Exhaust inside boat

shoe-in · Post by **shoe-in** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:11 pm

I was looking at some old posts and saw one that triggered a bad memory you should all know about. I removed the panels around the inside of my cockpit, below the coaming so I could have them refinished. With the panels removed I could see where the exhaust fitting was supposed to go through the hull on the starboard side. Yes, supposed to. For years my wife and kids occasionally got evacuated from inside the boat when we were underway because the carbon monoxide alarm would go off. I was one of at least five people who had been searching high and low for the cause for several years. Never smelled anything, but every carbon monoxide detector I tried acted the same way. I pulled the cockpit deck, checked mufflers, clamps, hoses, fittings...everything...almost. It wasn't until I was doing a cosmetic project on the cockpit panels that I discovered the cause. There was black soot all over the inside of the hull where the fitting had somehow separated and allowed exhaust to pour inside the hull. We were lucky that my wife and kids were the type who wouldn't ignore the alarm as I probably would have. This could have been a disaster. So, my advice is to never, never ignore one of those alarms and make sure you have a good one. If you suspect a problem and can't find the cause, try removing the cockpit panels and checking the through-hull fitting.

Post by **dougl33** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:58 am

Robert, This has been discussed here beofre, but its a good reminder: http://www.bertram33.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=78 After I re-powered last spring I noticed some soot on the inside ofthe cockpit on the starbord side. When I pulled the panel, sure enough it had pulled away. Its not a matter of if, but when these things will pull away. Regards, Doug L. 1986 33 Bertram FBC Queen Elizabeth Marblehead, MA [img]http://www.bertram33.com/photogallery/p ... sabeth.jpg[/img]

Rissa · Post by **Rissa** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 6:31 am

This was a problem we also had with our boat. We had to basically rebuild the fiberglass vents. This problem not only suffocates you it also causes your engines to starve for oxygen.

IRGuy · Post by **IRGuy** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 6:34 am

I had the same issue when I bought "Phoenix"! The angle pieces that transition from the round delivery tube to the rectangular thru-hulls were cracked and therefore loose to the point that both sides were leaking exhaust. We removed both and ground the cracks out and then rebuilt them with fiberglas resin and cloth. The stbd side fitting had also become mostly detatched from the hull. The surveyor had noted that he smelled exhaust in the cabin, but we could not locate the leaks until after I bought the boat. It was not a difficult job, just another thing to look for when you are inspecting a B33. Frank B - IRGuy@aol.com "Phoenix" 1983 FBC Wilmington, NC

Rissa · Post by **Rissa** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 7:44 am

quote:Originally posted by IRGuy I had the same issue when I bought "Phoenix"! The angle pieces that transition from the round delivery tube to the rectangular thru-hulls were cracked and therefore loose to the point that both sides were leaking exhaust. We removed both and ground the cracks out and then rebuilt them with fiberglas resin and cloth. The stbd side fitting had also become mostly detatched from the hull. The surveyor had noted that he smelled exhaust in the cabin, but we could not locate the leaks until after I bought the boat. It was not a difficult job, just another thing to look for when you are inspecting a B33. Frank B - IRGuy@aol.com "Phoenix" 1983 FBC Wilmington, NC Not difficult? I don't know if it is just our boat, or if it is a 1977 issue. We could not remove the sidewalls of the cockpit, since it is all molded fiberglass. This made it impossible to easily access the rubber hose which connected to the fiberglass vent. It was a nightmare to repair due to the total lack of work room. My arms looked like I had been beaten unmercifully after this project. John couldn't even get into the space to work on it. Happy to say; it can be done though. [:)]

Post by **dougl33** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 9:08 am

It must be different on the later models. On my 86, the side panels in the cockpit come out easily. The vents themselves were simply bonded to the inside of the hull. The bond had broken. I simply cleaned both surfaces and used plenty of 5200 to re-attach the vents. The one I repaired last summer took me a total of 2 hours to fix. Regards, Doug L. 1986 33 Bertram FBC Queen Elizabeth Marblehead, MA [img]http://www.bertram33.com/photogallery/p ... sabeth.jpg[/img]

Post by **dougl33** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 9:13 am

quote:Originally posted by Rissa This problem not only suffocates you it also causes your engines to starve for oxygen. Not so sure about starving the engines for oxygen. These vents (what Bertram called velocijet )are for exhaust gases only. The vents on top of the decks next to the cabin sides are for feeding fresh air to the engines. Regards, Doug L. 1986 33 Bertram FBC Queen Elizabeth Marblehead, MA [img]http://www.bertram33.com/photogallery/p ... sabeth.jpg[/img]