I've been looking at a local tub. a badly neglected 18 ft. SeaRay. the
boat is junk, and possibly the engine is shot too!. But the alpha 1
turns well, seems the hydrolic pump is well sheltered, but thats about
it. I'd especially like to have the alpha seeing my Marquis is an
older MR drive, and, I beleive it's much more expensive to work on than
the alpha, and I'd be getting the whole thing. BTW, the owner said it
sat for about 7 years in the open and a year before, he had a mechanic
install a new gimble bering.

Now, this boat has an enclosed cooling system on its 5.7. Where every
boat I've owned is raw water.

I can get the thing for really cheap, about a hundred bucks. and haul
it off. The cooling systems is still full of antifreeze.

SO! I was wondering if there is any advantage to convert mine over to
enclosed? and what do you do with the lower end impeller, seeing that
on a raw system it pumps water up to the engine?

Another thing? is it a PITA to change one over?

Thanks!

The heat exchanger is pretty expensive.

How much it helps depends on how much of it you convert. For my 2c the
exhaust is the number 1 area that a closed cooling system helps with
but only some include the exhaust manifolds and very few include the
risers. Reason? It takes a bigger heat exchanger to also cool the
exhaust. You can run raw water through a cast iron block for 20 years
and still not have enough corrosion to hurt it.

You probably can put the alpha on your other boat if that is what you
are thinking. But I would not bother with the cooling system. If the
engine was winterized and turns over it may well be fine too.

Tim wrote:
I've been looking at a local tub. a badly neglected 18 ft. SeaRay. the
boat is junk, and possibly the engine is shot too!. But the alpha 1
turns well, seems the hydrolic pump is well sheltered, but thats about
it. I'd especially like to have the alpha seeing my Marquis is an
older MR drive, and, I beleive it's much more expensive to work on than
the alpha, and I'd be getting the whole thing. BTW, the owner said it
sat for about 7 years in the open and a year before, he had a mechanic
install a new gimble bering.

Now, this boat has an enclosed cooling system on its 5.7. Where every
boat I've owned is raw water.

I can get the thing for really cheap, about a hundred bucks. and haul
it off. The cooling systems is still full of antifreeze.

SO! I was wondering if there is any advantage to convert mine over to
enclosed? and what do you do with the lower end impeller, seeing that
on a raw system it pumps water up to the engine?

Another thing? is it a PITA to change one over?

Thanks!

Thanks, man.

you told me everything I needed to know.

I was also considering using the enclosed system for adding a heater
core to the cuddy., But seeing I really don't want to boat in north
atlantic cold, thats out too. I thought it was a good idea though.

Yes, I'm basicly wanting the drive train for spare parts




jamesgangnc wrote:
The heat exchanger is pretty expensive.

How much it helps depends on how much of it you convert. For my 2c the
exhaust is the number 1 area that a closed cooling system helps with
but only some include the exhaust manifolds and very few include the
risers. Reason? It takes a bigger heat exchanger to also cool the
exhaust. You can run raw water through a cast iron block for 20 years
and still not have enough corrosion to hurt it.

You probably can put the alpha on your other boat if that is what you
are thinking. But I would not bother with the cooling system. If the
engine was winterized and turns over it may well be fine too.

Tim wrote:
I've been looking at a local tub. a badly neglected 18 ft. SeaRay. the
boat is junk, and possibly the engine is shot too!. But the alpha 1
turns well, seems the hydrolic pump is well sheltered, but thats about
it. I'd especially like to have the alpha seeing my Marquis is an
older MR drive, and, I beleive it's much more expensive to work on than
the alpha, and I'd be getting the whole thing. BTW, the owner said it
sat for about 7 years in the open and a year before, he had a mechanic
install a new gimble bering.

Now, this boat has an enclosed cooling system on its 5.7. Where every
boat I've owned is raw water.

I can get the thing for really cheap, about a hundred bucks. and haul
it off. The cooling systems is still full of antifreeze.

SO! I was wondering if there is any advantage to convert mine over to
enclosed? and what do you do with the lower end impeller, seeing that
on a raw system it pumps water up to the engine?

Another thing? is it a PITA to change one over?

Thanks!

"Tim" wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks, man.

you told me everything I needed to know.

I was also considering using the enclosed system for adding a heater
core to the cuddy., But seeing I really don't want to boat in north
atlantic cold, thats out too. I thought it was a good idea though.

Yes, I'm basicly wanting the drive train for spare parts




jamesgangnc wrote:
The heat exchanger is pretty expensive.

