Mambo42
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2021
- Messages
- 967
- Vessel Name
- Endless Summer
- Vessel Make
- 1979 Defever 49
Thanks Bob, good to hear from another Devefer owner.
The 2 aft vents is a bit unclear which direction they are going, but there is definitely no airflow in the ER at this moment. I would feel a draft and that is lacking at this moment.
I can hear blowers running at the vents where the engine draws air, but at the rear vents I don't hear any blowers at all.
Luckily the engines were still OK and now that I gave them extensive service (doing everything short of taking them out completely) they should be up and running for many more years to come. I don't know what the former owners did, but we will change the oil/filters every 150 hrs, change the oil in the minimecs every 50 hrs, change the coolant every year and keep a sharp look out for anything that sounds or looks to need attention. They are old, but they have many more hours ahead of them.
I understand you sold your Devefer again. If I may ask what made you sell the boat ? Was there anything particular you did not enjoy ?
The 2 vents forward in the ER draw air straight into the engines, they are not venting into the ER. The exhaust is a wet exhaust, which goes straight out via the back.First up, the two blowers are not both blowers. I had a DeFever 49 CPMY and made the same misidentification. One of them pulls air into the engine room and the other blows it out. Make sure you have this happening. Sometimes, someone will put two blowers into the engine room and then get concerned because it won't cool down. Check the wiring. Motors will run backwards, overheat and trip the switch too soon. Been there done that and have the proverbial T-Shirt.
The 2 aft vents is a bit unclear which direction they are going, but there is definitely no airflow in the ER at this moment. I would feel a draft and that is lacking at this moment.
At the moment the port blower shuts itself down after appr 1 min, the stbd blower after about 5 min, the circuit breakers simply trip. To me it means there is something wrong with the blowers, so I will exchange them in any case. But regardless of that, even when the blowers are running I have no airflow in the ERSecond, they are not continuous operating "blowers." Check the specs, they should be high volume and after a few minutes they should automatically shut off.
I did not have a thermometer in the ER yet, but when you enter the ER after running the engines you instantly start to sweat and being used to 100 degrees temps in the Caribbean I know that I don't sweat in those temps. My guess is we are up at about 130 at the moment. And that is running the engines with the ER door open and the hatch to the lazarette removed.Third, how hot is hot and where is it that hot in the engine room? You'll find that temps change throughout the engine room. Hot spots, sure.
Unfortunately the batteries are not in boxes. They are standing open in the ER, blocked from moving sideways and from moving up or down, but they are not in a box.And the place where the batteries are located in their insulator fiberglass boxes will be cooler. Batteries can take a lot of heat. But, won't charge at high temps. That's your clue to know that the temp in the room is too hot. Tape some cheap thermometers around the engine room, in the battery boxes or on top. Make sure the lids sit down on the boxes. If they're angled up due to extra wires directly on the batteries, re-route those through fuses or breakers - check standards. Get an NMEA/ABYC certified electrician. I was a USCG Aviation Electrician's mate and there is a difference between working on a house, boat or airplane. A very big difference.
Luckily I have no dryer on board, so that won't be a problemNext, check the vent boxes on either side of the boat. The clothes dryers vent through there and do tend to fill them up with lint style debris. Ours vented on the starboard side engine vent box. You can sometimes tell this is an issue when you notice lint floating around the engine room when the dryer is running. Talk about an underwear changing event first time you see that LOL. Also, as an aside, check the vent hoses from the dryer to make sure they're clear. Poor drying will clue you into clogged vents (we changed our hoses out).
I can hear blowers running at the vents where the engine draws air, but at the rear vents I don't hear any blowers at all.
I have one of those thermometers and the engines are running perfect at 78 degrees Celsius. The heat in the ER comes primarily from those two 78 degrees warm chunks of metal radiating their heat into the ER where there is currently hardly any airflow. The moment I switch on the generator it becomes even worse.Get an Infrared Thermometer, Digital Laser Gun is Non-Contact Thermometer with a Temperature Range -4 to 752-Degree Fahrenheit ($30) to check the engine room, engines, etc. Make sure your Lehman's aren't running extra hot. Call American Diesel (804) 435-3107 https://americandieselcorp.com/ or email lehmandiesel@gmail.com for the temps, spare parts lists, and so on.
Tried to join that forum already 3 times, each time I get an automated e-mail they will be in touch shortly, but that never happened. First time was about Oct 2021, right after I bought the boat. So I just gave up. Perhaps it is because the boat is lying in Europe and not in the US.Finally, you might want to join the https://www.defevercruisers.com/ forum for additional help. I know several 49 PH owners and they would love to help you with specifics about the boat as they are all currently cruising on them.
He must have been full of interesting stories, he built some awesome boats and mine is 43 years old, but still going strong !We actually met with Art DeFever and three other people in the engine room of a 49 CPMY when we were a rendezvous. Before passing, he made all but a couple of them.
That was one of the main selling points for me. This boat of over engineered and that is the way I like it !The 49 PH is a bullet proof vessel with four inch thick hull at the keel moving on up to .75" at the gunnels. The Lehman Ford's are also bullet proof if you take care of them.
Luckily the engines were still OK and now that I gave them extensive service (doing everything short of taking them out completely) they should be up and running for many more years to come. I don't know what the former owners did, but we will change the oil/filters every 150 hrs, change the oil in the minimecs every 50 hrs, change the coolant every year and keep a sharp look out for anything that sounds or looks to need attention. They are old, but they have many more hours ahead of them.
I understand you sold your Devefer again. If I may ask what made you sell the boat ? Was there anything particular you did not enjoy ?
Last edited: