I tried for years to come up with a functional, attractive and relatively damage proof alternative to the fiberglass fish gills louvers on the side of our boats. This is my interpretation. Aside from the shaping of the stainless steel cloth and the laser cutting of the stainless sheet, all was done by me. The embossed stainless cloth had a custom dap created to make the shape. All stainless is 316 but I still rinse the hell out of it. No insects have tried to make a nest inside thus far. There is bronze screen at another location in the assembly as well. I tried to get T-Rex Custom Grills in CA to make this but they considered it too much a niche and the production run too small, anything under a couple thousand they said isn't worth their time.
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60"s-70's Engine room vent louver alternative
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Re: 60"s-70's Engine room vent louver alternative
Here's what i had to work with. The rusted out rivets let LOTS of water into the engine room during a rain, washing or underway. The foam molds are standard foam glued into the approx shape with polyurethane adhesive and shaped on the jointer. epoxy laminated fiberglass cloth was wrapped to approx 1/8"+ thickness. The gigantic oblong hole is exactly the way it was installed from the factory, a giant oblong hole. The engine room blower also dumped into this box, diamond shaped hole, only to be directed right back into the engine room! I've since created an independent engine room blower outlet . I had a movie of the air box but thats not an accepted format for the site
Last edited by bostonhatteras; 12-10-2023 at 10:48 AM.
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Re: 60"s-70's Engine room vent louver alternative
More prep
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Re: 60"s-70's Engine room vent louver alternative
Prepaint. The flange inside is fiberglass plate supplied by mcmaster carr and it is the mounting flange for the stainless covers. it has a decently large epoxy fillet behind to ensure it stays in place.
Last edited by bostonhatteras; 12-10-2023 at 10:40 AM.
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Re: 60"s-70's Engine room vent louver alternative
Painted and pre-install They were fully painted in the shop then sanded with 320, installed and painted again with the hull so all the screws were painted too. You can see the bronze screen epoxied to the top of the air tubes.
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Re: 60"s-70's Engine room vent louver alternative
Wow!!
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Re: 60"s-70's Engine room vent louver alternative
Damn sexy.
SEVEN
1979 53' MY Hull #563
Antioch, California
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12-10-2023 12:49 PM #8Senior Member
- Join Date
- Feb 2016
- Posts
- 253
Re: 60"s-70's Engine room vent louver alternative
Wow times 3. Shop envy too!!
Matt
1976 58' YF, Hull #410
"Time Out West"
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Re: 60"s-70's Engine room vent louver alternative
Thanks guys Glad you like them.
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Re: 60"s-70's Engine room vent louver alternative
Very nice work, we all love to see projects.
Walt Hoover