Air Cond. location

[Stripermann2]

I believe there is a difference between negativity and reality.

I have no interest in the former, only the latter.

This forum is viewed by a great number of folks over time, and it provides a great deal of useful information, not only to the original poster, but to those who are seeking to increase their own level of knowledge.

It is incumbent on those of us who try to provide beneficial information to do so in a safe and responsible manner, especially as this forum and the threads herein continue to be a valuable resource to this community in the future as well.

I hope that someone seeing this thread later will consider the advice freely given and do their own research and seek out factual information before risking life and limb for themselves, their crews and dockmates.

RWS

+1000
I'm not gonna dig a big hole on this topic but simply adding, that the action of putting a genset in the engine room is a disaster waiting to happen! I certainly hope folks don't seek your advise on other boating issues if this is a sampling. Nuff said.

[RWS]

+1000
I'm not gonna dig a big hole on this topic but simply adding, that the action of putting a genset in the engine room is a disaster waiting to happen! I certainly hope folks don't seek your advise on other boating issues if this is a sampling. Nuff said.


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Some of these boats are in the neighborhood of 30 years old.

Imagine one of the following scenarios:

10-20 or 30 year old rusty hose clamp fails, or maybe a chafing fuel hose.

10-20 or 30 year old fuel pump gets a pinhole in the diaphragm pushing raw fuel into the crankcase - or up to the carb

Fuel line going into the stone filter in the quadrajet gets loose from the engine torqueing, sprays fuel into the ER

canister gas filter not sufficiently tight or bad o ring seat - leaking gas.

water drain on fuel/water serperator not tight enough, vibration causes it to open and slowly drip fuel....

unknown, unseen corrosion at bottom of gas tank begins to seep gasoline....

I could go on and on.

If a teaspoon of gasoline equates to a stick of dynamite, imagine what half a cup would do in a warm bilge, with nowhere to go.

Introduce a spark and then..... well.

that closed space becomes a combustion chamber.

A prudent Captain is required to make judgments and decisions that affect the lives and well being of others.

Just sayin...............

Oh, and by the way, here's well known toast:

......................."Here's to Swimmin with bowlegged women"
RWS

[9mtrojan]

Joe,
Nice pics!!! Great lines the internationals have!!! Have fun and enjoy the rest of your season!!! Paul

[prowlersfish]

Thank you all for the insightful posts! I'll keep the negativity off the board and let you know how my luck holds out. If your equipment is in good shape you should never have fuel vapor in the engine room in the first place.

Perhaps you are unaware of how fuel vapors can form in even the best of engine rooms . First if you have carburetors you will get fumes .Carburetors are not sealed , the fuel in the bowl is vented and even though the vents are over the carb inlet some fumes will escape . Thats why we run the blowers before starting . Fuel hoses can allow some vapors to escape . thats why the EPA has set tighter standards on this . But even the latest and greatest guarantee 100% fume free . And most boats don't have the latest lines /hoses

evaporative emissions = fumes

"Fuel hose must now meet much stricter standards for evaporative emissions. Look for hose labeled USCG Type A1-15, USCG Type B1-15. This means it meets the new EPA standard." (Note B15 is outboard hose )


Exhaust . The exhaust should have a proper outlet and cooled with water and exit outside the hull . You could use stack exhaust , but doing right is not a simple undertaking and has no place on a boat like yours (save it for a work or tug boat ). Running the exhaust through the blower / vent system is just not safe both from a fume and heat/fire factor . Fiber glass burns easy even a heat gun could cause a fire .

Please give this some thought , don't believe it talk to someone with the abyc or a licensed surveyor .

[captainmaniac]

[quote="zdek"]Thank you all for the insightful posts! I'll keep the negativity off the board and let you know how my luck holds out. If your equipment is in good shape you should never have fuel vapor in the engine room in the first place.

I prefer boaters around me who make intelligent decisions and follow safe boating practices. In other words - people who don't rely on "how my luck holds out" - 'cause if that bugger blows because your luck runs out, it also takes out everyone within 200'.

Doing what you are doing is a hazard to yourself, anyone you have aboard, and anyone around you. Hopefully someone can get you to ditch the attitude and understand that.

[zdek]

I had no idea this would get so much attention. It's been beaten like a dead horse. Either way, anything is better than an Onan MCCK with brushes sparking all over the place, factory mounted between two carbed engines.

Thank you for your concern - I'll run my boat and have a good time, safely. It's my intent to add to the community here.
Regards,
Joe

[RWS]

Thank you for your concern - I'll run my boat and have a good time, safely. It's my intent to add to the community here.
Regards,
Joe

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You are most welcome.

This Forum provides a significant amount of valuable data and information.

You have a very unique vessel with many innovative features.

Hope you can gain knowledge and share vaulaube experiences here with us.

RWS

[summer storm]

I'm going to beat the dead horse a little bit more. I served in the Coast Guard, at the busiest SAR station in the world, Miami Beach. I have responded to enough boat fires and explosions to tell you that having a portable gas generator running in a enclosed engine room is like waving a gun at your friends. Just think of the aftermath if something went bad. Think funerals. You don't need a "old unit" to have problems. A brand new unit will be venting gas fumes right out of the gas cap. A brand new unit will be producing carbon monoxide minutes after you start it. You should not even store a portable in the engine room.

IF you do have to run one it should be on the swim platform, down wind, not up on the bow where the wind flow travels aft. Install CO fume detectors all over the place. Never run it and go to sleep down below. I'm not even going to ask how it is tied into the boat's power panel. Just so you know I am a full time captain and people pay me to make sure their 11+ million toy and all the people on board are safe, So I'm not just gathering info from the internet and posting it to sound smart.

