Jet boats are great, and there are many advantages of jet boats than normal boats. Okay… Okay… every boat has its benefits, but when it comes to saltwater, all boats are the same. Saltwater causes many problems for the boats. First, let’s see whether salt water is bad for jet boats or not.
Saltwater is bad for jet boats (for other boats as well) because saltwater damages the metal parts of the boat by corroding and forming rust on the surface if they aren’t properly maintained. Saltwater corrodes metal 5 times faster than freshwater. So, saltwater is bad for jet boats.
The main effects of saltwater on boats are rust, nothing else, and the rest of the problems are the same as the common problems related to freshwater. Saltwater is highly corrosive, and saltwater corrodes metal 5 times faster than freshwater.
However, it is impossible to avoid corrosion altogether, but it is possible to prolong the process with the proper maintenance precautions such as washing the boat and flushing the engine with fresh water after every ride.
Check my article on the Effects of saltwater on boats (opens in a new tab) to know what all parts of the boat will get affected by saltwater and prevention tips as well.
Check my article on Is saltwater bad for jet skis (PWC) (opens in a new tab) to know how saltwater effects the jet ski (PWC) and to understand how to prevent corrosion for jet skis (PWCs).
Jetboat maintenance (for salt waters)
Saltwater maintenance for a jetboat is cleaning the boat thoroughly, which means cleaning outer and inner areas of the jet boat and flushing the water inside the engine exhaust—and applying the lubricant to prevent the corrosion.
- Wash the jet boat thoroughly after completing the ride.
- Flush the water inside the engine to remove salt or dirt inside the internal cooling and exhaust systems.
- Apply lubricant on all the metal areas after drying the jet boat completely.
And if you are taking your jet boat in saltwater, then you should do those maintenance works after every use; otherwise, it will corrode quickly. If you are taking the jet boat in fresh water, then you can do all those maintenance works after using the jet boat for 2 or 3 times.
Okay, before starting the actual process, I will introduce a small product that removes salt, inhibits corrosion, and breaks apart salt accumulation in your engine’s saltwater cooling system. The essential use of the product is to remove all the salt particles that are stuck on or inside the jet boat.
That is the Salt-Away (linked to Amazon) or click on the image (image is linked to Amazon).
This product removes all the salt particles that are stuck on the jet boat, jet ski, PWC, boat, and inside the engine as well, forming a layer of a coat to prevent corrosion in the future. You can connect the mixing unit to the hose and then start spraying on the jet boat, and you can use this for flushing the engine and inside the engine bay as well.
If you didn’t find that product, an alternative for salt-away is CRC salt terminator (linked to Amazon). Both are good and helps a lot to prevent corrosion by forming a layer of coat on the surface wherever you spray. It breaks down all the salt particles that are stuck on or inside the jet boat.
NOTE: Generally, all the mixing units will leak all the time (the ones come along with the salt-away or CRC salt products). But first, check the one you got with the product is leaking too much or not. Suppose it is not leaking, then it okay. If it is leaking more, then use some other products like Gilmour Water Soluble Fertilizer Feeder (linked to Amazon) (still, this one leak, but does the work better than others).
Check my article on How long you can leave the boat in the water (opens in a new tab) to know how long can you leave the boat in the saltwater and growth prevention tips as well.
1. Wash the jet boat thoroughly after completing the ride
Washing the jet boat is the essential task to do if you are taking your jet boat in salt waters, to prevent corrosion. You should thoroughly clean the jet boat to remove all the salt particles that are stuck inside and outside the jet boat as well.
NOTE: Don’t wash the engine just after finishing the ride. If the engine is hot and if you wash the engine, it will cause problems.
1. First, clean the outer area of your jet boat with a hose
You can clean with anything but a hose will do an excellent job for you. The essential thing to note while washing the jet boat is not to use high-pressure washer or hose to clean the jet boat. A high-pressure hose will flush the water at high speed, and it can damage any electric components (if there are any electrical components located outside).
Wash the boat hull properly, use a hard bristle brush to remove all the tough stains on the boat (if any). But be careful if you have bottom paint on the boat; it can wear off easily if you use hard bristle brush harshly. Rub the boat gently with a brush if you have any bottom paint.
After washing the jet boat with a garden (low-pressure) hose, then take some cleaner (any cleaning liquid or boat cleaner), and clean the jet boat. By cleaning the boat with any cleaner or boat cleaner, the boat will shine as it was in the past.
