420/44 DB Owners Club

Tenacious said:
Thanks Brian. At 5'8" I don't have a long reach. My shoulders can't clear exhaust enough either. Will check out your suggestion tomorrow. Maybe I'm missing something obvious. Otherwise I'm going to need a mechanically inclined 4th grader to do this for me.
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Nice to see you on CSR! Great bunch of people, very knowledgeable but watch out for that Alex guy!
 
Alex F said:
Hey guys, did anyone add anything to cover their floor in the engine room? I've seen some black rubber tiles in other models, but also was thinking if a dri-dek is a good idea?

Did anyone use this?
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...toreNum=50821&subdeptNum=50833&classNum=50834
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I use a tile that snaps together like Dri-Deck. It is gray and has llttle circles molded in the surface but is solid (sorry, no photo available). My advice is to avoid the Dry Deck that has holes in it.....its real hard on your knees when you are doing maintenance.
 
Good point, Frank. I also thought that it'll be much more mess and harder to clean when things fall in the holes of dri-dek. It's sounds like something solid and rubberish is the way to go. Do you remember where you got your tiles? If you recall the name that would be great.

Did you attach the tiles to the floor or is it just laying down as a "floating tile floor"? The ones I recall seeing were screwed in. I really would like to avoid any extra holes if there's no need for them.
 
ALex,

I believe it was made by the Dri-Deck folks. I got it from either West (when they were a discounter) or Boat/US......that may tell you how long I've had it in place. It locks together with a very tight fit so nothing but liquid will get in the seams......makes washing it a dream. Non-absorbent, even diesel oil won't stain it. The tiles are rigid and heavy so when you get several locked together........the space between my engines is 3 ft X 8 ft......it doesn't need to be attached. Its is tricky to install if you have to work around floor supports or stuff mounted on the floor. Its about 1/4" think and rigid so you cannot cut it with a knife; it must be sawed or hole-sawed to get a good clean cut and fit. It is very much worth the effort...........
 
Thanks Frank. I'll keep searching. It sounds like a great idea to have the rubber tiles or rubber rug in the ER.
 
Thanks Doug. The rubber style looks like it might work well.
 
Something to share..... Last few years I've occasionally experienced my port engine stumble at 600 rpm, usually while maneuvering into slip. Forward and reversing engine drew rpms down low resulting in engine stall. Only would happen once in a great while so I lived with it. Other than this the 480 CE'S run great. After speaking with my local mechanic I learned Cummins had a service bulletin out for this issue years back. Repair simply involves a Cummins tech coming out with laptop, and reprogramming engine with updated software. I was hesitant as Cummins is not cheap a but went ahead and had them come out. Bottom line, issue fixed and motors run better than ever. No more stalling out when maneuvering in close quarters. Cummins speant day on boat to get everything done and checked both motors atmy request. Maybe overkill but i figured I'd go for it as he was there anyway. With travel and sea trial, the little hiccup cost $1,175.00 but now I have 100% confidence when approaching dock knowing I won't lose the engine while maneuvering in tight spot. I'm sharing in case anyone else has the same issue.
 
Dear Inspiration,
I have the same mount setup for kvh M3 SAt dome on my 2005 420DB. I was wondering if you knew the exact bridge clearance with your current sat dome setup. Thanks, Marianne
 
Marianne,

Welcome to 420/44DB club.

As you can see from the picture below (I took it from a soft copy of owners manual) the clearance from the keel to the mast light is just over 20'. By deducting the difference between the keel and water line we end up with just below 18'. When I was cruising last year I always used 25' as a safe zone without lowering VHF antenna. As I traveled more in the area with number of fixed bridges I've learned to be more flexible and approached lower and lower clearances. The lowest I just recently experienced was a bridge with just over 17' (let's say somewhere around 17.6') of clearance. Before going under any low bridge I always engage the bow thruster to have maximum control and come to a complete stop right before the bridge. When my wife says I'm good, then I go very slowly. In the last case of about 17.6' clearance I had about 6" between the bridge and my mast light. The biggest challenge was to stay in the dead center and avoid the bridge lights, which were hanging down about 1-1.5', so I had to go right in between the two lights otherwise I would knock off the mast light.

Hope this helps,
Alex.

ScreenHunter_01 Jun. 05 21.04.jpg
 
Alex,
Thats pretty amazing, I would have never thought you could clear under 18 ft. With the satellite dome. Switching on the bow thruster is another smart idea. Thanks for the info and thanks for starting this thread on the 420/44 DBs!!! Have a safe wonderful summer....:smt038
 
newfreedom said:
Alex,
Thats pretty amazing, I would have never thought you could clear under 18 ft. With the satellite dome. Switching on the bow thruster is another smart idea. Thanks for the info and thanks for starting this thread on the 420/44 DBs!!! Have a safe wonderful summer....:smt038
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I can't say that those readings are 100% accurate, but that's what it showed on the bridge ruler. It didn't look doable (especially that specs call for roller clearance), but we made it through. I don't know if the bridge clearance includes the hanging bridge lights, which we would never clear (I went in between).

I see you are from NY. If you not too far from LI area come and join us at MYC. IF you haven't seen the thread, here it is: LI Rendezvous - 2012


Happy 2012 summer season.

Cheers,
Alex.
 
Alex,
Thanks for the invite. Unfortunately that weekend doesn't work for me. If this is a yearly event for the NY area i will certainly keep it mind for next year.
Marianne
 
Marianne,

We were rafted up together this weekend in Bowline, good to see you here on CSR. Too bad you can't make the Montauk trip. Hope to see you again on the river...

Greg

Now for some thread related content:

Alex,

Did you ever put in some type of soft flooring in the engine room?
 
newfreedom said:
Alex,
Thanks for the invite. Unfortunately that weekend doesn't work for me. If this is a yearly event for the NY area i will certainly keep it mind for next year.
Marianne
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Marianne, yes this has been yearly event. Hope to see you next time.

Greg said:
Alex,

Did you ever put in some type of soft flooring in the engine room?
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No I didn't. This got bumped down to low priority items.
 
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I use 21' 6" and that is really, really close. The Sat TV antenna is almost as high as the VHF antenna in the upright position! Page 44 of the 44DB thread. Pretty good.
 
Hi Greg,
Too bad I did not know about the Montauk trip earlier. After looking at the Rendevous forum, I notice several boaters that I know including Ben. To answer your question regarding soft flooring I have it installed all along the mid-section of the engine room. It is a knee saver!! It was a great rafting up in Bowline again, we should be there again this weekend.
The fireworks are on 7/2.
 
Greg,
Ooops on the wrong Firework date. Haverstraw's fireworks are on Tuesday night July 3rd.
 
I know this is an old topic, but I am just reading your posts for the first time. I had majors issues with my vacuflush hose, after some research I found out there was recall on my hose. The hose was collapsing inside causing a blockage. My master head would not work at all. SeaRay dealer, Surfside 3 had to run a brand new hose lines. Thought you should take note of this seeing that our boats were manufactured the same year.
 
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