Hope everyone is staying safe. After quarantine here in Indiana, I’m driving down to see my Mom down on the coast of SC. I’m thinking of taking my Northstar Northwind with me. (kevlar with anodized aluminum gunwales, thwarts and grab handles.)
Only thinking of staying in the marsh and protected inlets. Is this a terrible idea to expose my boat to salt water? I’ve heard this treated aluminum does well against rust and corrosion, but what are your thoughts? Am I going to distory my boat?
Even wood canvas canoes can withstand salt in the air and water. That is if rinsed and paid attention to. They are typically held together with brass tacks which if allowed to just soak in salt water eventually corrodes. Nothing like taking the canvas off an old wooden boat and have all the pieces of it just scatter! A friend of mine was asked to restore an Old Town which had been exposed to salt for years… He had to quote a ridiculous high price as after all he had all these little pieces of a canoe shape jigsaw puzzle that would have had to be newly tacked together.
Like Overstreet said, be very mindful of the tides. You don’t want to spend a few hours sitting in the mud waiting for the water to return.
I grew up there and have seen one small gator in salt water .
Tell me where you are going and I can offer you some nice spots to explore.
There are a huge number of aluminum boats out there that are used in salt water. Aluminum when exposed to the air forms a very tough thin layer of aluminum oxide that resists further corrosion. That’s why your boat has a flat silver finish rather than a bright shiny one like a silver mirror.
While aluminum can corrode in salt water and salt air, it would take a ridiculously long time in normal conditions. Rinsing after use will do fine to prevent problems.
Serious corrosion with aluminum is usually due to galvanic corrosion where aluminum is joined for dissimilar metals such as steel or copper in salt water. It can also occur if there is a DC electrical current present. That’s why aluminum boats with an electrical system use zinc sacrificial anodes on their hulls below the water line. The zinc is more reactive than the aluminum hull or fittings.
This should be more about your ability to do salt than your boat. It only takes a few moments to counteract the effects of salt on a boat, any boat.
It can take a lifetime to counter the effects of salt on a paddler. Make sure you are ready for it. The environment around saltwater can change in a heartbeat. A calm morning can change into a whitecapped afternoon in no time.
Pay attention to weather and tide info and do not go out if you question your ability at all. Second guessing doesn’t work if you are out of your element.
I have a friend who takes a J-200 out for twelve miles in saltwater every morning. He can do that because he has been doing it for years, I would not do it and I am pretty good with a boat. Know your limitations.
I literally grew up at Edisto Beach. My parents had a house there that I helped my Dad build. That was long before I ever considered paddling.
I haven’t been there since the early 80’s. My parents moved to Florida and sold the house.
On one of our last trips, I talked my wife into taking our tandem Folbot off the beach. Very gentle day and the paddle was great. The landing not so much. I had never surfed anything but my body .We wound up in the surf and the boat on the shore, full of water.
For paddling, The Edisto River splits and runs down both sides of the island with marsh behind the island. There are creeks through the marsh that would be good for paddling.
The best times to paddle the marsh are the two hours before high tide and the slack tide at high .You do not want to be out there when the tide turns and heads out. We have 6’ tides and they really move when they start falling.
If you are in open water the effect is not as drastic.
The Edisto is a beautiful River as you go inland but that would be a long drive to get to the forested part.
Edisto Beach State Park might be a good place to ask about places to paddle near the island.
In recent years, most of my coastal paddling has been done near Myrtle Beach.
I hope I’ve helped a little.
If you want to paddle the forested river, look up Givhan’s Ferry State Park and Canady’s State Park. Givhan’s is closest to the beach.
Canady’s is an hour from the beach. A good place for out and back, depending on river level.
