420/44 DB Owners Club

AEO said:
I’m about to replace my flybridge clears and the trimmer is trying to talk me out of the tinted plastic. I noticed yours is similar to what he’s suggesting and was interested to know your thoughts?

45-D49-C7-D-3769-4-FA8-877-E-E674-FB4-DED23.jpg
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I’m not sure if tinted plastic would be much cooler. Maybe down south in Florida there is a benefit. If you run at night it might be problematic. My next go around, I would like a larger opening on the back side. Maybe be able to remove the upper portion of the rear three panels.
 
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I’m not sure if tinted plastic would be much cooler. Maybe down south in Florida there is a benefit. If you run at night it might be problematic. My next go around, I would like a larger opening on the back side. Maybe be able to remove the upper portion of the rear three panels.[/QUOTE]
I did not use Tinted when I redid my 44 windows but the first full enclosure I did on a Bayliner Avanti I did it in navy blue sunbrella with tinted gray vinyl. It really looked great and cut down on glare quite a bit. Comes down to personal preference.
 
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Are you planning on going with polycarbonate windows? I am happy with how mine turned out and would not change a thing, but will say since I got rid of the smiley window zippers it is a bit harder to zip and unzip the front and rear windows to open and close but still love the look.
One thing I highly recommend is adding a eyebrow zipper with a screen over the front center window to let fresh air in without having to open the front window, this works great on cooler days.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the pictures. It certainly is a cleaner look with the clear. I think you’ve just made my decision easy.

I won’t go the polycarbonate as I need the flexibility to roll it up in situ or fold it (if removed).
 
AEO said:
Are you planning on going with polycarbonate windows? I am happy with how mine turned out and would not change a thing, but will say since I got rid of the smiley window zippers it is a bit harder to zip and unzip the front and rear windows to open and close but still love the look.
One thing I highly recommend is adding a eyebrow zipper with a screen over the front center window to let fresh air in without having to open the front window, this works great on cooler days.
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Thanks for the pictures. It certainly is a cleaner look with the clear. I think you’ve just made my decision easy.

I won’t go the polycarbonate as I need the flexibility to roll it up in situ or fold it (if removed).[/QUOTE]
You might want to consider Polycarbonate for the four corners so you don't get the ripple that is hard to see Clearly through and keep the rest the soft stuff so you can roll it.
The eyebrow zipper opening with a screen above the front window is a great addition so you dont have to open the full front window to get fresh air if its cooler out.
 
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Your replies are great. From what I can gather the tint may cut down on glare which is a good thing for me. Although there is no advantage to tint regards heat it may impede night vision which isn’t a big concern for me as that is about 5% of my cruising. Polycarbonate would be a consideration but may not be practical for my application. That suggestion of bigger cutout at the back is a keeper.

Thanks for all you feedback.
 
I have clear Poly throughout. Best thing I ever did. Thought about tinted but a few people I know had it done and while daytime is great, it's especially dark at night. I guess it's up to the type of boating you do. Poly filters UV and definitely keeps the interior cooler, relatively speaking. I kept the smiley cut outs in mine and they are a bit bigger than OEM. As they cannot be rolled up my, canvas guy devise a pretty simple way of opening and attaching to under side of radar arch using stud fasteners. They zip open and closed easily. Just need to baby them and use caution when washing. You should be able to view in this picture.

As an aside, I love the way NorCalRobert had his done with separate panels on lower bridge - aft. Makes it easy to remove top panels for storage as well as use during summer months. Had I seen this previously I would have definitely had it done that way. Great piece of reengineering.
 

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Has anyone tackled replacing the motor mounts? When we purchased the boat we were told all but 2 were end of life based on how compressed they were. Wondering if there is noticeable difference in replacing them.
 
I was in Seattle today to pick up an impeller for the Reverso. Fisheries Supply was the only place around that had it in stock. I could have ordered it but needed to get the oil change done.

So we went to lunch at Ivar's at the North end of Lake Union. We had just sat down when a 44 Sedan Bridge went by. First other 44 we have spotted. It had a Bronze hull.

I sent a text to our seller, who I stay in contact with, and he said if it had a hydraulic swimstep, it was shipped from Florida last year. It did have the hydraulic swimstep and a eyebrow shade over the cockpit area.

Anybody here?
 
For those on the quest for a perfectly dry bilge, I have a new one to possibly look for.

I (along with a few others with the same OCD) have been on a journey for the past few years to track down and resolve any and all sources of water in the bilges. I had it almost solved last summer but there was occasionally some water in the bilge under the galley steps, and also water would sometimes show up in the captive space between the stingers in the engine room (that I added an access portal to).

I managed to infect one of the technicians at our marina with the same disease of finding all the sources! This spring he was confident all water was gone before launching, then some appeared under the galley steps. He found one more source...the fitting at the top of the potable water tank had a crack in it and would slowly leak when the tank was really full or when sloshing around. He made the repair and we are completely dry! Worth a look, perhaps. You can access it though an opening in the wall under the stairs...but not likely if you have the washer/dryer in place.

At this point, I believe the only water I ever see is from condensation from raw water lines and some that makes it past the hatch in the cockpit during washdowns.
 
Has anyone replaced interior G4 bulbs with LEDs? If so what wattage did you use? Color? (E. G. Warm wht vs. wht ) Thanks.

06/25/2022 update.

In case anyone is interested, all interior OEM lights are G4 bi-pin 10 watt 12 volt xenon.

Replacement: G4 LED 1.1 - 2 watt equivalent to a 10 watt xenon. Draw is only 110 mA at 12 volt dc. Very big difference.
 
