Dan,

Pardon the mess. It’s a construction site, after all.



There are two of these on either side. The two on the port side have vent hoses connected on the underside of the gunwale, the outer one going to the bilge blower, and the other going to the bilge, outside the engine mount stringer. The two on the starboard side are just open to the engine well. I plan on venting the new, second bilge blower through the outer vent port on the starboard side. The inner one will remain open, I guess, as I don’t intend to blow another 4” hole through the inner gunwale like it is on the port side, and it’s a bit tight between the outer hull and the inner gunwale (I’d assume that’s why they cut the hole in the port side.

I will have to do something about those wires, though. Don’t think I ever noticed them before. I must have unsettled them during all the rummaging around redoing things in the engine well.

Thanks. Brad.

I've added a 2nd blower to both my Bajas and after reviewing the amperage draw (less than 4 amps each) I too just spliced into the existing wiring. No problems on either boat. I also like the fact it is pulling in twice the air now, from a CFM perspective, for the times when I am idling around. IMHO it definitely keeps the engine bay cooler.

Bajaman,

Looking at all my options, I think I am going to splice in at the output of the switch and run a 12v to the new blower, then ground to the strap at the transom. It will still be a total 5A through the switch (well below threshold), but I won't have to dismount the old blower or cut into its wiring.

I also like the idea of increased evac during idling, helping to cool the engine well after running. Bonus!

Thanks. Brad.

Those 4" blower are 235 cfm, even with two running that`s not cooling off a big block after a hard run one bit or cooling off a bilge. That big block is consuming 850cfm and it has to pull that from the outside, and extra 470CFM isn`t doing much.
I wouldn`t bother but if it makes you sleep at night go for it .. can`t hurt I suppose.
I raise both hatches when I fill , you don`t?
That boat in florida had to be FILLED with gas somewhere , that explosion isnt fumes.
Someone must have smelled that and did nothing about it imop

Dan,

My primary interest is in evacuating the bilge more thoroughly without exceeding a reasonable amount of time. The additional, even if minimal, cooling of the engine well is only a bonus.

No. I don’t lift any hatches when I fill. I’ve never once smelled fuel vapors. The beauty of fuel injection over carbs. If I start smelling gas, I’m gonna start looking for leaks.

Oh, no. That was absolutely fumes. Fuel burns. Vapors explode. A full propane tank will burn your house down. An empty one will blow it off the foundation and scatter it across the neighborhood. You are not wrong, though. Somebody had to have smelled fuel vapors. Or maybe they didn’t. It was a pretty good sized boat. There’s at least a halfway decent chance it was what they considered normal. I’ve smelled gas from literally every carbed engine boat I’ve ever been on or near. Never seen one go off like a grenade like that, though I’ve heard some stories. My bet is they either neglected to run the bilge blower or didn’t realize it wasn’t working. And it’s an almost certainty at least one of the electrical components either wasn’t a marine-ready unit or had gone sideways. Something acted as an ignition source. There’s undoubtedly a pile of lessons to be learned from the forensics of that incident. My takeaway was to ensure I am adequately evacuating my bilge by adding a second bilge blower and drawing from both sides.

Thanks. Brad.

fuel fill hoses are supposed to be changed after 10 years i,m shocked at how many leak or are cracked on bends the hose has a date on it

Boost,

Scary thought.... I'm 100% certain the hoses in our boat are OEM. Same for the '90 Rinker we sold to some friends when we bought the PQ.

I'm not concerned with the hoses. They appear to be in great shape. Would be an opportunity to convert to a tank return for the fuel delivery system, though.

Thanks. Brad.

There was a gas leak somewhere is my point .. a lot of gas fumes require a lot of gas but I`m not a fire fighter .
Fuel injection or carbs if you have a fuel leak doesnt matter .. I make it a habit to have hatches open when filling. also after a hard run., also before leaving .. pretty much the hatches are open a lot lol

The nose is the #1 defence for many marine issues. Gas fumes being top of the list.

I'm looking into bilge fume monitors, but that is only a backup to good drills and procedures.

I prefer the 3" ducting hose. It keeps air velocity higher. The brake ducting is fairly smooth inside as well as being heat resistant.

How many guys have removed their old fuel tanks and found all the old foam was fuel saturated?

A leaking gas tank filled up the bilge and then the ac sucked it into the cabin while we were sleeping . was so bad it woke us up , felt like we swallowed a gallon of gas.
Thinking back , we got lucky .