Wayne.B wrote:

How are you going to use the boat?

Ocassional weekends; light duty coastal for 2 or 3 weeks at a time;
liveaboard coastal - constant use; extended cruising in the boondocks?

We will be using the boat for mostly coastal cruising right now. The
longest run I'm considering for this year is ~28 hours to Port Isabell
which would take us 30 NM offshore.

Next year, however, my wife will be eligible for her sabbatical, and
we're discussing moving the boat to the carribean for a couple of months
of cruising. That would involve passages of four days or so to cross
the gulf from Texas, and living aboard for as much as three months.

For ocassional or light duty coastal usage I'd leave it as is,
maintain the engine well and flush it with fresh water before any
extended down time. Keep an eye out for cooling system issues, leaks,
etc. It may surprise you with its future longevity if well maintained
in the past.

For constant use or cruising in the boondocks I'd probably consider a
new engine at some point. In my opinion it is already too old to get
much benefit from a FWC conversion. The damage has already been done
and is irreversible.

Several knowledgeable people have mentioned that marine engines exposed
to salt water corrode from the inside out, and it makes sense. Right
now, the engine seems to be in fine shape, but my nagging worry is about
how thin the iron around the water passages may be. Since it is cooled
by salt water, it seems that they are probably not only thin already,
but getting thinner--thin being a relative term of course. My thought
on adding FWC would be to run a 75%/25% mixture of antifreeze and fresh
water which would stop the block from getting any thinner.

Your point that the damage has been done is well taken, but at least I
do not have water in the oil, or a leaking water jacket...yet.

Don W.