Hello all, My O'day 37 is a 37 model. I know the core material is foam because I have had two experiences drilling throught the deck: I have installed a propane locker in the cockpit seat and had to cut out a fairly large section of deck (where you seat in the cockpit). The foam was dry and bright pink! I then repaired two through cracks near the main hatch. Again, I dough out a fair amount of the same bright pink foam. I was surprized when I installed a pedestal bar in the cockpit floor and saw that it was cored with wood! I guess my boat was an experiment!!! Francois: I don't understand your question about the genoa track. My track is not designed to drain. I have not had any problem with the track holding up water?... Olivier
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Francois Machabee
Confused
Hi Olivier, I am a little confused about your boat. If it is the same as mine, an O'Day 37 CC, then that means that you have put the locker either in the port or starboard cockpit seat lockers. I hope that you put in an entirely sealed seperate tank holder that has a draining port that leads outside the boat directly. If not, you can get a propane buildup in the aft and forward cabins as the seats lead directly to the engine compartment and are not sealed. The engine compartment leads via the bilge sump to the forward bilge. If your locker is draining into the cockpit, gas can get in via the lower aft cokpit leeboard as it is fairly close to the floor. Now I am pretty excited to go drilling into my boat to find out what is there. If I have a foam core then I will have less damage that suspected. I am keeping my fingers crossed. For the rail, my genoa track starts from the middle of the two large main cabin ports all the way to the first small port in the aft cabin (about 8 feet). The track is in the middle of the outer deck area. When it rains, water accumulates in small but annoying quantities in the inner portion of the deck (between to coaming and the track). I have spoken to another O'Day 37 CC owner at my marina (go figure that there are two of these boats in the same marina!) and he says that the water should drain from the small canal built into the deck (looks like a beige line across the outer deck) that is located at the stanchion closest to the coaming. It looks like the last people that pulled the track put sealant under it all over and thus covered this part. I am going to use a disk grinder to make a perpendicular slot right across the rail between two screws to get that water out. Let me know if this makes sense to you! Francois Starshine III
Hi Olivier, I am a little confused about your boat. If it is the same as mine, an O'Day 37 CC, then that means that you have put the locker either in the port or starboard cockpit seat lockers. I hope that you put in an entirely sealed seperate tank holder that has a draining port that leads outside the boat directly. If not, you can get a propane buildup in the aft and forward cabins as the seats lead directly to the engine compartment and are not sealed. The engine compartment leads via the bilge sump to the forward bilge. If your locker is draining into the cockpit, gas can get in via the lower aft cokpit leeboard as it is fairly close to the floor. Now I am pretty excited to go drilling into my boat to find out what is there. If I have a foam core then I will have less damage that suspected. I am keeping my fingers crossed. For the rail, my genoa track starts from the middle of the two large main cabin ports all the way to the first small port in the aft cabin (about 8 feet). The track is in the middle of the outer deck area. When it rains, water accumulates in small but annoying quantities in the inner portion of the deck (between to coaming and the track). I have spoken to another O'Day 37 CC owner at my marina (go figure that there are two of these boats in the same marina!) and he says that the water should drain from the small canal built into the deck (looks like a beige line across the outer deck) that is located at the stanchion closest to the coaming. It looks like the last people that pulled the track put sealant under it all over and thus covered this part. I am going to use a disk grinder to make a perpendicular slot right across the rail between two screws to get that water out. Let me know if this makes sense to you! Francois Starshine III
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Olivier Ruhlmann
My propane setup and deck drain
Francois, I do not recall ever seeing any standing water on my deck nor do I recall seeing this sort of groove. May be I just never paid attention to it. I will check it out next time. My o'day originally came with an alchool stove. It required pumping before each meal, and I saw my wife lighting up a 2ft high flame a few times... That convinced me that propane could only be better. So far it has been. I did not know where to set up the locker as it needed to be high enough to be able to drain overboard, yet I did not want it on deck. I bought a West marine pre-made locker that includes the selenoid, airtight fittings... I installed it on the port side of the cockpit, forward of the lazarette opening. The bottom of the tank drains overboard, right above the waterline via a tube and a through hull. I found the location to be very practical, and I can easily check the gas pressure. On the down side, it is slightly higher than the rest of the seating and it has an oval shape. Every newcomer never fails to ask: "Is this the toilet?!" I make myself feel better thinking it will all be hidden once I get some cockpit cushions.
