420 DA Thread

[J.Wilt]

JWILT purchased a new mattress but I don't know who from.

I had a custom mattress made from a local mattress company who also specializes in Marine mattress.
Buis Mattress Company in Holland, Michigan. buismattress.net
The owner was very helpful and he went on our boat and measured and installed. It is one piece not hinged like the old factory one.
We paid under $1,500.00
It was a 8” thick spring with pillow top, we still added 2” memory foam for extra comfort.

 

[copb8tx]

Can anyone tell me what the thickness of the standard mattress is? I can measure next time I'm up there but if I knew now I could continue my inquiries. Thanks.

 

[hynespa]

If you have replaced your tv in dropdown hatch in cabin with a smart tv can you tell me a bit about the process and what you used? I would like to replace with a smart tv.

Hey '@villain style' - I just did this last month.

1) - I went with the Samsung M4500 28" smart TV. I found it at Best Buy for $153.00.

2) - While the TV was retracted into the wall, I removed the four black screws holding the cover. You have to be careful as you remove the last screw (helps to have a second person holding it up. Alternatively if it was just you, you could tape it in place w/ blue painters masking tape. After I removed the panel - I painted the rest of the back flat black, as the dimensions of the new TV would otherwise expose some of the unpainted surface.

3) - With the back panel removed, I unscrewed the old TV and removed the old wires. The only old wire I ended up keeping was the CATV-COAX. I was planning to route 2x HDMI, Cat 5 Ethernet, and TOSLINK to the new TV.

4) - I removed the front wood grain laminate piece by unscrewing 4x silver screws that were holding it in place. I brought it home, and used a Jig Saw with a special blade designed not to splinter laminates to cut off the left and right parts of the laminate (since the new TV is wider!). You will note that I carefully taped off the cutting area to minimize any unintentional splintering. I also ended up screwing the TV directly to the original back metal bracket. I did have to go to Home Depot to buy some extra long metric screws that would fit into the 4 VESA mounting holes on the new TV as the old screws were not long enough.

5) - Here is the finished product. I used flat black paint to paint over the parts I had cut off (after sanding them). I am glad I went with a 28" TV, even though it meant cutting off the sides. Nobody has noticed - and it looks like the drop down was always meant to hold a TV that size.

NEXT STEPS: -I eventually want to convert the TV to run off 12V, so that I don't always have to run the generator when untied from the dock. This particular TV has an external 19V power supply. I purchased a "uxcell Power Converter Regulator DC12V(10V~16V) Step-Up to DC19V 8A 152W Waterproof Voltage Convert Transformer" from Amazon for $19.99. My plan is to do surgery on the original power supply that came with the TV, and install this / wire into the 12v so that I can use the TV when not tied to the dock.

 

[villain style]

Great job and excellent write up. Thank you. How difficult was it to remove the old wiring and was there an electric outlet inside that black panel above tv?

 

[hynespa]

Hey ‘@villain style’ - the outlet the old TV is plugged into is behind the cabinet above the Microwave. I had to remove the access panel at the rear of that cabinet (4 Phillips screws) and the outlet is right there. I also removed the access panel at the top of that cabinet as well (4 more Phillips screws).

You will also have to remove the thin plastic black panel at the top of the TV compartment to get access to both ends of the wiring. There are about ~10 small black Phillips screws to remove to get the panel off. You’ll have to stick your head up into there with a flashlight , etc to follow the path of the wire and refeed the new wire. That is probably the trickiest part and did leave me with a sore neck and left me feeling like a contortionist!

 

[villain style]

After trying to tackle my cabin refrigerator replacement this weekend and turning that into a huge disaster with brand new refrigerator casualties I’m not sure I should be touching anything else in the cabin.

 

[copb8tx]

Can anyone tell me what the thickness of the standard mattress is? I can measure next time I'm up there but if I knew now I could continue my inquiries. Thanks.

Didn't make it to the boat this weekend and won't be going for another couple of weeks. If any of you happened to think of it can you measure the thickness of the stock mattress? I'd like to avoid waiting two weeks to get the ball rolling on this project. Thanks.

 

[copb8tx]

After trying to tackle my cabin refrigerator replacement this weekend and turning that into a huge disaster with brand new refrigerator casualties I’m not sure I should be touching anything else in the cabin.

So what specifically happened?

 

[villain style]

Well - I had purchased the Vitrifrigo C130 to replace the Coolmatic RSD 115 refrigerator in cabin. The coolmatic had a remote compressor unit and so did the new Vitrifrigo so I did not think there would be any issues. However, by the time you get the remote compressor installed in limited space with the refrig sitting on cabin floor and they go for the install the cooling line gets twisted and moved so much it broke in half. I am told it cannot be repaired but will research that a bit more. If it cant be repaired I am looking for a replacement that has the compressor attached to refrigerator.. I'm still looking for what others have installed to replace the original unit..

 

[swaterhouse]

Can anyone tell me what the thickness of the standard mattress is? I can measure next time I'm up there but if I knew now I could continue my inquiries. Thanks.

