480 DB Owners Club

Question to all that run their generators often, do you lighten the load purposely or just run all the creature comforts constantly? Does it make sense to shut down the air occasionally to give it a break? Or even shut down the generator for a few hours? Or does running it with only fridge/freezer load cause issue? I’m out for a couple weeks and can’t help but feel uneasy about non stop running.
Our generator is started every time we are away from shore power. I agree with previous comments about letting the genny warm up prior to putting load on it and when I return, after hooking back up to shore power, I remove the load from the genny and let it run for about 2 minutes. Then shut it off.
 
Looking forward to a week at the lake next week. On the "to do list" is wax the boat and track down why my remote for the swim platform does not work. I am not sure if the problem is the FOB or the transmitter, which leads me to the question of the day. Where is the transmitter located and how would I test it? Can you get a replacements for both?

Keith
 
I’ve seen a lot of owners replace AC units on the bridge. Given that that can be done somewhat straightforwardly, how difficult is it to simply add an aftermarket unit to the bridge? It could be under the helm, where the factory one is. Or, I suppose, under the cabinet by the ice maker. Is it more involved than simply sliding a unit in, perhaps cutting an opening for the air out, and wiring it up?
 
To all the great SeaRay 480'ers Thank you for all the assistance and support over the last 6 years. We are not
moving out, but moving up.

May the seas be calm and sun shine bright for you,

I saw your ad was taken down. Guess she sold? Congrats! She is/was a gorgeous boat!
 
I’ve seen a lot of owners replace AC units on the bridge. Given that that can be done somewhat straightforwardly, how difficult is it to simply add an aftermarket unit to the bridge? It could be under the helm, where the factory one is. Or, I suppose, under the cabinet by the ice maker. Is it more involved than simply sliding a unit in, perhaps cutting an opening for the air out, and wiring it up?

I believe the challenge is the water loop to the bridge. If it's not there, getting it there could prove a challenge. Just a thought....
 
I believe the challenge is the water loop to the bridge. If it's not there, getting it there could prove a challenge. Just a thought....

Good point. But there are window units and “portable” or stand-alone units for the home that don’t require a water feed. Is there nothing like that for the RV market that could be repurposed or adapted for a boat? Or, would they not be powerful enough to cool a whole bridge?
 
Factory units are split systems with two evaporators and would be a pain to install after the fact. Running water to a turbo unit wouldn’t be impossible but not sure a single unit would do much good.
 
Good point. But there are window units and “portable” or stand-alone units for the home that don’t require a water feed. Is there nothing like that for the RV market that could be repurposed or adapted for a boat? Or, would they not be powerful enough to cool a whole bridge?

Not sure, probably nothing big enough to handle the bridge. I think the bridge unit is 16,000 btu? I am just going from memory when I was looking around...

The best advice I got from a fellow member here was you want the boat with the bridge air and hydraulic platform, adding them after market made no sense... There is a beautiful 480 for sale in Pasadena, close to you, have you looked at it??? It has air and platform and updated helm. Looks ideal... If I was still shopping I would look there... Opps nevermind, Sale Pending... More proof that good boats don't sit on the market long!
 
Not sure, probably nothing big enough to handle the bridge. I think the bridge unit is 16,000 btu? I am just going from memory when I was looking around...

The best advice I got from a fellow member here was you want the boat with the bridge air and hydraulic platform, adding them after market made no sense... There is a beautiful 480 for sale in Pasadena, close to you, have you looked at it??? It has air and platform and updated helm. Looks ideal... If I was still shopping I would look there... Opps nevermind, Sale Pending... More proof that good boats don't sit on the market long!

Absolutely sound advice. And the direction I’m going. So this was
More of a hypothetical question than anything else. I think it’s possible - especially with something like a roof mount RV style one. Although the ideal would be a stand alone unit to not have to cut any holes in the roof or run water lines. But yes, I’d be buying one with helm air (and heat).

I saw that one in Pasadena. Actually visited with the owner (Chris - he’s a member here) and he gave me a lengthy tour of the boat and its’ systems. He’s done a lot of upgrades with it and the new owner is getting a well cared for boat!
 
Absolutely sound advice. And the direction I’m going. So this was
More of a hypothetical question than anything else. I think it’s possible - especially with something like a roof mount RV style one. Although the ideal would be a stand alone unit to not have to cut any holes in the roof or run water lines. But yes, I’d be buying one with helm air (and heat).

