re wearing one that is … seems to be lots of recent discussion on that lately).



I always wash off the boat and gear after salt water. Been around salt water my whole life and know what it can do to metals and fabrics. I also put 303 on rubber parts, Star Brite on the glass a couple of time per summer. I’ve heard it’s not good to cover up a glass boat if the inside is still wet, so I try to put the boat in the sun until it’s dry before putting hatch and cockpit covers back on.

And a Modelo Negra.

Consider it a free nasal saline rinse
Some people pay money for bottles of saline rinse. :wink:



The part I’m not wild about is the, uh, unexpectedness of the drainage. Could gross out other people who don’t realize it’s just ocean water. Bnystrom once posted a funny msg about the subject: while waiting in line, his nose suddenly flushed out. His then-girlfriend witnessed it and merely laughed it off. According to him, that’s when he knew he had a keeper!

Mine only get rinsed if it rains…
…on the way home. I have no problems with them, either. No rust, no corrosion, nothing. Kayaks are meant to be used in salt water and they’re constructed with materials that can handle it.



OTOH, I DO rinse the rest of my gear after every use.

We spend three months every winter
in South Florida and the boats are in and out of the salt water every day and they never get rinsed.

If we are in some scuzzy place where the boats get a “bath tub” ring on them, “the bride” will usually insist that we stand in the water and sponge off the ring.

If it was up to me the ring would probably stay.

I think it adds character!



If the boats become too salt encrusted, that would be a good excuse to get new ones.



Cheers,

JackL