Quiet blower

bobby bushay

Cadet
Joined
Jul 14, 2011
Messages
26
Can I get some recomendations on a blower that runs quiet. I currently have a 3"Attwood for my 3.0l I/o. Seems to be very loud to me. I'm quite sure there is nothing wrong with it. Nothing loose and propeller is tight and moves freely. Also, has anyone tried to put a 2nd blower&vent in reverse. Taking in cool air from the boat ride to cool engine compartment down. Seems like blowing air out and taking it in would create great air circulation in engine compartment allowing for nice cool engine on hot long days on water.
Thanks for any opinions on this question.
 

tpenfield

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Jul 18, 2011
Messages
18,856
Re: Quiet blower

Yea, the blowers on my boat are loud too . . . louder than the engine at idle.

If you did a second blower it would be best to have both pulling air out from the lower portion of the bilge. The entire purpose is to draw air out. The boat is vented on the port side (usually) to allow plenty of air to come into the boat.

Keep in mind that the blowers are to evacuate fumes rather than cool the engine.
 
Last edited:

greenbush future

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Aug 28, 2009
Messages
1,814
Re: Quiet blower

Loud isn't all that bad for the simple reason that you really do need to make sure it's on when ya need it on. Not sure if you operate with it on all the time of just as you fire up the boat?? I liked hearing my fan when I hit the switch, it ensured me, that is was doing what I wanted. But I didn't run my blower all the time either.
I'm sure you can find new one's that are very, very quiet, I bet Iboats sells em too, but that's just a guess. 2fans? sure cant hurt, but I doubt it was built that way from the factory, are there 2 switches on the dash? Why do you feel you need 2?
The engine is cooled by water not the fan I believe.
 

bobby bushay

Cadet
Joined
Jul 14, 2011
Messages
26
Re: Quiet blower

Ok thanks. I get what your saying. So do we all just deal with the fact that blowers are loud? has anyone had a loud blower and replaced it with one that is, say, 1/2 as loud? With all the different manufacturer's of blowers their has to be ones that are quieter, made better. I guess that would be my main question.... thanks
 

bobby bushay

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Jul 14, 2011
Messages
26
Re: Quiet blower

I run it A lot on very warm days. I live in Maine so it isn't that hot for very long. Most times just being extra careful with the family in the boat.
 

bobby bushay

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Jul 14, 2011
Messages
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Re: Quiet blower

I have the boat in my warehouse right now in a total strip down re work and fix everything mode. I have never had a issue with over heating. With your boat in pieces and time to think of everything you can improve before you put it back together, maybe im just getting a little overboard. Couldnt sleep this morning so i thought of the two blower idea and wanted to run it by you guys to see what you thought. Thanks for the input.
 

mrdancer

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Aug 21, 2008
Messages
235
Re: Quiet blower

Ok thanks. I get what your saying. So do we all just deal with the fact that blowers are loud? has anyone had a loud blower and replaced it with one that is, say, 1/2 as loud? With all the different manufacturer's of blowers their has to be ones that are quieter, made better. I guess that would be my main question.... thanks

I don't know if Panasonic makes blowers for boats, but their bathroom fans sure are quiet for the amount of air they move.

As others have said, not sure you want it TOO silent, though, so you know when it is on and working...

Panasonic makes quiet computer fans, too, so I know they have 12v options...
 

H20Rat

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Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
5,204
Re: Quiet blower

You only need it running for a couple minutes before startup and at low idle, beyond that, it can be shut off and you won't hear it anyway. Personally i LIKE the fact they are loud, I know they are running then! If you had a silent blower, how do you know it is actually running? Do you go back and verify output every time?
 

JASinIL2006

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Feb 10, 2012
Messages
5,748
Re: Quiet blower

I keep my blower on at low speeds and idling, too, and mine is really too noisy also. (I think it's an Attwood, 3" blower, too.)

If I found one sufficiently quiet, I'd be much happier just leaving it on all the time. It's not just the volume, but the pitch is pretty annoying... sort of like a handheld blowdryer (for hair), but not as high.
 

Georgesalmon

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Apr 14, 2012
Messages
1,793
Re: Quiet blower

If you took off the blade you would probably find that the motor is pretty quiet. Its all the air that's moving that makes the noise. In 40 years of building new boats I most likely used or tested every marine blower out there and they are all loud. Remember, the blowers job is to remove flammable vapors, not to cool the engine. Its supposed to move a lot of air in a short time and it has to be small, not a lot of extra room in most engine compartments.
 

bobby bushay

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Joined
Jul 14, 2011
Messages
26
Re: Quiet blower

Ok thanks guys! I will check this one off my... 'can i make it better list'. The opinion of someone thats been around boats for 40 years is good enough for me. I do wanna know when it is on and i don't really run it long enough to warrant digging into this any further or spending $ to fix something that is doing just fine the way it is. Thanks again good stuff
 

smokeonthewater

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Dec 3, 2009
Messages
9,838
Re: Quiet blower

Try wrapping the outside of the blower with some foam padding.... Should lessen the noise.... I have two on my 30'er and due to the boat design I can't hear em when the engines are running and only barely when they aren't.
 
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