Blower

[Escondido]

The blower on my boat is wired that it will only come on if the key is turned on. Is this correct? In every other boat I have owned the blower is live.

I was trained by my grandfather that the first thing to do when getting on the boat is hit the blower switch. I will have to alter my 30 year habit if this is correct. In the beginning I thought I just wasn't hearing it but I checked and it does not come on until the key is turned on.

I was thinking that maybe this was done so that it will not be left on and drain the battery. It is so quiet I could see that happening.

[mainiak1]

I have a 1998 2100 WT. My key does not have to be on. I have an indicator light on the switch but I can hear it run.

[CFord]

If you have to actually crank the engine to get the blower to work, then that defeats the whole purpose of a blower and there's no way its correct.

[lee]

Something is wired wrong, you should be able to turn on the blower without turning the key.

[ghollow]

When I first put my boat in the water for the weekend or make my first run of the day, I always open the engine hatch before I start it. Once it is running, I check for leaks, etc. to make sure everything is okay before I back it off the trailer. If the hatch is open, it is not necessary to run the blower. I do not let the kids in the boat until I have done my inspection amd closed the hatch.

[dogbert]

Originally posted by ghollow
If the hatch is open, it is not necessary to run the blower.

The purpose of the blower is to remove gasoline fumes from (lowest part of) the bilge. Having the hatch open is better than having it closed, but unless you move air through your bilge to disperse any fumes that may be there, you should use your blower. Standard safety guidelines call for running the blower for 5 minutes before turning on your engine.

[Escondido]

No, you don't have to start the boat to have it come on, just the key in the on position when the alarms start.

My SOP on my last boat was to turn on the blower before I did anything else, start loading the boat and lower the liftt. That would usually give me 5-10 minutes of blower time before we started it.

I am glad it was wired wrong and not some design element. Shouldn't be hard for them to uncross these wires.