After cleaning the boat with the cleaner, then use any soft cloth such as microfiber cloth to get rid of any water droplets on the surface. Microfiber cloth is a soft cloth; you can wipe the things well with this cloth, and it will not leave any lint or dust on the surface of the jet boat.
Overall, after washing the jet boat with water, clean the boat with a cleaner to remove any hard stains on the boat (if any). After finishing the outer cleaning, go for inner cleaning.
2. Second, clean the engine bay
NOTE: Don’t wash the engine just after finishing the ride. If the engine is hot and if you wash the engine, it will cause problems.
Now, it is time to clean the engine bay. While boating, water could get in there as well and can cause corrosion if you didn’t clean. Again, don’t use a high-pressure hose because it will flush the water at high speed, and it can damage any electric components since there are more electrical components in the engine bay use low-pressure hose or garden hose to wash it.
The essential thing to note while washing an engine bay is not spray water inside the engine’s air intake, which causes problems if you spray water inside the air intake. The simplest way to prevent that is by covering the air intake with hand or any while washing the engine bay.
After finishing that, you are done with engine bay cleaning and remove all the water in the engine bay (if any).
2. Flush the water inside the engine to remove salt or dirt inside the internal cooling and exhaust systems
Another essential thing to do for preventing corrosion is by flushing the water inside the engine exhaust of the jet boat. To pump water inside the engine exhaust, connect the hose to the jet boat’s flush port. For Yamaha, you will find two flush ports (one on the starboard side and another on the boat’s port side).
First, start the engine and then flush or pump the water (essential step). Otherwise, suppose you start pumping water inside the engine before starting the engine. In that case, the water can fill up the exhaust and engine cylinders, damaging the motor if you start the jet boat with water flooded inside the engine.
So, start the engine first and then start flushing or pumping the water for 5 min (for time, you can see that in your user manual). After finishing that, first cut off the water, and then the cut off the engine (essential step). But before cutting off the engine, run the engine at 4000 or 5000 rpm for 5 sec, and then stop the engine so that all the water left inside the engine will be blown out.
Then drain the jet boat for some time and finally start the engine once more to blow out the remaining water in the exhaust completely. Don’t run the engine for more than 15sec without pumping water inside the engine exhaust because it can heat the engine if you are starting the engine without pumping water inside the exhaust.
One more essential thing to note is if the engine stops while flushing or pumping the water inside the engine, then cut off the water supply quickly so that engine (inside) will not be flooded with water.
Check this video on flushing the jet boat engine.
3. Apply lubricant on all the metal areas after drying the jet boat completely
Use any lubricant to coat the outer layer of the metals to prevent corrosion over time. Since you are using a jet boat in saltwater, WD-40 may not work well. WD-40 will work well for normal (fresh or non-alkaline) waters.
The best lubricant for boating in salt water to prevent corrosion is CRC Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor. It can be used on electrical connections, engine components, equipment storage, fasteners, motors, shaft, spindles, steering, and throttle linkages.
The image is linked to Amazon or click here (linked to Amazon). You can get the product on Amazon as well.
CRC corrosion inhibitor will coat a thick layer of lubricant on the surface where you spray so that it lasts long and essentially works well for salt-water uses. Finally, coat all the metal surfaces with CRC to prevent corrosion over time if you are leaving the jet boat for a long time.
Those three maintenance works are the essential things to do to prevent corrosion with jet boats. And one more crucial thing to do is open all the caps or any openings of the jet boat and let it dry overnight so that if there is any moisture present inside the engine or on the boat or anywhere, it will evaporate.
Key takeaways
Saltwater is not good for jet boats (jet skis, boats, and PWCs as well) because it damages the boat’s metal parts by forming rust on the surface of the metal. Saltwater corrodes the metal 5 times faster than freshwater. So, proper maintenance is essential for a jet boat if you are boating in saltwater.
- Wash and clean the jet boat after every use if you are taking your jet boat in saltwater. Otherwise, if you are taking your jet boat in freshwater, then clean it after using it every 2 or 3 times.
- Flush or pump the water inside the engine to remove all the salt or dirt particles that are stuck inside the internal cooling and exhaust systems.
- Use salt-away to remove all the salt particles that are stuck on or inside the jet boat, and also use a lubricant to coat all the metal areas in the jet boat to prevent corrosion.
However, it is impossible to avoid corrosion completely, but it is possible to prolong the process with the proper maintenance precautions after every ride.