05Challenger

Flushing the engine after every use (even in freshwater) and rinsing it off are great pieces of advice. I always see boats at the ramp that are only a couple years old but look like they are 10+ years old as some people just don't take care of their stuff. While my boat is a bit older (2005 Challenger 180), besides a few decal nicks due to the dock my boat looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor. In addition to the rinsing and flushing, I use a little bit of Sta-bil (fuel stabilizer that specifically works good with marine engines to eliminate ethanol problems) prior to filling up my tank every time. Additionally, pick up a can of silicone spray at Wal-Mart or any local auto shop and as a final step after you have washed and flushed the boat, open up the engine bay and spray down all the engine components (tubes, etc.) with the silicone spray. Salt water is extremely corrosive and the silicone spray is an awesome protectant. I have had a few mechanical issues with mine that are known flaws on my specific model of Challenger, but overall have had little to no extra costs.

I have a 2005 Challenger 180 (215) that we have topped out at 52 mph with 3 people (captain, passenger, and one on the bow) on the boat and a full tank of gas. Perfectly calm day in mid-October on a Lake Tarpon and the water literally looked like glass. The 52 was registered with a Garmin handheld but our speedometer had as at like 41. We have had constant issues with out speedometer and therefore I don't even look at it anymore.

Also, for what its worth, air temps were in the low 70s but not sure about water temps.