Surfriding Aluminum pole on salt water

jarabe1

jarabe1

Location
Roanoke, VA
Hi guys, a few more question about my first trip to the surf in my sj. My ski have an aluminum pole and I have no idea what series is. I will be doing maybe two or three trips per season to the surf, how fast/how bad can be the corrosion on the pole? can some wd40 at the end of the day prevent the corrosion? I shouldn't put that pole in the surf or I shouldn't worry about it?
thanks in advance.
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
WD-40 before the ride goes a long way and a good rinse and wash afterwards should keep it looking good for years to come. Rinse everything real well to dilute the salt as much as possible and then hit it with some soap. You can use Salt away but dish soap works just as good. I use Dawn myself.

I fill up a bucket like I was going to wash my vehicle, rinse down the outside of the ski first and then wash it down with the soapy water making sure to get soap in on the pole pivot bolts, steering and throttle points. Rinse it down and then pul the hood. I rinse out under the hood until the water level gets to the top of the stator cover and then turn on my bilge. I do this 3 times and then dump the bucket of soap evenly over everything under the hood. Rinse and bilge till all the soap is gone and then give it all another good rinse.

I then hook up a hose prefilled with Dawn dishsoap to backflush thru my pissers and let it flush for 2 minutes until all the bubbles stop. I then run it dry until water stops coming out from the exhaust. I should flush longer but I tread lightly so as not to piss off my neighbors.

Crrosion happens when the ski sits so make sure to store your ski with the hood off so any remaining water can evaporate. My ski has been sitting more between rides so the last year or so I have gotten in the habit of using a shopvac to suck out the last bit of water before I put it away.
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
tzane said:
I have never thought about filling up the hose with dawn before flushing but thats a great idea. Do you give the pump any special attention?
Click to expand...

I prefill the flush tubes about halfway. The tubes on mine are clear which makes it real easy.

I don't do anything special for my pump but I probably should. My Mag pump was sandblasted and painted with black epoxy paint when it was installed so it cleans up nicely still. The 140 mag in my wife's ski is bare just like they come from Skat and it still looks good too. It probably wouldn't hurt to spray some soap up in there as well but I have never done it yet. I don't spray the pumps with wd-40 either.

I learned the above methods the hard way on my first surf boat. I built up an awesome 07 SJ and everything was corroded up in the first 6 months from just rinsing with water. I had to completely disassemble the ski, clean or replace many parts and reassemble it again with grease on every nut and bolt. Lucas oil "Red and Tacky #2" is a ski saver when it comes to prepping a ski for salt water. Every thread and joint needs a smear of this grease on it to prevent corrosion and galling.

Prepping a ski before you ever go into the surf is just as important if not more important than what you do after the ride. Silicone dielectric grease and Red and Tacky #2 are your best friends when it comes to surf prepping.
 
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227

227

Its all about the surf!
Location
Oceanside, CA
Fresh water dilutes salt better than anything on the planet, as long as you hit it BEFORE it has a chance to dry. $50 a bottle Salt away and all those "other" remedies are a waste of time and money for the paranoid. Salt is not toxic, we put it on our food. IF you're really concerned, hit your pole with rain x before you ride, rinse it THOUROUGHLY with fresh water afterwards and towel dry the water spots off. Done.
 
kraqus

kraqus

Site Supporter
Location
Great State of Texas
Toxicity has nothing to do with it......
Salt speeds up the CORROSION process in metals, so you do want to wash your ski and engine and pole and everything else thoroughly. I ride in salt water all the time....you will not find a trace of rust anywhere on my ski.

Just give it a good bath.....that's all.



Benny
 
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