Francois, I do not recall ever seeing any standing water on my deck nor do I recall seeing this sort of groove. May be I just never paid attention to it. I will check it out next time. My o'day originally came with an alchool stove. It required pumping before each meal, and I saw my wife lighting up a 2ft high flame a few times... That convinced me that propane could only be better. So far it has been. I did not know where to set up the locker as it needed to be high enough to be able to drain overboard, yet I did not want it on deck. I bought a West marine pre-made locker that includes the selenoid, airtight fittings... I installed it on the port side of the cockpit, forward of the lazarette opening. The bottom of the tank drains overboard, right above the waterline via a tube and a through hull. I found the location to be very practical, and I can easily check the gas pressure. On the down side, it is slightly higher than the rest of the seating and it has an oval shape. Every newcomer never fails to ask: "Is this the toilet?!" I make myself feel better thinking it will all be hidden once I get some cockpit cushions.
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Francois Machabee
Me too
Hi Olivier, My O'Day also has an alcool stove. I just bought a Force 10 2-burner stove. Originally, the boat would have had two 5 pound bottle in a small locker located at the back of the aft cabin deck. My setup is with two 20 pound tanks (aluminum) which are mounted on the aft deck railing via SS tank holders (very solid construction - 3mm steel plates). I have a through deck/water proof fitting through which the propane hose enters the aft cabin. The hose follows the same general path as the steering cable on the starboard side, all the way through the engine compartment and finally to the galley where the stove is mounted on gimbals. I can't wait to install it as I am very tired of having to fill the stove every time that I want coffee ;-) Is the West Marine tank holder 100% leak proof? As you probably know, propane is heavier than air and will follow the lowest path possible through even the smallest cracks. What kind of early warning system did you install and where (hopefully in the bilge) ? Did you get the spacers for the ports yet ? Thanks! Francois Starshine III
Hi Olivier, My O'Day also has an alcool stove. I just bought a Force 10 2-burner stove. Originally, the boat would have had two 5 pound bottle in a small locker located at the back of the aft cabin deck. My setup is with two 20 pound tanks (aluminum) which are mounted on the aft deck railing via SS tank holders (very solid construction - 3mm steel plates). I have a through deck/water proof fitting through which the propane hose enters the aft cabin. The hose follows the same general path as the steering cable on the starboard side, all the way through the engine compartment and finally to the galley where the stove is mounted on gimbals. I can't wait to install it as I am very tired of having to fill the stove every time that I want coffee ;-) Is the West Marine tank holder 100% leak proof? As you probably know, propane is heavier than air and will follow the lowest path possible through even the smallest cracks. What kind of early warning system did you install and where (hopefully in the bilge) ? Did you get the spacers for the ports yet ? Thanks! Francois Starshine III
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Olivier Ruhlmann
RE: Me too
The locker seems well designed. It has those air-tight hose squeezing fittings that expend as you tighten them (probably the same that you have for your through-deck fitting?). Note that it would not stop a leak in the hose or a leak at the stove/hose connection... I have installed an electric selenoid that shuts off the gas in the locker right out of the tank. One guy at Westmarine suggested to always turn off the selenoid before shutting off the gas with the stove: this way you know that the selenoid is working. So this is what I have been doing for three years. I tested all the connections with water and soap and looked for bubbles. It is high on my list of priority, but I still don't have a sniffer. So far I open the bilge once in a while and sniff around! Propane producers in the USA add an odor chemical to propane, which makes it somewhat safer. I also shut off the tank whenever I leave for a long time. I don't think there is a way to make propane systems 100% safe - just safer. I have received the spacers but have not had time to mess with them too much. They look very good, and are slightly larger than the bearing flange of the spigot (may be 1" all around), which really enhances the look of the ports even more. I am really excited about mounting them all.
The locker seems well designed. It has those air-tight hose squeezing fittings that expend as you tighten them (probably the same that you have for your through-deck fitting?). Note that it would not stop a leak in the hose or a leak at the stove/hose connection... I have installed an electric selenoid that shuts off the gas in the locker right out of the tank. One guy at Westmarine suggested to always turn off the selenoid before shutting off the gas with the stove: this way you know that the selenoid is working. So this is what I have been doing for three years. I tested all the connections with water and soap and looked for bubbles. It is high on my list of priority, but I still don't have a sniffer. So far I open the bilge once in a while and sniff around! Propane producers in the USA add an odor chemical to propane, which makes it somewhat safer. I also shut off the tank whenever I leave for a long time. I don't think there is a way to make propane systems 100% safe - just safer. I have received the spacers but have not had time to mess with them too much. They look very good, and are slightly larger than the bearing flange of the spigot (may be 1" all around), which really enhances the look of the ports even more. I am really excited about mounting them all.
