420 DA Thread

With all the talk about dropping valves on an overloaded engine, I finally decided to get the monkey off my back. I am in the process of changing out the heads on my 480 CE's.

The boat was unknowingly overloaded when we first purchased it with 85 hours on it. Then I ran it a couple years overloaded, until I started to read up on Tony Athen's website. When I look back at some of my notes, I think I was running it pretty hard. I currently have about 657 hours on the boat.

I have already taken 2 inches of pitch out of the propellers. That gets me real close to the fuel burn numbers Tony recommends, depending on the load and condition of the bottom. So I feel I will be in good shape once the repairs are complete. Apparently there is a service bulletin out by Cummins that talks about a better designed head, which is what I am using.

The estimate is in the 11.5-12k range for both engines, and I felt it is far cheaper than the rebuild of a single engine with a dropped valve.

It hurts to see your favorite toy torn apart, but I feel this is better in the long run.

Matt

A couple questions for you guys:
1. Does anyone in northern climates have a reusable winter cover, or does everyone use shrink wrap?
2. Has anyone changed the rudder stock packing? The parts manual says to use 1/4” sternlon. I was wondering if anyone used regular ptfe or gtu packing.

Loving my first season with the 420DA!
Thanks.

Oh, and one more
3. Has anyone upgraded the port-side (aka house) batteries to something larger than stock group-31? Was considering maybe 4D size.

Great advice. Thanks and will look into it. Thanks again

everyone likes pics..just an update...out with the old

Is there 110 electric for the cockpit TV somewhere. I can’t find an outlet.

I have one above port fwd cockpit courtesy light.

I have on behind the helm seat basically under where the wine cooler is (or would be if you have cockpit ac)

In the pic below you can see where my TV mounted, the 110 plug is under there but tucked into the corner, basically mounted to the side of cockpit.

There is also a plug behind the cockpit Fridge or ice maker. If you want your TV on the port side.

Found it. Thanks. Way back in left corner thru access panel. Why didn't they install it directly behind the access panel? The original owner never ran the tv cable or electric plug up the hole. I guess he never saw it.

SALON FLUORESCENT LIGHT CONVERSION TO LED

Following some advice / guidance received on this forum from @Jaybeaux I decided to convert the Salon overhead light from fluorescent to LED.

1) As @Jaybeaux mentioned you can order LED tube lights from http://www.m4products.com/. The SKU I ordered was "T8-120-3528-24-NW" for $24.99 each. Total cost of order with shipping was $61.58.
2) First I unscrewed 8 screws of the the plexiglass cover. I then cut the two zip ties holding the fluorescent tube in place, then rotated and removed the old tube.
3) Next I removed the two screws holding the fixture in place and removed the cover from the ballast. In case anybody is wondering, the model of the fixtures is THIN-LITE CORP model number 105.
4) You need to bypass the ballast which requires you to cut all the wires leading to the ballast. You can leave the ballast in place, however I opted to remove the ballast completely. It is held in place with rivets, so I had to use a drill to drill out the rivets.
5) I temporarily used the wire nuts that came with the LED lights to just make sure everything was working OK before I permanently crimped the wire using butt connectors.
6) - I next undid the wire nuts and used butt connectors to make the permanent connection. The new LED only needs to use one wire from each side. The instructions say you can cut off and tape the extra wire. I left the old wire in place, but taped off the end.
7) - Here is a shot of the new LED tube and the old fluorescent tube side by side. The LED tube is brighter and whiter than the old fluorescent tube. In addition, the lit part of the LED tube is slightly shorter. I put in new zip ties to securely hold the tube in place.
8) - The manufacturer provides a sticker to put over the ballast cover warning that the light has been converted to LED.
8) - Here is a shot with both LED's now installed and in place side by side. All the wiring is concealed under the ballast cover. The old ballasts were removed and thrown away.
9) Here is a shot of the cover back in place with the LED tubes under. The fact that the lit part of the tube is shorter is noticeable when the fixture is lit.

