Westerbeke Auxiliary Generator Muffler Upgrade - Full Installation

[@TheRetiredBoater]

I'm about to change the muffler on my Westerbeke generator for my 2001 Sundancer 340 and, while at it, I'm now considering this auxiliary muffler option that you demonstrated. Looking at you go through it definitively raises my confidence to do so myself, I learned something, thanks Paul!

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

It's a pretty straightforward job, and an upgrade we've enjoyed on our last three boats. Just make sure it's orientated correctly, double clamps and have the flow downhill 😉

[@ronaldharmon9891]

I like the way you gave us a long listen to the before / after some people make that comparison so short you can't focus on the sound to compare. Such a difference you can hear the water much more after the fix that's how I judged it.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Perfect! Glad it was able to convey the sound difference more clearly for you. And, I didn't even mix up the months on this one ;-) Cheers, Paul.

[@12000Jetlag]

Great project Paul. I don't know if you remember from last fall but my Kohler generator died for no apparent reason just before I pulled my boat for the winter. Had a Kohler tech come out and look at it and all he could say was "it is shot". Well I did some research and found a Honda small engine service center within 10 miles of my boat so I talked to him since it is a Honda engine. He said bring it to him so I had it removed and this guy was amazing. He tore the engine completely apart and totally rebuilt it. Seems the water pump, which is turned by the timing belt, had its bearings go bad so it did not turn smoothly. In turn, it took the "teeth" off of the belt causing it to go out of timing. All has been replaced and checked so it is ready for my marina to reinstall it as soon as the shrink wrap comes off. He told me the biggest issue with these marine generators is that nobody runs them very much. He advised me to run it run it run it with a load on it. Just curious about how many hours you put on yours each season.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this. If I tell you how many hours are on our genny, you'll think I was a crazy(er) person 😂 I'd guess we probably put roughly 25-50 hours on it each season.

[@scottwilson4079]

Huge difference! I watch all your videos. You have a beautiful boat!

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Glad you like them! Cheers, Paul.

[@kevinmccarey5015]

Good morning to you Paul Another great project completed. Great to see April has arrived and off comes the shrink wrap. As always great to watch your videos. Be well Be safe

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Good morning. Yes, the shrink wrap has already come off, as I did that last weekend. Of course, I'll be sharing that joyous event here on the channel, but if you follow us on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, you would have already seen some pics. Hope you can check it out there and see lots more content every day! Cheers, Paul.

[@sellC1964]

Just for grins (snd locks), can you fabricate a 90 degree elbow snd a short length of hose to reach the water from the exhaust outlet.

[@twarner5]

I thought about that. Channel the exhaust outlet under water. Adds a little back-pressure though.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

This Sea Ray, as well as our prior 400 Sedan Bridge are equipped with Sea Ray's patented underwater exhaust system on the main engines. In theory, it's supposed to direct the exhaust under water to cut down on the noise. It does work at idle (or just above) speed, but there is still an overflow type of line, as there's not enough pressure at lower engine speeds to send everything below the water line. Same would be true with the generator exhaust, I'm thinking. Besides, it's always a good idea to see water coming out with that exhaust, to confirm engine cooling. If you check my poop tank replacement project from our 400 Sedan Bridge, you can see me pointing out that exhaust line, as I had to remove both to get the new poop tank situated in the engine room. . .

[@starshiptrooper7520]

I wouldn’t be surprised if an exhaust pipe blowing exhaust bubbles just below the waterline is just as noisy as a well muffled outlet above the waterline. Also, the “protrusion” would be easily damaged when docking.

[@Saphiracruising]

Awesome "boat yoga" working down there. Do you have a similar generator in your current 370 and in that case install a muffler in the 370 also? 🤔👍

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

We have a similar Westerbeke Genny on our current 370 Sundancer, but a little bigger output. Yes, I installed the same auxiliary muffler on it (sorry no video), but I do have one that I did for the genny on our 400 Sedan Bridge a number of years ago. Check out my How I Did It playlist to find that one, as well as 100++ other boat projects I've done, including replacing the genny water pump on this unit...

[@jeffking8168]

Big difference!! Nice video.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Yes! Thank you!

[@plakeplays6420]

I guess our last boat already had a muffler lol. we also had a 4.5kw westerbeke but a 02 but it had a muffler preinstalled so yeah.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

So yeah, ours had a muffler pre-installed too. THIS is an auxiliary muffler. Thought I said that already. . .

[@joshbaker2105]

2 words. Dish soap. What a difference though. Great upgrade.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

One word; Oh Kay. Oops, that was two words. Maybe four? 🤣

[@stevew5383]

Was thinking the same thing Josh.

[@TheBeingReal]

Learn by do: love it. I thought all Westerbekes ran at 1,800 rpm?

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Our last boat had a 9600 Westerbeke, which ran at 1,800. The current 4500 is an oddball, with a constant 3,600 rpm whining away 😁

[@TheBeingReal]

@@BoatingWithBoogaboo I know the noise lol. I have a Kohler that spins at 3600rpm. The Westerbekes that run at 1,800 rpm are whisper quiet.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Actually, our 1,800 RPM Westerbeke on the last boat was also kinda noisy, but I fixed that by also installing this same auxiliary muffler. Check my channel for that video. . .