How much it helps depends on how much of it you convert. For my 2c the
exhaust is the number 1 area that a closed cooling system helps with
but only some include the exhaust manifolds and very few include the
risers. Reason? It takes a bigger heat exchanger to also cool the
exhaust. You can run raw water through a cast iron block for 20 years
and still not have enough corrosion to hurt it.

You probably can put the alpha on your other boat if that is what you
are thinking. But I would not bother with the cooling system. If the
engine was winterized and turns over it may well be fine too.

Tim wrote:
I've been looking at a local tub. a badly neglected 18 ft. SeaRay. the
boat is junk, and possibly the engine is shot too!. But the alpha 1
turns well, seems the hydrolic pump is well sheltered, but thats about
it. I'd especially like to have the alpha seeing my Marquis is an
older MR drive, and, I beleive it's much more expensive to work on than
the alpha, and I'd be getting the whole thing. BTW, the owner said it
sat for about 7 years in the open and a year before, he had a mechanic
install a new gimble bering.

Now, this boat has an enclosed cooling system on its 5.7. Where every
boat I've owned is raw water.

I can get the thing for really cheap, about a hundred bucks. and haul
it off. The cooling systems is still full of antifreeze.

SO! I was wondering if there is any advantage to convert mine over to
enclosed? and what do you do with the lower end impeller, seeing that
on a raw system it pumps water up to the engine?

Another thing? is it a PITA to change one over?

Thanks!


The closed cooling system is worth about $3-400 used. Easy to add a heater
off the engine. Just takes a unit out of a car and a blower. Add some
hoses and you have a window defroster. Easier to winterize. do not have to
worry about the block, just make sure there is enough antifreeze.

Correct, Bill.

I'm looking at the situation, but it looks to me like it's a real PITA
to change it over. NOW! If I was going to do some really long season
boating, sure enough. It would be a done deal. But I'm still in the
debatable stage. Sure would be easier if the engine on my Marquis was
taller to the deck, but working on any engine below deck is not my idea
of a fun time.

I'm going to pick the thing up tomorrow. the guy says he wants his
trailer back, which he can have. it's nothign great either. tires are
scrap. BUT This will be interesting. a good customer of mine has a roll
back bed on a Ford F-350, we'll haull the whole thing up on it. Take it
back to my dads farm then chainsaw the drive train out.


Kind of fun doing something destructive occasionally.......



Calif Bill wrote:
"Tim" wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks, man.

you told me everything I needed to know.

I was also considering using the enclosed system for adding a heater
core to the cuddy., But seeing I really don't want to boat in north
atlantic cold, thats out too. I thought it was a good idea though.

Yes, I'm basicly wanting the drive train for spare parts




jamesgangnc wrote:
The heat exchanger is pretty expensive.

How much it helps depends on how much of it you convert. For my 2c the
exhaust is the number 1 area that a closed cooling system helps with
but only some include the exhaust manifolds and very few include the
risers. Reason? It takes a bigger heat exchanger to also cool the
exhaust. You can run raw water through a cast iron block for 20 years
and still not have enough corrosion to hurt it.

You probably can put the alpha on your other boat if that is what you
are thinking. But I would not bother with the cooling system. If the
engine was winterized and turns over it may well be fine too.

Tim wrote:
I've been looking at a local tub. a badly neglected 18 ft. SeaRay. the
boat is junk, and possibly the engine is shot too!. But the alpha 1
turns well, seems the hydrolic pump is well sheltered, but thats about
it. I'd especially like to have the alpha seeing my Marquis is an
older MR drive, and, I beleive it's much more expensive to work on than
the alpha, and I'd be getting the whole thing. BTW, the owner said it
sat for about 7 years in the open and a year before, he had a mechanic
install a new gimble bering.

Now, this boat has an enclosed cooling system on its 5.7. Where every
boat I've owned is raw water.

I can get the thing for really cheap, about a hundred bucks. and haul
it off. The cooling systems is still full of antifreeze.

SO! I was wondering if there is any advantage to convert mine over to
enclosed? and what do you do with the lower end impeller, seeing that
on a raw system it pumps water up to the engine?

Another thing? is it a PITA to change one over?

Thanks!


The closed cooling system is worth about $3-400 used. Easy to add a heater
off the engine. Just takes a unit out of a car and a blower. Add some
hoses and you have a window defroster. Easier to winterize. do not have to
worry about the block, just make sure there is enough antifreeze.