BOTTOM LINE: This project wasn't too difficult to pull off. If I was doing it again I might opt to buy whole LED fixtures, rather than retrofit LED bulbs into the existing fixtures and having to bypass the ballast. The other advantage of perhaps buying new fixtures might also be getting to fit in a longer light which might look better / fuller once the cover was put back on the ceiling. Power consumption is cut from 36W total using fluorescent to only 16W using LED.

Great write up. Looks real good

I'm thinking of replacing my original A/C units in Salon and Stateroom. I have flushed the lines, recharged them, made sure filters are clean, waterflow is excellent and strong and yet the best cooling I can get is only 62 degrees at the vent on an IR Temp reader and the cabin is about 74. That was yesterday when it was only 75 degrees outside. It has been uncomfortable all summer. It's not until about 5AM when it gets to be about 68 inside the cabin. The A/C unit is constantly on also. Never gets a chance to cycle. Looking for suggestions and feedback with new units if you have replaced your A/C units. I most likely will have someone do the job but want to know which units to get with most ease of installation.

Jaybeaux said:

I"m not a fan of super white, almost to the point of being blue lights. Whether they are incandescent or LED is irrelevant to me. I always search for lights in the 2700 Kelvin range. That is the warm white end of the scale.

Jaybeaux

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I second that. 2700 Kelvin is perfect for the interior.

What bulb is everyone replacing the nav lights and stern lights with? Also I need a new stern light clear cover anyone know the part number for that?

Thanks boys!

villain style said:

I'm thinking of replacing my original A/C units in Salon and Stateroom. I have flushed the lines, recharged them, made sure filters are clean, waterflow is excellent and strong and yet the best cooling I can get is only 62 degrees at the vent on an IR Temp reader and the cabin is about 74. That was yesterday when it was only 75 degrees outside. It has been uncomfortable all summer. It's not until about 5AM when it gets to be about 68 inside the cabin. The A/C unit is constantly on also. Never gets a chance to cycle. Looking for suggestions and feedback with new units if you have replaced your A/C units. I most likely will have someone do the job but want to know which units to get with most ease of installation.

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I just had the one in my Salon replaced. When I go to the boat in a few days I will post the model number. It is one of the Turbo units (I guess it blows more air). It seems to do a good job. It blows nice and cold. When you replace it it is pretty easy. I didn't do it myself but it seemed easy enough. Some will tell you you have to take the stairs out or some other massive job to get it in there but you do not. I can verify the model I got will slide through the hole where the tray is. Again I will let you know what my model number is and for sure it fits with a little twisting somehow.

With that being said after it is turned on it's side like that you don't want to turn it on for 12 or 24 hours or something like that until all the cool juice has settled to avoid damaging the compressor.

Another note. On my model there is an option to get it with an insulated compressor to make it quieter. When I got mine I didn't know this was an option but reading the manual later I saw it was. For the Salon AC I would get this option because in the aft cabin where the intake is it's pretty noticeable when the compressor kicks on and off for anyone sleeping back there. For the one in the forward stateroom I wouldn't bother as it's buried so deep you can't hear anything.

Now I am about to replace the one in my forward stateroom sometime this winter. I have had it all tuned up and cleaned and it blows about 55-58 which is not good enough. I am not sure if you guys realize this but you forward AC not only services the forward stateroom, the head, and the shower it also services the forward vent in the salon. So those two big vents on the port side of the boat, one forward on the couch, and one aft. The forward one is actually hooked up to the stateroom AC which surprised me. So when I replace the stateroom AC it will take a load off that Salon one as it will be blowing much colder air into the salon.

Here is a question I have. My AC vent in the shower blows a lot of air. The stateroom vent is moving a good amount of air as is the other vent in the front of the salon serviced by this blower. But the vent in my forward head barely blows any air. I pulled the vent out and it's clear. There is just a big plenum behind it with no obstructions in sight just hardly any airflow. Has anyone else seen this an been able to rectify it? How is you guys airflow in the forward head?