[@greggardner2583]

3600 RPM gennies are ridiculous. I found a Westerbeke 3 cylinder 7.6 BTD which is a mitsubishi L3E. It will have a custom-made sound enclosure, and both a water separator and dual mufflers. It will NOT be heard inside or out. Gargling water is just as annoying.

[@benjaminishak6192]

Hello, I am installing the same gen 4.5 BCGTC in my 1997 330 DA. I understand you don't own this boat anymore but do you remember how the exhaust tube from the gen to the water lift muffler was mounted? Was there a mountable zip tide holding it against the bilge wall? I am trying to figure out how Sea Ray routed everything.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

If I recall correctly - but that was a few years ago, so don't quote me 😉 - I think it was 'maybe' a 2" clamp, but I think that the final installation of the auxiliary didn't have any additional support. Those exhaust hoses are pretty strong and rigid, so bending them would require a fair amount of force. Also keep in mind that the run of that hose (in my configuration) was only about three feet... A side note is that those gennys run at a constant 3,600 RPM, load or no load. Our current 370 Sundancer has the bigger 7.2 kW, which also runs at that crazy 3,600 RPM speed. Yes, I have installed this same auxiliary muffler on the new boat, which works great, but the whining noise from the alternator side is still pronounced, even if there's no engine noise. What I'm saying is that if you haven't yet committed to the 4.5 kW unit, perhaps there's an alternative unit that runs slower?? When we had our 400 Sedan Bridge, the big 9.0 kW unit on that ship only ran at 1,800 RPM, making it much quieter while running. That all said, we're both very happy to have a genny onboard and have no real complaints, even though it might sound like it 😜 Let us know how you make out!

[@benjaminishak6192]

@@BoatingWithBoogaboo Thanks for the info!! I unfortunately found out about the 3600 rpm aspect after buying this generator for a great price. Oh well! I’m posting some install pics over on club sea ray !

[@derekj032]

It looks like you might need a new impeller, your water stream should be more constant. This could also make the generator more noisy.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Ya, no. New impeller + new water pump.

[@Brad1711]

How are you supporting the new muffler? It looks like it’s just hanging by the exhaust hose.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Correct. Given the fact that the water exiting the exhaust at this point is running downhill, pretty much all of the water in the muffler will drain off when the genny shuts off. In the meantime, the drain lines - in this setup - are more than enough to support the minimal additional weight of the muffler. I witnessed no negative issues on this boat with the setup.

[@lear60man]

Im getting ready to tackle this project and have a question. At 8:20 the 'Direction of Flow' arrow on the new muffler is pointed towards the generator. Wouldnt the direction of the exhaust be flowing the other direction? Thanks.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

It was orientated correctly, with the flow of exhaust going 'from' the genny and 'out' to the discharge. If you watch in around the 13 minute mark onward, you'll see how the first exhaust line is coming from the genny (low down in the shot), going up in direction, them turning aft-ward - flowing PAST the genny on its long march to the outside of the boat. This was the 2nd time I did this project - first one was on our 400 Sedan Bridge (video on my channel) - and I did the same upgrade gain on our current 370 Sundancer. In all cases, the auxiliary mufflers worked as hoped for, with a significant reduction in exhaust noise.

[@lear60man]

@@BoatingWithBoogaboo Thank you! I see it now. I was a little confused thinking it was something like a 'reverse thread' misnomer or something. Im finally installing a generator from scratch so I have A/C this winter (S Florida) and found your channel. From what I gather, you now have 2 'mufflers' in line? Lots of good content, thanks again.

[@curthook9622]

Do you have a secret to getting the “welded hoses” off? Or do you just dig away at the hose with a flat screwdriver

[@curthook9622]

Actually never tried to take exhaust hoses off yet. The fitting don’t have ribs so I guess they slide off easier

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

This one went really easy, actually. If you dig around my channel you will come across a video mini series I did when we changed the poop tank on our last boat (Boogaboo IV, the 400 Sedan Bridge). I believe I show a little more (or at least discuss) how I had to pry the exhaust hose off with both a flat head screwdriver plus WD-40, sprayed down the inside of the hose. Yes, they can sometimes be a real B**ch to work on, but that's what makes boating so rewarding ;-)

[@BigBadLoneWolf]

If you need the AC on, than that can only mean, the ice has melted

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

I certainly hope so, as this was filmed last August!!

[@danielmusheev2989]

I actually just bought a 98 SeaRay Sundancer and have NO idea on how to even start the genny, any help?

[@greggardner2583]

Sell the boat.

[@richardshulman3644]

Mufflers add back pressure. May not be a good idea

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Oh well, too late. Been on there for two years, without any issues. Put same on our other boat and still humming along nicely after 9 years!

[@CosgroveNotts]

Fairy liquid everytime

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

😁

[@skipperrichman4278]

Sorry to say after all your efforts on a auxiliary muffler. It seems it made no difference. Sorry to say that.

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Ya.

[@davidmorton6468]

No difference

[@BoatingWithBoogaboo]

Perhaps not through your speakers, but it sure is quieter in person!