Original is 5 inches, the only height restriction is the port hanging locker door is 9" over the platform the mattress sits on so I would advise no more than an 8" thick mattress.

We just bought an 8" foam king sized mattress and cut it down. less than $500 and about 2 hours of cutting and final shaping.

 

[hynespa]

Well - I had purchased the Vitrifrigo C130 to replace the Coolmatic RSD 115 refrigerator in cabin. The coolmatic had a remote compressor unit and so did the new Vitrifrigo so I did not think there would be any issues. However, by the time you get the remote compressor installed in limited space with the refrig sitting on cabin floor and they go for the install the cooling line gets twisted and moved so much it broke in half. I am told it cannot be repaired but will research that a bit more. If it cant be repaired I am looking for a replacement that has the compressor attached to refrigerator.. I'm still looking for what others have installed to replace the original unit..

Besides the problem with the hose, did you have any problems physically getting the old fridge up the stairs and out of the boat (or getting the new fridge into the cabin and down the stairs?). I have heard some challenges there - did you have to take anything apart to make it fit?

 

[copb8tx]

Original is 5 inches, the only height restriction is the port hanging locker door is 9" over the platform the mattress sits on so I would advise no more than an 8" thick mattress..

Thanks! I was looking at 8.5" mattresses but now I'll reconsider. The bedding will add thickness as well.

 

[villain style]

Besides the problem with the hose, did you have any problems physically getting the old fridge up the stairs and out of the boat (or getting the new fridge into the cabin and down the stairs?). I have heard some challenges there - did you have to take anything apart to make it fit?

No issues going either way. The refrigeration dealer advises me to put a new refrig in that had the compressor as part of the fridge. I’m considering it.

 

[copb8tx]

No issues going either way. The refrigeration dealer advises me to put a new refrig in that had the compressor as part of the fridge. I’m considering it.

I assume the downside is that you lose interior room in the frig.

 

[villain style]

Yes that’s the downside. Except the C130 had a freezer to it which I didn’t need. So if I get just a refrig it should be plenty. And to top it off it was Friday 13th. And it felt like it.

 

[fsudelt]

Can any current 420DA owners tell me what, if any changes, there are between 2004 & 2005. Looking at an 04 (450HP Cummins) & 05 (480HP Cummins) 420DA and price gap between both are around 50K with what seems similar options and hours on engines. Would the size of engines be the cost difference and if so are the 450’s enough power?

 

[Blueone]

Can any current 420DA owners tell me what, if any changes, there are between 2004 & 2005. Looking at an 04 (450HP Cummins) & 05 (480HP Cummins) 420DA and price gap between both are around 50K with what seems similar options and hours on engines. Would the size of engines be the cost difference and if so are the 450’s enough power?

The engines are the same... Cummins just increased hp. They also converted the 04 mechanical to electronic in 05. There are some mechanical 05's but sounds like yours is electronic. Most people will tell you to prop the 480 to the 450 specs so you dont gain much with the added hp if you do so.
Other differences are more cosmetic
Flip down flat screen in salon - gives you more storage
Flat screens in master and aft cabins
Pocket door for master
Filled in the hole in the passenger forward seat for some reason...I like the air flow from the vent to go thru there.
From what I have seen 05's were purchased or spec'd with more options from the factory...like cockpit air, Bow thruster, hydraulic swim platform..

Yes the 450's are more than enough power in my opinion

 

[fsudelt]

The engines are the same... Cummins just increased hp. They also converted the 04 mechanical to electronic in 05. There are some mechanical 05's but sounds like yours is electronic. Most people will tell you to prop the 480 to the 450 specs so you dont gain much with the added hp if you do so.
Other differences are more cosmetic
Flip down flat screen in salon - gives you more storage
Flat screens in master and aft cabins
Pocket door for master
Filled in the hole in the passenger forward seat for some reason...I like the air flow from the vent to go thru there.
From what I have seen 05's were purchased or spec'd with more options from the factory...like cockpit air, Bow thruster, hydraulic swim platform..

Yes the 450's are more than enough power in my opinion

Thanks! Appreciate the insight. Still at beginning stage of narrowing down options.

 

[Mightychan]

FSUDELT, my understanding is that the early 480's had some problems to do with the heads, and that it took a couple of re-designs to get a head that would stand up to the increased power. sbmar.com is your go-to source for Cummins info, it would be worth surfing that site.
I have the 450s in my 05 and feel like I have plenty of power.

 

[rmclok]

Guys, just bought 2005 420 DA, and this thread is gold!
Engines are 6cta 450, and I’m trying to compare speed numbers. She gets up a little over 2600 rpm. Here are my numbers. Felt a tad slow but wanted to compare and get feedback:

Rpm/kts

700/6
750/6.3
800/4.9
1000/7.5
1200/8.2
1400/
1600/9.4
1800/14.5
1900/16.4
2000/17.5
2100/18.8
2150/19.2
2200/20.5
2300/22
2400/22.5
2500/
2600/26

Engines are mech, so no fuel burn numbers other than Cummins curve from sbmar.

Comments welcome, thanks!