Hello,
Is seawater (+mud +algal slime +sand) bad for (Alpacka) rafts in terms of longevity? Suppose you do a sea day trip, and you want to do another one two days later: is it a really good idea to wash the boat in the meantime, if you can? Or is it a waste of effort?
We’ve never worried much about it - and often have left saltwater on boats for long periods. The only thing that may be a problem related to that is that some of our old boats are a little hard to glue to. It may be that the salt somehow alters the chemical composition of the fabric.
yes, the salt present in water will deteriorate the body of boat.
How does salt manage that? Most claims are that polyurethane is quite inert. Is there another stressor or combination active along with the salt, such as temperature or uv or humidity? And what are the symptoms from salt degradation – how can we inspect the PU for damage?