[spareparts]

salt will attack anything!!! Not just I/O's. I worked on fresh water engines for 14 years, thought I knew saltwater motors from the trailered ones I serviced. I moved to salt 8 years ago and started my reeducation. Outboards screw up also, most reecently I've had nore problems with Yamaha's with corrosion( goes against public opinion). The biggest difference is that most poeple will do a "four bolt tune up"( replace an outboard) while the I/O people stick with what they have and try to keep it going. just check and see how few people have the original outboards on their older boats vs how many people still have their original I/O. In salt water, a trailerd boat that gets flushed needs the manifolds and risers replaced every 5 year depending on where the boat is used( ones that stay in the water and less likely to get flushed need them every 3 years). Also because the engine is cooled by raw water, the possibility of freezing in cold weather is possible, it will crack the block if it is not properlly winterized. You will rarely see an I/O engine blown up, usually it will have corrosion related issues kill it before they blow, I've seen several that have well over 2000 hours, but they have been maintained properlly, and they don't sit long. BTW, I highly recomend closed cooling for any inboard or I/O engine