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Bruce SEA 993 said:
Does anyone know if there is a Smartcraft junction box with open ports in the helm on the 44 DB?

I am thinking of trying the Vessel View Mobile as a backup to the SC5000. The SC5000 is still readable but I do not want it to fail on me. I have a tablet sitting around doing nothing so I thought I would put it to use.

Also, I was able to fish a wire for the Garmin in hull transducer up to the helm. I took the TV and mounting board off at the slider entrance. Then removed the top of the flexible duct. The fiberglass fish rods went up and angled forward and when they got stuck, I just twisted them. I was in about 4 sections and went up an there it was in the Starboard side under the helm where the bundles of wire feed through. Woo Hoo!

Cheers
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There is a service on Ebay where they advertise SC5000 display reconditioning for $450.00. Repair of pixels. Seems like a good deal if they can do.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223438233310?hash=item3405f4dede:g:VNUAAOSw5qdcCH-S
 
Tenacious said:
There is a service on Ebay where they advertise SC5000 display reconditioning for $450.00. Repair of pixels. Seems like a good deal if they can do.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223438233310?hash=item3405f4dede:g:VNUAAOSw5qdcCH-S
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Yes, and there is also a guy who will replace the screen...mikeygfly@comcast.net. Not sure of the cost but I believe it is less than the $450 on ebay.

Mine is working but they do tend fade after a while. I am still working with the Vessel View Mobile and have not spent a lot of time on it. The network connections are right under the helm.

Thanks!
 
I have a question on the bow thruster batteries being hot. I searched for an answer and could not find anything about it.

I was doing a little re-arranging in the ER and felt a lot of heat coming off of the thruster batteries. I was scratching my head and my wife said: "Is the switch on the helm on?". Well, I ran up there and heard the relays click off when I turned off the rocker.

It seemed like the batteries were cooling off when I checked them 1/2 an hour later. Did I screw up by leaving the rocker on...it has been engaged for 3 weeks. Yikes!!

There is a separate controller for the 24 Volt bow thruster but it seems most controllers or chargers auto sense for charging but does this bow thruster controller do something else that would cause the batteries to get hot?

Thanks!!
 
Bruce SEA 993 said:
I have a question on the bow thruster batteries being hot. I searched for an answer and could not find anything about it.

I was doing a little re-arranging in the ER and felt a lot of heat coming off of the thruster batteries. I was scratching my head and my wife said: "Is the switch on the helm on?". Well, I ran up there and heard the relays click off when I turned off the rocker.

It seemed like the batteries were cooling off when I checked them 1/2 an hour later. Did I screw up by leaving the rocker on...it has been engaged for 3 weeks. Yikes!!

There is a separate controller for the 24 Volt bow thruster but it seems most controllers or chargers auto sense for charging but does this bow thruster controller do something else that would cause the batteries to get hot?

Thanks!!
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Rockers should only engage the solenoid. Switch has a time out. Shouldn’t affect battery. May want to check charger and battery fluid levels if flooded however.
 
Irie308 said:
Rockers should only engage the solenoid. Switch has a time out. Shouldn’t affect battery. May want to check charger and battery fluid levels if flooded however.
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I've left my rocker switch on in the past with the solenoid engaged and have never had issues. Not something I make a habit off. Just an oversight.

I once had AGM's and started to experience issues. Power duration diminished drastically and I questioned the charger. Upon checking/cleaning battery connections I found batteries were alarmingly warm. They do get warm when using the thruster but I also noticed they were not holding a charge as they did when they were new. Seemed odd and bothered me. I tried using external charger to be certain onboard charger was not the issue, and the problem continued. End result, dead cell = new batteries. Problem solved, at least for my situation.

It goes without saying but they are to be wired in 24 volt configuration. Right? I've seen some people install batteries incorrectly in the 24volt configuration and they've became incredibly hot. In one case I was surprised they didn't melt/explode. Simple mental error.

24vlt.JPG
 
Yes, the switch times out. Thanks.

I turned the rocker off last night and it was still "boiling" this morning. I turned the breaker off at the panel and will check them when I go back down to the boat.

The info on the charger, a ProNautic ProTech 2425 says that they go into a mode to desulfate the batteries. I think that is only supposed to be 4 hours or so.

I am going to go and put my voltmeter on the batteries to see what they are reading.

It seems to me that the charger is over charging. But...it could be a dead battery. The thrusters worked but I only gave them a quick blast. I do not end up using the thruster all that much. Nice to have and it is mostly for "touch ups" in close quarter maneuvering.

Thanks!
 
Both batteries are reading 13.3 Volts.

I have no indicators on the thruster charger. Hmmmm...
 
Bruce SEA 993 said:
Both batteries are reading 13.3 Volts.

I have no indicators on the thruster charger. Hmmmm...
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Is that with the charger off? Also check to see voltage while operating thruster.
 
I've got ProMariner ProTech-4 Charger for thruster batteries. (Is this the same as yours?) I happen to have a photo of label. Read below under the two areas entitled voltage. The conventional lead acid setting is also used for AGM, per owners manual. (I used this setting without issue). Gel has it's own setting. Did you change the settings by chance? According to the owners manual, float for 12v should be 13.5. Float for 24v (thruster) is 26.6. Did you disconnect when you took your readings? Are your other batteries of the same vintage? Maybe swap out and see if issue continues. My bet is that your batteries are the problem, but be sure your charger settings are proper first. Could be a charger gone bad as well. It happens.

Manual:

https://www.marlow-hunter.com/wp-co...anuals/ProMariner Charger Pro-Tech Manual.pdf


Protech-4.jpeg
 
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