Marinette Boat Forum

First, let me say thanks for being able to join the forum.

I've been reading a lot of threads and posts, and I have to say I'm tremendously impressed at the wealth of knowledge that this owner's group has. It's truly staggering. I for one am glad it exists. I am soon to be in the market for a boat, and Marinettes are on my shortlist.

I have noticed one peculiarity of the boats. I don't see any of them in coastal areas. All of them appear to be kept and used in lakes and rivers, in fresh water. My spouse and I have been discussing what we might do upon retirement (about 10-12 years away!) and the possibility has come up of us moving to a coastal area. She likes the beach. I want a boat. The two are not incompatible, except that I have never seen a Marinette kept at a coastal location.

Given that the boat is made of aluminium, is it even suitable to be kept and sailed in saltwater?

I am not the authority on this but there are members here from Maryland and Alaska whom I believe use or have used theirs in saltwater. I believe you would want one with a closed cooling system. A couple of members handles that could probably give you a better idea of the salt water applications would be FastJeff or Busia. Best of luck in your search

As I understand it, Marinettes were originally designed as a river and/or lake boat. Given their light weight (compared to 'glass' boats) and deadrise (from being a semi displacement hull) they are a bit prone to rolling with wave action. However, there are many on the Great Lakes and that environment has quite a bit of rollin' water so a Big M can handle that. I also know that there are Marinettes along shoreline areas (Chesapeake Bay comes to mind) so having a boat in that environment shouldn't be an issue. Busia has a boat up in Alaska, so it's very likely he can chime in as well.

A number of Big M owners have done the Great Loop which can include (and many boaters opt to take) an open water route from Carrabelle, FL to Steinhatchee, FL. This is done via a sole 76 n. mi. run, with shorter open water runs thereafter ( http://www.captainjohn.org/Gulf_Crossing.html ), or single 170 n. mi run (dependency of your boat's cruising range <include a cushion!!!>). Given that the recommended boat lengths are 26' to 38' and a number of Big M's have made the crossing, you should be fine with the choice of a Big M!

Having a closed cooling system setup would definitely be a plus. With proper maintenance, such as flushing the non-closed cooling parts of the engine system with fresh water after use, will extend the life expectancy greatly of your engine(s).

Bill

There was a forum member, no longer active, who lived up here in MD but had a place in FL where he kept his Marinette. He did have closed cooling as noted above, kept a good watch on his zincs. As you know, salt water water is a better conductor of electricity so if there's something going on that should not be going on, it will happen faster in salt water. But moderate diligence and periodic inspection will keep that sturdy M in good shape.

All boats in salt water have to be cleaned topside after every use - I've boated with friends in FL )glass boat) and that was the crew's chore after each outing.

The Chesapeake Bay, for about half its length, goes from salt to brackish (a mix) before it's mostly fresh water. So they are exposed to a variety of water types.

The M is most vulnerable where the railings are attached to the deck (the paint will lift there) and there are hints and tips here on how to minimize that pretty easily by keeping the surfaces separated.

If you're into boating now, consider the M which will certainly get you thru the ten yrs before you sail into the warmer sunset

I cannot speak from actual experience other than owning a boat that spent 14 years in Florida. My 1972 express was in and around Melborne, Fl until it was brought to Michigan in 1986. My understanding is that the boat spent most or all of that time in salt water. Rumor says that she made weekend trips to the Bahamas. I am surprized at how well the boat has held up. The bottom is just now at the point where it needs to be blasted and start from bare aluminum. The wiring was rough, the control cables were ugly and most of the chrome was pitted. This is all stuff that would happen to a plastic boat too. Rudders were destroyed and I had to replace with SS rudders.

While the boat was in Florida, she had two sets of engines installed and many exhaust manifolds. Being raw water engines I believe they rusted out, not wear out. Whatever boat you get, make sure it has a closed cooling system.

We bought our 1976 37' M back in 2006 where it was in saltwater, Cape Coral/Ft.Myers Florida. She required a thorough bottom cleaning, barnacles, and new paint. Over the years since, we have been in fresh and salt water. With a closed freshwater cooling system we are still running with the same engines, 350 Chevys, 12 years later. When we kept the boat on Shrimper Row in Dulac Louisiana for a few years the barnacle problem came back, requiring yearly haul outs. She has been kept in fresh water on the Intracoastal Waterway in Houma, LA for the last 5 years with much fewer haul outs.
We have been out in the Gulf numerous times, with the longest run being 180 miles. Lots of fun.

Find a good Marinette and enjoy retirement. Be prepared, there will boat problems you can overcome.

USCG has used aluminum Cutters for years. (the 41 is a classic example) in coastal areas.
Also Commercial oil rig service boats/commercial fishing boats aluminum rule. They all use the same aluminum that is used in our Big M Hulls!

Proper maint. anode protection is the key.

A lot of helpful information here. Thanks!

We were speculating about where, since her relatives are on St. Simons Georgia and mine are around Williamsburg Virginia, so pretty much anywhere in between. That means we could ICW all the way from the Keys to Maine/Canada, or even Bermuda or Bahamas. I've read that the 's are not all that comfortable in heavier seas, and so offshoring might not be the best idea. There's no way I know of to predict sea state, so I'd not want to get banged around while on a pleasure jaunt.

I expected proper hull coatings and anodes would be critical. I wasn't aware of the closed cooling system requirement, but I was aware of the after-use salt removal issue. There's so much I don't know, that it's almost discouraging.

Of course, that's why I'm here. I need to learn what I don't know.

Many thanks!

M's are safe in heavy seas and about as comfortable as most in the size range...but FOLLOWING seas pose a tricky steering situation. In stormy weather it's best to be heading into the sea, not shooting along with it

They take a following sea a lot better if a heavy dink boat is hanging off the stern!

My old M came from Florida where it spent years in salt water without significant damage. And, for the record, that evil stuff can damage ANY boat--ever see outdrives half eaten up from corrosion?

Jeff