adding Beam Central Vac
- Thread starter gyrospiro
- Start date
I wouldn't make any penetrations from the cabin to the engine room, especially in this case where it's not needed. Does your cannister or upright vac at home get vented outdoors? If you're concerned they sell an exhaust filter sock, but the vacuum bags filter down to 5 microns.
Skip
Well-Known Member
- Oct 5, 2006
- 1,085
- Boat Info
- 07 58 DB
Truly Blessed IV
2010 Nautica 12' RIB, 40HP Yamaha
- Engines
- MAN CRM 900s
Spiro, in my short 320DA ownership (a year) we also contemplated a central vac install. I think that the Beam Vac that Sea Ray uses will fit under the port side seat in the midcabin. Installing the hose outlet on the forward portion of the seat base (facing the footwell) ought to be relatively straightforward. You then have to run 110/120 power for the vacuum. I am sure that one of the many 320 guys here with the factory beam vac on their boats can offer some suggestions. We love our Beam vac. We can actually get the kids to help clean the boat up now-they think the Beam hose is great fun to use. That won't last, I am sure.
regards
Skip
regards
Skip
I did this on my 04 340 sundancer and It was real easy in my case. I bought the beam vac from a local vacuum dealer and paid about $235. The only part I bought from Sea Ray was the clam shell for the exhaust that mounts to the exterior of the hull. If you go to the sea ray website you will see that you can look up the parts manual for your boat and it will show you where the factory installs the unit then all you have to do is duplicate the installation.
Good Luck
tobnpr
New Member
You CANNOT (!!!) vent to the engine room. You have a gas boat- all penetrations in the forward bulkhead must be sealed to prevent CO from entering the cabin space.
Why would you want to? Doesn't it have a filter bag- or does it just blow the dirt and crap outside the boat? I have the factory installed central vac on my boat and it's not "vented".
How did you route the vent hose to the port side of the hull?
The vacuum came with a 4 feet long piece of 2 inch flexible hose. The vacuum body has a exhaust outlet that obviously the hose slides on to. Then the other end of the hose is connected to the inside of the hull with a flange that is screwed to the side of the boat. You just cut a 2 1/2 inch hole in the side of the boat where that flange is installed. The clam shell is installed over the hole in order to conceal it. In the west marine catalog you will see flanges that you can buy in the section that lists bilge blowers or exhaust fans, etc.
You definitely cannot exhaust into the engine room because in order to stay abyc compliant, any breaches through the engine room bulkhead must be something like 18 inches above bilge level and be reasonably air tight from the machinery spaces. That exhaust outlet will provide a way for air to migrate from the engine room to the cabin space. Of course that vacuum is not ignition protected either.
On my boat it was installed behind and underneath the storage locker on the port side in the midcabin. You would open up the doors on the storage cabinet and there was a 12 inch square removable insert on the floor of the cabinet. Under the insert is where it was installed. It is very difficult for me to describe this to you, but if you saw the inside of a 340 and that cabinet, it would make sense right away.
