www.iFourWinns.com

Yesterday , I had reason to remove the bilge blower and mounting bracket on my 2009 278. (to get access to leaking tube into the port side trim tab cylinder; overtightened/ stripped thread on the top of the cylinder, copious amount of PU sealant as a factory or dealer bodge repair). Anyhow, it turned out the outlet end of the blower hose wasn't connected to the outlet grille in the topsides ! It looked like it had never been; the open end was oval, not round.

It doesn't matter so much on my boat, as it has a diesel engine. If the same fault was present on gas powered boats, that's another matter as it would not be extracting gas fumes. Worth checking.

How I fit it properly ? ; it was clearly fitted before the engine and water heater was in place. Short of removing the D4 engine, which is BIG, looks like I'll have to cut access holes and fit deck plates,

Check the starboard side center section of the wrap-around seat back. On mine there are two screws at the bottom. Remove them and push up on the seat back to remove. there should be an access hole behind it.
This is how the 248 and 268s are. I'm guessing it is the same on the 278.
Edit: Is your blower hose on the port side? If so there should be screws on the bottom of the padded piece on that side just like the seat back.

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2004 248 Vista "Amante"
MC 5.0MPI/B3

Is there any chance you could remove the vent, pull the flex hose out and attach it that way?

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2004 - 288 Vista
Twin - 5.0 Volvo Penta GXi DP

Good point re removing that trim panel to gain access; it as cold, wet and getting dark when I left the boat, didn't think things through. On the opposite side there is an access hole behind the seat back as suggested.

On the simpler older boats you can do exactly that. The vent assembly has an inner mount where the hoses fit into and the outer vent. If you remove the outer vent and tie a string around the hose from down below you can probably pull the hose up and into the inner mount. When I replaced the hoses on my boat I wound up doing it that way. They were not hooked up right in the first place. On my boat the louvers are directional. I have the side with the blower and exhaust hose facing backward, that helps pull out vapor when the boat is moving forward. On the other side the vent faces forward hoses are the ones bringing fresh air into the bilge.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II