GET IT OUT OF THE ENGINE ROOM

Don't want to here it? tough @%#*. I actually feel like I am trying to save lives here.

CPSC SAFETY ALERT-

Fire Hazards
• Never store fuel for your generator in the home. Gasoline, propane,
kerosene, and other flammable liquids should be stored outside of
living areas in properly-labeled, non-glass safety containers. Do not
store them near a fuel-burning appliance, such as a natural gas
water heater in a garage.

NEVER use a generator inside homes, garages, crawlspaces,
sheds, or similar areas, even when using fans or opening
doors and windows for ventilation. Deadly levels of carbon
monoxide can quickly build up in these areas and can linger
for hours, even after the generator has shut off.

Every year, people die in incidents related to portable generator
use. Most of the incidents associated with portable generators
reported to CPSC involve CO poisoning from generators used
indoors or in partially-enclosed spaces.

[zdek]

GET IT OUT OF THE ENGINE ROOM

Trojan installed all gensets in the engine room. I'm not re-inventing the wheel.

Have a great weekend.

Joe

[comodave]

Yes, Trojan did install gensets in the engine room, certified marine ignition protected units. There is nothing wrong with installing a proper marine genset in the engine room. If a marine unit is sparking, then it needs to be serviced promptly. However, installing a non marine genset in the engine room is just asking for problems. Many people have brought up various possible problems and all are certainly possible, if not likely. It is your boat, but if you ever take anyone along with you, you are putting their lives at risk and that is an awesome responsibility. I take lots of people on my boats. I endeavor to make it as safe and fun as possible. I do not think I could live with the knowledge that I knowingly used a non marine genset and someone got hurt or died due to my neglegence.

[Stripermann2]

Run your portable generator in the engine room. I don't care... I did at the beginning of all this.
Good luck Joe.

[RWS]

Run your portable generator in the engine room. I don't care... I did at the beginning of all this.
Good luck Joe.

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I did too.

With the best of intentions.

Truly....

Perhaps Mrs. Gump was right after all........

it is as it does.

I had a friend who ran an organ donor center.

She referred to motorcyclists riding crotch rockets as "Organ Donors"

We've all seen them weaving in and out of traffic.

After all, we all make choices in this life.

It is what it is.

That said, boating incidents where negligence can be proven are lucrative for the ambulance chasers.

They don't stop at the insurance companies, either. They pursue personal assets.

RWS

[Big D]

Ignorance is bliss isn’t it? I can almost picture everyone on board having a great time right up until the point where there’s an explosion. Sometimes there is no convincing people that non-marine rated equipment like starters, alternators, generators, chargers, inverters, fuel pumps, air conditioners, etc. have no place in an engine compartment. Dissect your MCCK and you’ll soon realize why the “M” designation’s design allows it to be mounted in the engine bay. Do you actually think these boats would be around this long if measures weren’t taken to deal with arcing from the MCCK’s brushes and ignition points? Even with all the ignition protected equipment on board, explosions still happen for one reason or another due to either hardware or human failure but mostly the human type. All we can do is educate ourselves and take measures to minimize the possibly/chances of an explosion. By running a non-ignition protected system in the engine compartment, you raise your threat status from DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 1 and you should never be comfortable while you’re boating. It's not a matter of "IF" something will happen, it's "WHEN".

You’ve been told by several people here that what you’re doing is life threatening yet you choose to ignore it in spite of all the evidence at your disposal, I don't get it. If you choose to continue operating this way then knock yourself out but it is incumbent upon you to warn passengers and other boaters around you about what you are doing and the potential dangers as you are responsible for them too, they have a right to know and decide for themselves if they want to be around. Lawyers and insurance companies love this type of thing, it’s a perfect way out of a claim but that would be the least of your problems if there’s a serious injury or death involved. If you’ve never taken advice from anybody before, please heed the warnings here and elsewhere. This convenience that you’re not willing to give up isn’t worth a life.

[aaronbocknek]

this thread is giving me a headache. and not in a good way. joe, you joined the forum to gather information about trojan boats and to absorb information. as a long time boater, i ask you, as the captain of your vessel, please, do not ignore these fine people's warning signs. you owe it to your passengers and other members of your crew. heck, i don't even allow my partner to entertain guests onboard ENTERPRISE unless 1. i know the guests and 2. i am around. she is registered to me and me alone, and i alone am on the insurance policy save for the rider that phil can have helm privileges. i am the captain of my vessel, and i am ultimately responsible for the safety and well being of all aboard her. please understand that we want you to enjoy your international and learn about her. stuffing a non marine genset in the engine compartment is just bad news all around. if you've ever witnessed a vessel fire, you would change your tune real fast. i've seen the tail end of a fuel dock explosion and it's terrifying in it's scope and intensity. one minute the vessel was pulling away from the fuel dock, the next minute she goes up like a roman candle. everyone jumping overboard and trying to get away from the fuel and fiberglass fed inferno. and the smell is something you will NEVER forget. why did the boat blow up? the owner, a young guy out for a day on the water with his pals, rushed away from the fuel dock, did not blow the bilges long enough or vent the cabin properly. the vessel was probably not maintained in the best of ways either. so please, tear down your mcck. believe it or not, they can be brought back to life and once they are, they run like tanks. and there are people still out there that can work on them. if you have the right manuals, you can probably do it yourself. all it takes is patience.
that's my contribution to this thread.
aaron in baltimore