With summer on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about all the wonderful things you can do to make the most of the warmer months.

Spending a day on the ocean is one of the best ways to relax and rejuvenate, and enjoying a bit of fishing, water skiing, or riding a board or rubber ring can add up to a memorable time with friends and family. The gentle rock of the boat, the setting sun, a freshly caught schnapper on the grill, and the kids wrapped up in fluffy towels, tuckered out after a day in the sea breeze, are the stuff that summer dreams are made of.

In order to keep the dream alive, it’s important that you understand how to protect your boat motor from salt corrosion properly with the right marine salt remover. 

To help make this a bit easier, we have compiled the ultimate guide, and here we will also highlight a few marine engine flushing products you should keep stocked up to ensure that you can keep your motor running for good times and fun in the sun.

Read on to head towards your best summer ever!

Understanding Salt Corrosion

Understanding how saltwater corrosion works can be useful in mounting your attack against its harmful effects. This type of corrosion is formed when the metal is exposed to seawater, causing differences in electrical potential. Salt is a powerful electrolyte, and it will help thousands of tiny corrosion cells to form, which, left to fester, will eat away at the metal surfaces on your boat motor – externally and internally.

Rinse and Repeat

Most boaties, surfers, divers – even your mum – will know that washing everything you use in salt water is important. To ensure longevity, you should always properly treat your fishing rods and lines, dive gear, and even your swimsuit when you have spent the day on the coast. 

Like all of these items, taking care of your boat engine starts with a freshwater rinse, and you need to do this every single time you use it. 

Here, we will run you through the ultimate guide to protecting your boat motor step by step.

1. The first thing you want to do is to connect your garden hose to your engine muffs, and before you start the process of marine engine flushing, be certain you are running your engine in a good spot, away from kids and animals and somewhere the water can drain safely away.

2. Once the hose is connected, run fresh water through your engine for 5-10 minutes to allow it to reach the right temperature for your next step. It will help if you have a purpose-built mixer kit that includes a handy adjustable conduit that sits between the muff and the hose and allows you to switch across to the next step easily. 

3. Next up, you want to flush your boat motor with Salt-Attack Salt Remover; if you have a 4-stroke, bump up the revs a bit during this part of the process to ensure the solution reaches every nook and cranny. You want to run the Salt Attack Salt Remover through the engine for 30 seconds, then shut down the engine and the mixer. 

4. And that’s the job done! If you follow these simple instructions and you have the correct mixer and solution, the solution will remain inside the engine, inhibiting corrosion formation between trips out on the salty sea.

Severe Salt Blockages

If your engine has not been regularly cleaned out with a quality marine salt remover, you may need to treat it more intensively with marine engine flushing products. You want to be cautious about letting salt build up in your boat motor as it will eventually lead to overheating – and nothing says ‘home time’ like an overheated engine! 

Advanced Corrosion Inhibitors 

To clean up severe salt blockages, choose a product with advanced corrosion inhibitors, bio-based surfactants, and chelating agents that bind to the salt and ease its removal. The best approach here is to go through the flushing process (above) for 3-5 days consecutively. This is also recommended when you are preparing your boat for winter storage. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and you will be back on the water in no time.

Look After the Ocean

Because you are heading back out to sea with your marine engine flushing solution resting inside your boat motor, doing its job beautifully to protect the interior workings of your engine, don’t forget to keep the ocean front of mind when you are selecting a marine salt remover. It’s not necessary to use toxic products, as there are great salt corrosion protection options available that are non-toxic, biodegradable, and 100% safe on all surfaces.

Inboard Motors

Now you have more of an idea of how to protect your outboard boat motor from salt corrosion properly, let’s take a quick look at the best way to protect your inboard engine, stern drive, and generator from salt corrosion

You want to choose a marine salt remover flushing system that will flush your single or twin engines, gen set, and/or air conditioning unit at the touch of a button. To be effective against corrosion, the set-up needs to be easy to use and be able to be operated remotely. 

The hot tip here is to choose a direct injection kit that injects salt remover directly into the engine’s saltwater cooling system to keep it free from salt blockages and operating effectively. By selecting an injection kit, you will be home and hosed at the click of a button.

Browse Now

So there you have it. Protecting your boat motor from salt corrosion is relatively simple if you have the right marine engine flushing products.

Look at the range available at Salt Attack now, or contact our friendly crew to chat about other applications for our great marine salt remover products.

Let’s have the best summer ever!