I/O Seacraft Do I Need a Blower?

[Bushwacker]

Terry, I think the USCG didn't require blowers till late 60's or early 70's. However there's no substitute for opening the engine box to give it the sniff and smell test - the owner of the UNOHU did that before EVERY engine start! One could also argue that in the case of a bad fuel leak where the mixture is too rich to ignite, a blower could make things worse by adding enough O2 to CREATE an explosive mixture! The sniff test is obviously preferred in that case!

That said, USCG probably had good reasons for adding the blower requirement, so think I'd add one anyway. You might also need it if you want to get the boat inspected for insurance purposes. I think I'd also add a fume detector, even before I added the blower, to cover the situation where a fuel leak develops underway, even though nothing was leaking at start-up!

By the way, what venturi's are you talking about? Do you mean the inlet/outlet vent scoops that I think were on the transom cap? Denny