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aftermarket closed cooling system for '12 Axis A22


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I've agreed with the seller upon a price for my first boat a '12 Axis A22 contingent upon the Indmar AR335 5.7L engine being able to be retrofitted with a closed cooling system as I'll be using it in salt water for 2 months out of the year. I've identified 3 manufacturers of aftermarket closed cooling systems: San Juan Engineering, SeaKamp, and Orca, and will be calling them tomorrow. Does anyone know of any other vendors I should check out? I'd appreciate any guidance you can give. Also if the closed cooling system cannot be added to this boat, are there any alternatives to keeping the engine from corroding?

Edited by piecesofflair
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Any of those companies should be able to provide you with a kit for you motor that will work no problem. Adding an aftermarket closed cooling system to a GM350 has been done millions of times. The other place you can check out is www.mrcool.us

They are actually the company that provides Indmar with the kits that come from the factory if you order the boat with closed cooling. I have spoken to one of the reps there in the past when I thought I needed some new stuff for my closed cooling system. They were super helpful and told me what to do.

The only thing I would suggest is that you look into getting a full loop closed cooling system if you can. That way you will also have coolant in the exhaust manifolds which will prevent you from having to buy new exhaust manifolds every 4-5yrs. The ETX/CAT manifolds are $1000 a piece! If you have to go with a half loop system flush the system with fresh water and Salt Away after every use. Spray your trailer with Salt Away also after. Spray your motor with some type of anti corrosion spray. Get zinc anodes on your rudder, prop shaft and swim step brackets. Polish the @$#$ out of your boat with Starbrite Marine Polish with Teflon. Put it on everything fibreglass, metal, rub rails you name it. It really helps protect from the salt. Replace your cap and rotor every year.

Running in the salt is not as bad as everyone thinks. Of course fresh water would be optimal but for those of us that don't have the choice well, you got a do what you got a do. If you take care of the boat and are particular about maintaining it then you should have years of fun with it. I am on year 8!

Edited by oceanbu
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I bought my kit from Performance Product Technologies (www.perfprotech.com). Look at their high performance cooling kits made by Monitor Products. Once you check the prices, you will be very interested.

https://www.perfprotech.com/high-performance-fresh-water-cooling-systems/category/1511

The problem with mine was finding one that would fit under the doghouse on my direct drive. I had to modify their brackets to compress the space as much as possible, but I am very happy with it. I'm sure from the temperatures I see that I could run it full closed, but have not tried that switch yet. I showed most of my work in a thread, so maybe you can find a nugget of value if you read it.

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?/topic/46975-1999-monsoon-ii-12-fresh-water-conversion/

I second what oceanbu said about Salt Away. The stuff seems to work great. I use it to flush the trailer and raw water side of the cooling system after every trip. Whatever is left gets sprayed on the upholstery.

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Don't forget about your trailer. If it is a regular painted steel one it will rust away really fast. If you have a place to launch it with a lift instead of boat ramp that would be optimal. You may even be able to find someone to trade for an aluminum or galvanized trailer.

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