exhaust fumes on flybridge 1980 3326 voyager

[jsinton]

Yeah, I hadn't thought of that. I've been running with the forward hatch closed. But now I realize the answer might lie in making the superstructure around the helm less wind resistant, ie maybe cut some holes for louver panels or slats in the front? Hmmm... food for thought.

[km1125]

It's the classic "station wagon effect". When you drive a station wagon with the tailgate window open, but none of the others, you get the same problem. Some manufacturers started adding spoilers on the roof to direct clean air over the rear of the car to keep the exhaust out, but just opening some forward windows would make the problem go away.

Yes, some openings in the bridge would definitely help. Is that windshield stock? Perhaps modifying it so the two front windows are hinged at the top and open at the bottom could help.

[jsinton]

Yes, thank you for the great info. Never heard of the "station wagon" effect before. I'm thinking really cheap here. I think I'll buy some aluminum mesh material off eBay like for car grill customization. I can get two pieces 40" by 13", which should give me a good 6 sq ft opening. I'll try to cut two nice holes in the front of the fiberglass front and put some aluminum mesh strips behind it. Et voila! That outta work. Perhaps that's too cheesy? Perhaps so.

The windows are stock. It turns out I actually have a Carver Mariner, and not a Voyager as I believed. Gotta change my thingy... anyways the windows are solid. I want to take them off anyways because they're a pain to stand up and look over, I need more clearance, and the vacuum thing. Got to look into that. Probably bolted from the bottom with totally rusted bolts. She's a "mature" girl.

[bud37]

I think if you do a search with station wagon effect on boats you will find considerable info.The one thing to remember that along with the odor/ smell comes CO carbon monoxide ( quite deadly ), so be careful.

Couple days ago we went for a cruise and during this trip I spent time fooling around with hatches open, salon door open vs shut, ports open etc. We have CO monitors in the cabin that have a digital read outs. So the config that worked was front hatch open , salon door shut, side ports open.
Problem is when it is rough you should not run with the front hatch open, or else splash. I think a little more reading will give you an idea if there is really anything that works as far as the negating the suction that pulls the fumes into the cockpit and bridge area of a moving boat other than underwater exhausts. Even a headwind on a slow moving boat will create the same problem.....good luck man and like I said be aware and careful.

[jsinton]

Okay, so I ran the beast out to the scallop beds on Friday. It's like 30 miles round trip, so I experimented with opening different window combinations at different speeds in an unscientific manner. Of course opening the windows to the fullest, and running the boat at max speed had the best desired effects. One interesting thing. I realize that the helm area is like a "dead" zone with no ventilation under power. It can be a real problem in Florida mid-summer.