Joe,
I took the same approach, heat exchangers are not made for salt water
but at that price they're throwaway items.
I have a mechanical raw water pump mounted on the forward end, years ago
I actually got if from Dennis C., long of this list, so I'm not 100%
sure where he got. It mounts on a small bracket that fits over the top
bolt of the starter motor and has a belt drive with a pulley that slips
over the front end of the crankshaft. I could send you some photos off
list.
Neil
On 11/14/2025 9:22 AM, Della Barba, Joe wrote:
Those flat-plate heat exchangers don’t seem to be intended for salt
water or engines, but they are so much smaller and cheaper I could
just buy two and carry a spare. Are you using electric pumps or the
mechanical one?
*/Joe Della Barba/*
*/DCSI/*
*/410-966-7255/*
*From:*Neil Gallagher via CnC-List <[email protected]>
*Sent:* Thursday, November 13, 2025 5:20 PM
*To:* CnClist <[email protected]>
*Cc:* Neil Gallagher <[email protected]>
*Subject:* Stus-List Fwd: Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: Long Term Reports on a
few things:
Joe
Here's the tank I used, the same place has the cap and fittings.
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Aluminum-Radiator-Coolant-Overflow-Expansion-Tank-8AN,1840.html
I put an external Indigo thermostat after the manifold outlet and
blocked the bypass flow on the side of the engine so all the water
flows from the pump thru the block. I use a 160deg thermostat,
although you can get 180deg. The only issue I've run into is that
there's so much grit in my engine block even after I blew it all out
with compressed air (40 yrs with raw water cooling does that, as you
found out) that I'd get some under the plate of the thermostat valve
itself which then wouldn't open and the engine would heat up. I put a
strainer upstream of it and that's worked for the last 5 years or so
with no issue, runs right at 160.
I did not put a zinc in anywhere in the raw water side, the heat
exchanger is stainless, just has bronze brazing between the plates.
Neil Gallagher
Weatherly, 35-1
Glen Cove, NY
On 11/13/2025 1:15 PM, Della Barba, Joe via CnC-List wrote:
What are you using for an expansion tank? What temps were you
running? Did you add a zinc?
Thanks!
*/Joe Della Barba/*
Coquina
*From:*Neil Gallagher via CnC-List <[email protected]>
<mailto:[email protected]>
*Sent:* Thursday, November 13, 2025 11:49 AM
*To:* Della Barba, Joe via CnC-List <[email protected]>
<mailto:[email protected]>
*Cc:* Neil Gallagher <[email protected]>
<mailto:[email protected]>
*Subject:* [EXTERNAL] Stus-List Re: Long Term Reports on a few things:
Joe,
FWIW I have used this heat exchanger since I put FWC on my A-4.
They're so cheap I consider it a throw-away. First one lasted
about 10 years and was still fine but the copper was getting a
little green. I'm on 5 years of the second. Plenty of cooling
capacity.
https://www.vevor.com/plate-heat-exchanger-c_10378/heat-exchanger-brazed-plate-heat-exchanger-30-plate-heat-exchanger-for-heating-p_010268730644
Neil Gallagher
Weatherly, 35-1
Glen Cove, NY
On 11/13/2025 10:58 AM, Della Barba, Joe via CnC-List wrote:
1. The PVC hawsepipe fix: When the previous owner back in
1973 or maybe the factory cut the hole through the deck
for the anchor chain, whomever did it did NOT SEAL IT AT
ALL. Believe it or not the balsa sort of held up,
apparently being open to air let it dry back out mostly. I
got some PVC pipe, maybe 3 inches, and cut the deck hole a
bit bigger so the pipe fit a little loosely but not much.
I cut the pipe to stick through the deck below about ½” or
maybe a bit less. I sealed around the bottom with butyl
and then poured epoxy around the pipe from the top to fill
in the tiny gap and seal the balsa. This was a few years
ago and has worked perfectly 😊 I was afraid the epoxy
would not stick to the pipe, but it did and the pipe keeps
the chain from eating away at the deck and compromising
the seal.
2. Using liquid rubber to seal my forward hatch: This I would
rate so-so. My hatches are totally original from 73 and
tend to leak around the screw holes and sela between the
glass and the frame. A combination of liquid rubber and
some Creeping Crack Cure makes them watertight, but it
does not last. Adding a touch more is a yearly thing now.
It is still a cheap cure vs. a new hatch, but it is not a
one-and-done. I still can’t complain too much, no 52
year-old Lewmar hatch will even be intact. If I ever do
get new hatches, I will be avoiding the low-end Lewmars,
they seem to leak starting at age 2 or 3 from all I read
online. The higher-end versions seem well worth it.
3. AGM Batteries: No one seems to make lead-acid cells of any
version whatsoever that are as good as the gel batteries I
could get around 1990. My 2 year-old Odyssey thin-plate is
doing OK, but not nearly as good as my gel from back in
the day was at age 7. I am going lithium, the savings on
chiropractor bills alone will be worth it!
4. Fresh Water Cooling – I decided my old engine didn’t need
it, the extra heat and hoses all over did not seem worth
it. Joke was on me, last December the salt water ate
through and the engine was no more. Now I have a new (to
me) engine with a Moyer rebuild and sleeved cylinders I
will be adding FWC. The engine will probably outlive me,
but I do need to hunt down a bigger heat exchanger.
5. Solar: I have had a 50 watt panel for many years. It has
literally paid for itself in gas not used to charge
batteries. For a long time I would be at anchor for 2
weeks straight while the kids were at sailing camp, so
there was no reason to run the engine except charging. It
was not enough to keep up totally, but I went from daily
charging to once every 3 days or so. I plan to fix up more
panels.
*/Joe Della Barba/*
Coquina
C&C 35 MK I
November is the time of the year when my Internet bills come in. It's also
the time when you can show your appreciation of this list and the C&C Photo
Album. Please help by making a small contribution using PayPal
at:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/stumurray All contributions are greatly
appreciated.
November is the time of the year when my Internet bills come in. It's also the
time when you can show your appreciation of this list and the C&C Photo Album.
Please help by making a small contribution using PayPal
at:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/stumurray All contributions are greatly
appreciated.
November is the time of the year when my Internet bills come in. It's also the
time when you can show your appreciation of this list and the C&C Photo Album.
Please help by making a small contribution using PayPal at:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/stumurray All contributions are greatly
appreciated.
