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Craftsman Marine CM3.27 Keel Cooling
The Craftsman Marine Mitsubishi based diesel engines can also be fitted with keel cooling. This can be very beneficial for sailing through shallow or muddy waters or for shallow draft boats sailing through waters with limited depth. Due to unparalleled quality and superior service backed by decades of experience, these keel cooling engines are the perfect solution for smooth sailing through waters where mud, sand or debris can potentially damage and clog up a conventional water cooled system.
Our keel cooled engines are engineered using the latest cooling technology. Simply put, there is no need for a raw water pump, so eliminates one more service point from your engine. These engines reduce maintenance costs and minimise downtime. Using keel cooling, only the cooling liquid will be pumped through the engine and the keel cooler element by the engine water pump. As a consequence, a keel cooling engine requires a heat resistant exhaust system.
| Basic Engine | Mitsubishi |
|---|---|
| Cylinders | 3 in line |
| Cylinder Capacity | 952 cm³ |
| Power | 20kW / 27.2 hp |
| Max. Engine Speed | 3.600 rpm |
| Max. Torque | 58.5 Nm |
| Aspiration | Natural |
| Alternator | 70 A / 12 V (Bosch / SEG) |
| Cooling System | Keel Cooling |
| Flexible Engine Mounts | CM type 3 (front) &CM type 4 (rear) |
| Calorifier Connection | Optional |
| Exhaust Diameter | BSP G11/4 thread |
| Electronic Protection | 10 A Circuit Breaker |
| Stop Solenoid | Energized To Stop |
| Max. Installation Angle | 15° (Backwards) |
| Weight | 113 kg |
| CM3_spareparts_catalogue_web |  |
|---|---|
| CM216_CM327_manual_web_DE | |
| CM216_CM327_manual_web_DK | |
| CM216_CM327_manual_web_EN | |
| CM216_CM327_manual_web_FI_v2 | |
| CM216_CM327_manual_web_NL | |
| CM216_CM327_manual_web_NO | |
| CM216_Engine_with_ZF10_GearBox |  |
| CM327_Engine_with_ZF10_GearBox | |
| CM327_performance | |
Applications & Compatibility
Keel cooling on the CM3.27 fits mid-sized builds operating where a raw water intake is a liability:
- Day cruisers and small workboats cruising muddy, silty, or shallow waters
- Canal and inland-water boats where debris can clog a conventional raw water system
- Compatible with the ZF10 gearbox setup for straightforward drivetrain integration
- Retrofit projects stepping up from the CM2.16 Keel Cooling on the same platform
Built for Boat Builders & Dealers
The CM3.27 Keel Cooling draws on the same Mitsubishi platform and much of the same documentation as the CM2.16 range, which keeps a distributor’s parts shelf and language coverage consistent across both keel-cooled models. Specifications stay uniform unit to unit, so OEM installs and bulk orders don’t need separate handling, and the same global distributor network supports sales afterward.
Technical Advantages
The 3-cylinder block changes a couple of things versus the CM2.16 Keel Cooling, beyond the extra torque:
- No raw water pump needed, removing one service point from the cooling circuit
- Only cooling liquid circulates through the engine and keel cooler element
- Front and rear flexible mount configuration (CM type 3 / CM type 4) suited to the longer 3-cylinder block
- 10 A circuit breaker for straightforward electrical protection
Why Choose the CM3.27 Keel-Cooled Marine Engine
Builders step up to the CM3.27 Keel Cooling when a shallow-water or muddy-water vessel needs more torque than the CM2.16 Keel Cooling provides, without giving up the maintenance advantage of skipping a raw water pump.
- Mitsubishi-based industrial engine platform, proven and supported worldwide
- Keel cooling removes the raw water pump as a maintenance point in silty or shallow waters
- Heat-resistant exhaust system matched to the keel cooling configuration
- Complies with RCD II regulations for recreational craft
- 113 kg build with front and rear flexible engine mounts for straightforward installation
Frequently Asked Questions
The 952 cm³ block and 20 kW (27.2 hp) output are identical; only the cooling system (Keel Cooling instead of indirect with heat exchanger) and the exhaust connection (BSP G1 1/4 thread) change.
CM type 3 mounts at the front and CM type 4 at the rear, the same front/rear split used on the standard CM3.27’s longer 3-cylinder block.
Because keel cooling only circulates cooling liquid through the engine and keel cooler element, without raw seawater cooling the exhaust as it would in a standard system, so the exhaust itself has to tolerate more heat.
No, both weigh 113 kg, the keel cooling conversion doesn’t add weight to the engine itself.
The ZF10 gearbox, in configurations shared with both the CM2.16 and CM3.27 standard models, documented in the Downloads section on this page.
The CM3 spare parts catalogue and CM327 performance sheet are listed in the Downloads section, alongside manuals shared with the CM2.16 range.