I saw that one in Pasadena. Actually visited with the owner (Chris - he’s a member here) and he gave me a lengthy tour of the boat and its’ systems. He’s done a lot of upgrades with it and the new owner is getting a well cared for boat!
Scoop,
I know Chris well, and the boat is amazing. stay in touch with him as you never know...Your question about Cats I can answer. I have 3196's with over 3000 hours on them. The issue that everyone talks about is when they were first in production, the aftercooler cores were made of poor material and would allow seawater to penetrate and leak into the 5-6 cylinders. Cat then came out with a replacement (version 2), which was better, but can fail. Cat then came out with a third version (tag number 5147). These seem good, but the protocol is to remove the core every 2 years and have pressure tested to 25lbs. If it fails, then replace. Please note that the pressure tested is much higher than running pressure which is about 10-15lbs of pressure from my understanding. So basically, by pressure testing every few years you would know if a failure might be coming and you have time to replace. Cummings also has a recommendation to pressure test the cores. Since these are all aftercoolers, there is a increase in chance that seawater will be ingested, but I would buy either engine in a heart beat. I love my cats and they get used. Hope that helps in your decision making process. Please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.
 
Scoop,
I know Chris well, and the boat is amazing. stay in touch with him as you never know...Your question about Cats I can answer. I have 3196's with over 3000 hours on them. The issue that everyone talks about is when they were first in production, the aftercooler cores were made of poor material and would allow seawater to penetrate and leak into the 5-6 cylinders. Cat then came out with a replacement (version 2), which was better, but can fail. Cat then came out with a third version (tag number 5147). These seem good, but the protocol is to remove the core every 2 years and have pressure tested to 25lbs. If it fails, then replace. Please note that the pressure tested is much higher than running pressure which is about 10-15lbs of pressure from my understanding. So basically, by pressure testing every few years you would know if a failure might be coming and you have time to replace. Cummings also has a recommendation to pressure test the cores. Since these are all aftercoolers, there is a increase in chance that seawater will be ingested, but I would buy either engine in a heart beat. I love my cats and they get used. Hope that helps in your decision making process. Please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Yeah, I’ve come to terms with the whole Cat thing. Assuming the AC’s were replaced, and with good records and a survey, those engines seem to be quite strong. And the more research I’ve done on the Cummins, the less comfortable I am with that dry exchaust design. It doesn’t hurt that Cat powered boats are more in my price range!

So a question: What if the Cat aftercoolers were just recently replaced and there are no records showing and prior replacing? Do we assume the engine ran with early model AC’s until recently? What would the implications of that be? And would a survey pick it up?

3000 hours? That’s amazing. And great to hear!

I’ll definitely stay in touch with Chris, if I can. He said he’s moving to SC, though, so that may be tough!
 
Something to think about regarding bridge AC.... I've seen this done with some RV'ers to supplement their roof AC's on really hot days (poor insulation when temps are close to 100+)...you could purchase one of those portable AC units that just needs an exhaust outlet. I was surprised at the size of them these days. They're about the size of a dehumidifier which is small enough to stick in a corner and be out of the way. You could even build a small wood enclosure that doubles as an end table/drink table. Could be a relatively cheap option vs. running power, adding a thru hull, mounting the unit, adding vents, etc.
 
Yeah, I’ve come to terms with the whole Cat thing. Assuming the AC’s were replaced, and with good records and a survey, those engines seem to be quite strong. And the more research I’ve done on the Cummins, the less comfortable I am with that dry exchaust design. It doesn’t hurt that Cat powered boats are more in my price range!

So a question: What if the Cat aftercoolers were just recently replaced and there are no records showing and prior replacing? Do we assume the engine ran with early model AC’s until recently? What would the implications of that be? And would a survey pick it up?

3000 hours? That’s amazing. And great to hear!

I’ll definitely stay in touch with Chris, if I can. He said he’s moving to SC, though, so that may be tough!
Hey Scoop,
When you find a boat you like, and if it has Cats...When the engine survey is done, just check the NA+ level. They really should be single digit, but I have seen them in 10-15, and those engines are purring along (see how I just did that!!). Also if you can see the metal "tag" that is coming out of the AC the last digits will be 5147, any other and it is a older generation and you just need to be vigilant about testing every two years. When I got my boat, it had one that was the lastest(newest) core and one that was 2nd gen. As it started to fail, I replaced and I just did them again this past winter and they were great. Cheers.
 
A couple questions for owners:
1. The green light on the power panel indicating power is on for shore or genny is out. Is there a bulb behind the lens, or is that a separate fixture?
2. Replacement rocker switches (single blue light up) for the dash. What brand?
3. Anyone replace the Bose 48 with a newer version for Blu-ray? Are the speakers and/or wiring compatible?

3 weeks in and I'm in love with it. Small rain leak in port forward window being taken care of by Skipperbuds. Thank goodness for the rain during our trial. Mike
 
#1 as long as it's the same as on the 58DB (and it should be) it's an led fixture and available from Flounder Pounder.
 

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