Steve,
Thanks for the tips! I'm very familiar with this hatch strip; my Heat is 2000, & to clear Whipple pulley I had to move the rear bench forward ~3/4in, then to make up gap between hatch & bench I fabbed a spacer strip out of 3/4in plywood (covered in white vinyl), using original as template. You're right, working with that strip is a pain! I've been thinking for a long time that the Whipple sure might like some more fresh air, & after seeing the vents in yours I'm almost certainly going ahead with it. Thanks again.
Jeff

Damn steve, that really is a sweet boat. especially after what I saw under the hatch. I just may have to make a special run up there when I get back and drive back home with my brother. You're talking about engines so I'm a bit more in my comfort zone.

I was actually considering fabricating a cold air induction system for mine. cold , dense air makes more power, period. No matter how you go about doing it (scoops, vents with ducts......) The trick is not allowing your engine to breath that hot compartment air. Kawasaki (the aircraft division) developed the best system for thier superbikes which actually pressurizes the incoming air as speeds increase (a poor mans blower) Obviously you have that problem licked with that SC. I have normally aspirated 1050 holley dominators to feed and want to make sure they get the good stuff. I just have to develope a trap of some sort to prevent the twins from inhaling a bunch of water if things get too ruff.

I do have another question for you and will post it in prop talk....Casey

Casey,
See Mike's comments here about your boat. He has a friend who had the same boat and evidently it needs engine compartment venting/induction as you estimated.
I was looking at Andy's, now the Hart's Heat this past weekend. I was surprised to see that the '99 and older Heats don't even have the transom/sunlounge intakes. The only way air could get to this motor was the bilge blower intake, which is about 3" in diameter. Not too efficient.
My friend Eric/EB Marine showed me a Mercury manufacturer/
dealer bulleting regarding overly enclosed/restrictive engine compartments causing poor performance and hard hot starting. So Mercury does agree that this is an issue. They say they have measured engine compartment temps from 176o to 200o. That can't be good for performance. I'll try to get him to email it to me so I can post here.
Regards,
Steve

Steve,

Are the Harts going to add some vents in the rear seat? The older Nordics have zero airflow. That is pretty lame for a company the is located in the desert.

Andy,
Yes, I gave Vence a billet vent like the ones I have and he is going to install it soon. I originally was going to install 3 of them across the hatch. I realized after starting the project that there is a rib in the center of the hatch that I didn't want to cut through, and that 2 was a big improvement over stock.
Steve

Steve,

I am glad that Vence is installing a vent that should help keep the engine compartment cooler.

Hey Mike, I was wondering if your friend has any pics of the cabin area of that 95 nordic. I have a 93 32' and after some research found it was built as a para sail boat. (the platform was never installed) As this was built as a work boat, none of the amenities were installed so I have a lot of work to do in making it a plush, liveable boat like the new Nordics. Thanks....Casey

TTT,
Rage, here's an extensive thread on air intakes. This applies to Heats and Flames. The deck and hatch on the Rage is similar, so maybe this will work for you.
Regards,
Steve

Sorry Casey I didn't take any pictures back in those days. My buddy went through a divorce and he is....... I don't know where he is or what state.

Steve,

Where on this boat were the air inlets located? Would this work on a Rage do you think. This is along the lines I am interested in.

Bill