Salt Water mods? (aka how to make an 03 ocean ready?)

[WilloCO]

I'm working on my project GTX, and planning to use it in fresh water around Colorado, but also planning to take it out to my sailboat to use as a speedy Dinghy.
It will be going back and forth, so I'm trying to come up with some mods to make it better.

I own an offshore sailboat, so I have some opinions, but I wanted to pick the collective brain before I go coloring it with my own ideas.

I will toss in some simple examples without going off the rails - definitely adding a bilge pump, fenders, dock lines, anchor, marine radio.

So bring it - what should be done to make an old hull ocean/coastal ready?

 

[Milehighguy303]

You have good ideas already. Shouldn’t have to do much, as it is very salt water capable, just make it work for what you want to do.

My thoughts are more reliability related since this is a 2009. I would replace any worm style hose clamps with new stainless steel hose clamps. The clamps tend to rust underneath the worm gear area and you can’t see or tell how bad they are and when they will break, so just replace them all. It is my impression, and experience, that the constant pressure style hose clamps (spring loaded with the two tabs you squeeze to release pressure) are better, and even a bit surface rusty are still reliable. But if you have excessive rust on those at your heat exchanger, change those too.

I would also remove my seat after a long ride to allow moisture in the hull to evaporate for a day or more - don’t leave the seat on all the time. Continue to use XP spray, WD-40, or your favorite spray in the hull after use on a regular basis. If you have a way to flush the exhaust occasionally between uses, keep doing that, but not sure you will be able to do that.

 

[WilloCO]

Bilge high water alarm is going on the list.