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Francois Machabee
That's Great!
Hi Olivier, That's great news about your ports. Good luck in putting them in. I have to order mine this week. Your safety checklist seems fine to me. A sniffer would be a good addition to your system. I purchased an integrated system with sniffer and selenoid control on the same panel so it can't turn on if there is an alarm. Since my tanks are mounted outside on the rail, the only source of leaks would be from the hose, stove or fittings which I will check dutyfully like you did. Keep me informed on your progress with the ports! Ciao, Francois Starshine III
Hi Olivier, That's great news about your ports. Good luck in putting them in. I have to order mine this week. Your safety checklist seems fine to me. A sniffer would be a good addition to your system. I purchased an integrated system with sniffer and selenoid control on the same panel so it can't turn on if there is an alarm. Since my tanks are mounted outside on the rail, the only source of leaks would be from the hose, stove or fittings which I will check dutyfully like you did. Keep me informed on your progress with the ports! Ciao, Francois Starshine III
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Peter J. Brennan
Totally confused
Are you guys all talking about the same boat, the O'Day 37 center cockpit that was built from about 1977 to 1985? None of these discussions about core material or [propane loackers remotely matches what is on my boat, 1982 O'Day 37 CC. I have right here before me three 4-1/2 diameter plugs taken from the deck (coah tops, actually) for two vents and a smokestack. These plugs all show end-grain balsa about 1/2 inch thick withy numerous layers above and below of glass and resin and gelcoat for a total thickness of about one inche. This stuff is solid. I know from other work that the rest of the deck is similarly cored so I don't know where this pink foam is coming from. I have never seen anything like that. I also know if I get a water leak I get rotted balsa which leaves brown weepings. Foam does not do that. The propane locker sits on the aft deck on deck right aft of the aft cabin coach roof.Indeed, the aft wall of the coach roof forms the forward wall of the locker. The locker itself is a simple fiberglass box hinged at the top with a latch at the bottom. It contains two 6-pound propane tanks and the valving, including the solenoid cutoff. It was original issue. No possibility of propane getting inside the boat. I will mnake a sketch and post it here if anyone is interested.
Are you guys all talking about the same boat, the O'Day 37 center cockpit that was built from about 1977 to 1985? None of these discussions about core material or [propane loackers remotely matches what is on my boat, 1982 O'Day 37 CC. I have right here before me three 4-1/2 diameter plugs taken from the deck (coah tops, actually) for two vents and a smokestack. These plugs all show end-grain balsa about 1/2 inch thick withy numerous layers above and below of glass and resin and gelcoat for a total thickness of about one inche. This stuff is solid. I know from other work that the rest of the deck is similarly cored so I don't know where this pink foam is coming from. I have never seen anything like that. I also know if I get a water leak I get rotted balsa which leaves brown weepings. Foam does not do that. The propane locker sits on the aft deck on deck right aft of the aft cabin coach roof.Indeed, the aft wall of the coach roof forms the forward wall of the locker. The locker itself is a simple fiberglass box hinged at the top with a latch at the bottom. It contains two 6-pound propane tanks and the valving, including the solenoid cutoff. It was original issue. No possibility of propane getting inside the boat. I will mnake a sketch and post it here if anyone is interested.
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Francois Machabee
Where all in the same boat ;-)
Hi Peter, Long time no write! I have the 1981 37 CC and I believe that it is like yours because I get the same brown weeping that you describe. My model did not have the original propane stove so I am upgrading it with a slightly more ample supply of propane (2 X 20 pounds aluminum cylinders). They will be rail mounted with extremely solid SS holders. Thanks! Francois Starshine III
Hi Peter, Long time no write! I have the 1981 37 CC and I believe that it is like yours because I get the same brown weeping that you describe. My model did not have the original propane stove so I am upgrading it with a slightly more ample supply of propane (2 X 20 pounds aluminum cylinders). They will be rail mounted with extremely solid SS holders. Thanks! Francois Starshine III
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