Full camper canvas up, station wagon effect? HELP!

SkiPharmer

SkiPharmer

Active Member
Jul 27, 2014
282
St. Croix River, MN
Boat Info
2001 Formula 41 Performance Cruiser
Engines
Twin 8.2. Liter Mercruisers Direct Drives
Hello,

I searched this topic and found one thread that went back and forth. I have a 1995 330 DA with twin 454 V-drives. I am taking some people out tomorrow and the weather might be crappy, so I put up the camper canvas up. What is the safest way to boat like this. I Was gonna take the aft curtain off and open the front windshield vent. I would like that would allow enough airflow through. If I have the entire aft curtain off and just the front isenglass up is that okay too?

THANKS!!

Chris
 
Probably the best thing I can suggest is to stop on the way to the boat and buy a good quality CO detector and put it somewhere in the cockpit.

Beyond that, open the forward hatches and leave the cabin door open. Also open the windshield vent. If you're on plane the airflow through the cockpit should (emphasis on should) be enough to keep the station wagon effect to a minimum.

If you want to further reduce the effect, leave off the side curtains nearest the aft end of the boat.
 
Gofirstclass said:
Probably the best thing I can suggest is to stop on the way to the boat and buy a good quality CO detector and put it somewhere in the cockpit.

Beyond that, open the forward hatches and leave the cabin door open. Also open the windshield vent. If you're on plane the airflow through the cockpit should (emphasis on should) be enough to keep the station wagon effect to a minimum.

If you want to further reduce the effect, leave off the side curtains nearest the aft end of the boat.
Click to expand...

It's it's not raining I'll be taking the entire back and sides off and a front panel. That would eliminate it entirely I would think.
 
With the windshield vent closed, the camper top creates vacuum right behind the enclosure and exhaust fumes are sucked into the area where people are. The best thing to do is to open the windshield vent and open a rear curtain zipper where the curtain meets the top so you have air flow thru the cockpit.
 
I have the same problem on a 380, the only way I can get around it is to remove ALL side curtains, the center vent really doesn't do much for air quality when the side curtains are on
 
As Gofirstclass said get a CO monitor for the cockpit to insure the airflow through the seating area is sufficient to keep the CO at an acceptable level. I have one and leave it there full time. You may be surprised how much CO can build up in the cockpit even with all the canvas removed. Wind direction and speed of both the wind and boat makes a big difference on CO build up. By watching the CO monitor you can experiment with opening different windows to see which configuration works best to provide good airflow. As I mentioned before as the wind speed and direction change and boat speed changes you may find you need to open different windows to maintain an acceptable CO level.....

Be safe and have fun.....

cliff
 
Yes, it can definitely happen (I've experienced it many times) - you're correct in being proactive about trying to solve this. I've even seen water droplets being sucked back into the cockpit! The only caveat I would mention is that the effect could change slightly from one boat to another. Meaning, some boats will need more airflow coming through the cockpit than others. With my boats, when running with the aft canvas off, I only needed to open the forward deck hatch and leave the cockpit door open. I actually only needed the deck hatch open a few inches. My boats did not have a center window vent, though.

I would "think" (have never done it, though) that you could experiment with smoke or some type of powder (flour?) to check which way the airflow is flowing. And, until you build up a confidence level, I agree with GFC... grab a CO monitor from Home Depot.
 
I have a couple of the battery operated CO monitors from Home Depot, I will use those as well. THANKS! LOVE THIS FORUM
 
fwebster said:
Dennis........! Flour? Really?

Only if you clean up the mess!
Click to expand...

Ha-ha, Frank! I know, I was trying to think of something quickly and that was the first thing that came to mind that was "safe" for the water and light/airy. I have no idea why I thought of flour. Maybe I'm hungry. :)
 
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here is an interesting read bout how CO will diffuse evenly throughout a given space...so placement of CO monitors is not as critical as just having one in the space....

cliff

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21536403
 
I have a 1997 330 DA and run with my camper canopy up all of the time. I don't run with the curtains up generally though. I would suggest that, if it's raining, you take off the aft curtain as a minimum, open the vent window & unzip the front eisenglass a little to increase your air draft. I usually run with mine unzipped a little for increased visibility anyway. Of course, as previously stated, speed & wind direction can be a factor. Good luck!
 
With my thru hull exhausts and a normal "bow high" running attitude, I cannot run my boat on plane without having too much in the way of exhaust fumes in the cockpit unless the top is either a) Totally Open with the center window vent cracked open or b) Totally Closed with the center window vent cracked open.

Anything in between causes a significant buildup of exhaust fumes. It is worst with only the back curtain open.

Also, not sure if having underwater exhausts installed would make a significant difference or not... judging from others, probably not.
 
Obviously every boat is different but our windshield vent provides tons of airflow into the cockpit. As long as air is flowing in the desired direction, co cannot enter the environment. You might be able to leave the curtain in place and just cracking you vent but you'll never know unless you try it out with a CO monitor.

Just a heads up for everyone else. CO monitors are a disposable item. They need to be replaced every 7-10 years and tested regularly.
Not sure how long they last in a marine environment because I replace mine every other year for the boat and I use the old one for demonstrations with our SAFE programs and Senior SAFE programs.
 
On our gas engine dancer with a camper top, we had the same problem.

How about with diesels and and a camper top? Since diesels put out 10% the CEO of a gas engine, has anyone experienced issues? (Assuming front vent open, at at least the aft curtain closed, but aft side panels closed).
 
I like to keep the forward hatch open in good weather and keep the door closed. It sort of pressurized the cabin to keep exhaust out.
 
Swimmer said:
On our gas engine dancer with a camper top, we had the same problem.

How about with diesels and and a camper top? Since diesels put out 10% the CEO of a gas engine, has anyone experienced issues? (Assuming front vent open, at at least the aft curtain closed, but aft side panels closed).
Click to expand...
No issue with CO on mine. I just don't want any exhaust going down below. It tends to start turning the upholstery black over time. When I first bought the boat I had to scrub all of the soft good in the cabin to remove a dark "film" that was on everything. I assume it was from exhaust.
 
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