370 Sundancer Engine room Ventilation

koviak

koviak

Member
Aug 14, 2015
32
Pasadena Maryland
Boat Info
1995 Sea Ray 370 Sundancer
Engines
454 mercruisers 310hp
New to me 1995 370 Sundancer and notice that the engine room does not have really good fresh air intakes. This model year seems to vent thru the stern corners only. Spent weekend with others who have the 310 and 320 models that have pretty decent set up for air intakes. Thinking of adding intakes to introduce more fresh air into the ER for cooling, ventilation and engines. Am I overthinking this ?
 
koviak said:
New to me 1995 370 Sundancer and notice that the engine room does not have really good fresh air intakes. This model year seems to vent thru the stern corners only. Spent weekend with others who have the 310 and 320 models that have pretty decent set up for air intakes. Thinking of adding intakes to introduce more fresh air into the ER for cooling, ventilation and engines. Am I overthinking this ?
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yep.....the Sea Ray engineers thought the current air intakes/vents are enough so why do you think the ER needs additional vents?.....

cliff
 
CliffA said:
yep.....the Sea Ray engineers thought the current air intakes/vents are enough so why do you think the ER needs additional vents?.....

cliff
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Cliff, just thinking that more frequent air changes with better ventilation would serve the engines better. Slightly cooler ER and better mold control.
 
I agree with Cliff on this. There are plenty of other things to worry about on your boat without trying to re-engineer the vessel. There are probably close to 100 370da owners on this forum and in my 11 years here you are the first to think the engines need more air.

Make a cocktail, plug in some tasty tunes, grab a seat in the cockpit and enjoy your mate and the sunset. Someone told me once to Worry about the things worth worrying about. Great advice....
 
If there is a problem with mold, it is likely because the boat is a dock queen. Boats need to move to really ventilate and engines need to work to keep from turning into hunks of iron oxide rust dust.

If the boat has really low hours, it needs an exercise program.

I have no mold problem in my engine room and haven’t heard from other 370 owners who have either.
 
Was just a question of curiosity on the ventilation. As for mold, mid-Atlantic humidity will get you everytime. She is definitely not a dock queen as we are out every weekend. Engine hours on rebuilds are approx. 1570hrs. so she runs :)
 
one thing to remember is boat engines are cooled by water, not by air like a car engine so the main air supply the engines need is intake air for combustion only.....unless you are experiencing vapor lock of the fuel system due to high heat in the ER or mold issues I would leave well enough alone....

go enjoy your boat and don't overthink things....I can say that because I used to be guilty of the same thing until I came to my senses....:confused:.....

cliff
 
koviak said:
New to me 1995 370 Sundancer and notice that the engine room does not have really good fresh air intakes. This model year seems to vent thru the stern corners only. Spent weekend with others who have the 310 and 320 models that have pretty decent set up for air intakes. Thinking of adding intakes to introduce more fresh air into the ER for cooling, ventilation and engines. Am I overthinking this ?
Click to expand...
Question, do you still have the factory shaft logs, I notice mine drips and a small amount of water lays in the drain alleys in the bilge, and in the rear sump pit. With the wonderful Maryland humidity & sun my engine room gets very humid. I have to wipe down everything to remove the mold, and the air is stale an some times foggy in the engine room. As an HVACR design engineer we have humidity problems every year in buildings. We are docked at mouth of the Susquehanna river on the bay. Plenty of breeze, I will be installing drip-less shaft logs this winter, and will re-assess the situation next season.
 
Once owned a 370 Express. ER ventilation was never an issue in the 10 years we owned the boat. Yes. Overthinking it.
 
sbw1 said:
Once owned a 370 Express. ER ventilation was never an issue in the 10 years we owned the boat. Yes. Overthinking it.
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Sundancer and Express cruiser's are different, as temp & humidity of Maryland vs Michigan is very different. Not over thinking, working on an issue that is causing several problems.
 
sbw1 said:
Once owned a 370 Express. ER ventilation was never an issue in the 10 years we owned the boat. Yes. Overthinking it.
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Did the inside of your engine room hull sweat, with water running down the inside?
 
Glenn, sorry haven't logged on in awhile. On occasion the engine room would have condensation built up, mainly due to the humidity here in Maryland. Will be a good winter project to think about for me to get better air changes in the engine room.
Had a Trojan International for 6 years that I increased the vents on and cleared up most of these issues with moisture. As for shaft logs, I have the dripless that are factory (no longer made, Strong Seal) they have a new design. Mine leak slightly while underway, had (1) spare seal on the shaft that i had changed. Not sure if I will go dripless again or packing style for easier maintenance. I am old school and have no problem with technology that has been working for years :cool:
 
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