3fouroh said:

I second that. 2700 Kelvin is perfect for the interior.

What bulb is everyone replacing the nav lights and stern lights with? Also I need a new stern light clear cover anyone know the part number for that?

Thanks boys!

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Here is the stern light that I chose: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D1CXF5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Starboard Nav Light: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O0DL4W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Port Nav Light: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O0DL56/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

On my 420, the stern light was SIMPLE. The Port Light was not too hateful. The starboard light started with removing the TV from the forward stateroom, crawling through the closet and working with your legs suspended in the air! Don't think that this is just an easy unscrew, remove, replace, rebed, and rescrew project. Removing the old lights pretty much roached them. At that point, you are committed.

Jaybeaux

Buyajet said:

Many thanks for the response. I am trying to avoid using a permanent mount on the transom and only want it to get around a lagoon or harbor and then a transport to the beach. Thanks again for the insight.

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Hey @Buyajet - A previous owner of my Sundancer installed the St Croix Model 350 Removable Davit system. They sell new for $1,583 but I have also seen them for sale on eBay. Here is the purchase link: https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=2130068

This is how it looks on my swim platform with the Davits completely removed. They easily slide out after pulling the locking pin.
Here is how it looks with the davit arms installed but with no dinghy. We have found that having the davit arms actually allow us to steady ourselves as we board the dinghy to avoid falling into the water.
Here is the dinghy hoisted up. I am still working on adjusting the rear hooks so that the pulley is not right up against the engine. I prefer to lift the engine into the up position - especially on the long trip to Catalina - to minimize any contact with the water or wake. I also purchased ratchet straps from St Croix which I add on when I go underway with the dinghy on the back.

Jaybeaux said:

Here is the stern light that I chose: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D1CXF5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Starboard Nav Light: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O0DL4W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Port Nav Light: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O0DL56/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

On my 420, the stern light was SIMPLE. The Port Light was not too hateful. The starboard light started with removing the TV from the forward stateroom, crawling through the closet and working with your legs suspended in the air! Don't think that this is just an easy unscrew, remove, replace, rebed, and rescrew project. Removing the old lights pretty much roached them. At that point, you are committed.

Jaybeaux

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I just wanted to do a bulb swap! You went all out!

Does anyone know what bulbs they used?

villain style said:

Nick. I asked the same question at Post 917 in this thread. Start there. It’s quite helpful. I ended up with a 06 44DA.

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Thanks, I’ll be upgrading this spring to one of them. A hardtop will for sure be in the picture.

villain style said:

I always hear red is the best for least attraction. I don’t have red. I don’t care for the look.

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It’s a fool’s game. All of the lights attract bugs.

3fouroh said:

I just wanted to do a bulb swap! You went all out!

Does anyone know what bulbs they used?

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Hey @3fouroh - Here is what I used:

1) mast light / anchor light I used “
EverBrightt 2-Pack Cool White 31MM 3014 24SMD LED Festoon Light Lamp For Map Light Dome Light Trunk Light Plate Light” which is $8.59 for a 2 pack on Amazon.

2) red/green navigation lights I paid $13.98 on Amazon for a 5 pack of the Luyed “
New generation 12-24v !Super Bright Low Power !5 x 650 Lumens 1156 1141 1003 3014 54smd Led Light bulb Use for Back Up Reverse Lights,Brake Lights,Tail Lights,Rv lights White
” . I also used these in the master stateroom closet to convert that to LED

3) for Stern light on Amazon I bought for $8.70 the “Shoreline Marine LED Replacement Bulb, #90”.

All look great - even a little brighter than the previous ones. The green navigation light is a little blueish-green now with the LED vs the old incandescent- I believe others have commented on that as well.