I have a 2000 340 Sundancer with...

[twin_engine]

I have a 2000 340 Sundancer with the 7.4 Horizons. The bilge blower vents, deteriorated, so I am in the process of replacing them. There are four on each side. The starboard side is for exhausting the bilge fumes with hoses leading from  the port and starboard side of the vessel, extending to the lower part of the bilge. This is all proper. I am looking for some guidance as to the best way to access the starboard vents to reconnect the hoses. The 4" tall inserts go straight up, not a side entry. There is very limited space to try and flex the hose into the opening, then bending it over to attach to the vents 4"tube. When I removed the vents, each one had the hose screwed to the side of the vent tube but not over the opening, so basically exhausting into the area where the vent inserts. I am assuming someone worked on it in the past, because the vent's height was cut down to about 1/14 inch, with the screw going through the hose and into the shorter vent tube. I doubt to can get the hose over the complete 4" opening, then attaching it with a screw. If you have replaced these in the past, how did you do it?  I am thinking of trying to pull the hose through the opening and attaching it to vent tube, then feeding the vent (all one piece)  with the hose  back into the blower assembly, Before doing this, however, I think it best to check with my fellow boaters as to their experience. Thanks, everyone. 

Topics:   Bilge Blower Vents, Best Way

Comment   ·   Like   ·   Share   ·   Two days ago at 1:40 PM  

twin engine

Correction: the vents with the hoses are on the port side.

twin engine

upon further thought, I do not believe I will be able to connect the vent fitting to the hose through the opening, because the cut out is a very tight fit for the vent, itself, so having the hose connected, as well, will prevent it from being pushed up through the cutout.

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[wingless]

When I upgraded the engine bilge blower system on my 2000 380DA to add a thermostatically controlled heat exhaust I discovered this was a two person job.

The process I used was to first detach the exterior long scallop panels. I would route the hoses from within the engine room, while a second person held the panels and attached the hoses.

The port side was waaay easier.

In all cases I was able to attach the hoses to the fittings w/ hose clamps.

The factory modified the vent fittings, to shorten the flange length by about an inch. When I added my custom heat exhaust I also modified those new flange fittings to shorten the length by about an inch.

In both cases I needed to remove the engine exhaust hoses and the lift mufflers to provide sufficient access for my body.

FWIW, the factory built my boat w/ two bilge blower exhaust hoses, sucking from the bottom of the bilge, out to exhaust to the rear half of the side scallop panel, port out to port, starboard out to starboard.

My custom thermostatic heat exhaust added a second flange to each side, also in the rear of that exterior side scallop panel, this time drawing from above the engines, near the fuel rail.

On my boat I also added a custom high volume / high pressure air compressor. Part of that system draws LOTS of fresh exterior air to dump onto the cylinder head for cooling. For that function I used a custom fitting to draw from adjacent to the front part of the port scallop grating.

https://images.boattrader.com/resize/1/27/99/462799_20220601044205746_1_LARGE.jpg

https://images.boattrader.com/resize/1/46/5/464605_20220605190609755_14_LARGE.jpg

https://trainhornforums.com/t/wingless-marine-air-system/12822

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4510/23928914168_52436b8418_b.jpg

[twin_engine]

Wilngless: I have as many others recognize that we can count on you to bale us out. How did you remove the side scallops, are they on with an adhesive or somewhere has screws? The engine room is a very tight fit, and I suspect I will doing something that I thought would be relatively easy has turned into a career for me. My boat is different, in that the manual shows starboard and port blower hoses exiting on the starboard side only. That is also the only side that had the hoses leading to it. Thanks as always for all your help over the years. Now, if it will cool down a little I tackle the job. By the way how did you cut down the flanges-- with just a hack saw?

[wingless]

YW

The side scallops on my 2000 380DA were retained by the factory installation w/ four screws at 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°, plus silicone sealant around the perimeter, except at the drains.

Yes a hacksaw was used to cut the flanges and a file to clean up the cuts.