Just found out some marine diesel engines use keel cooling instead of radiators

I was watching a YouTube video from a guy in Maine who rebuilds old lobster boat engines, and he was talking about keel cooling. Basically they run raw sea water through pipes welded to the bottom of the hull instead of using a radiator and fan. Never even crossed my mind that you could cool an engine like that without a traditional cooling system. He said it eliminates water pump cavitation issues and keeps operating temps more stable in cold water. Has anyone here ever worked on a keel cooled engine?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_wood603d ago

My buddy runs a 50-foot troller out of Kodiak and he's got a keel cooled Detroit Diesel in it. He told me last winter he was hauling pots in 28 degree water and the engine temp never dropped below 160 the whole trip. Said he hasn't touched his cooling system in 8 years, just cleans the strainer once a month lol.

calebw503d ago

Keel cooling is the real deal for sure.