[PUP] Selen or Kadey Krogen?

[Milt Baker]

I find myself nearly always agreeing with John Marshall whose reasoned,
intuitive approach to boatkeeping and whose literate, articulate posts
resonate very well with me.  This time, however, I have to say I think John
missed the boat.

Like Tim, I've owned a half-dozen wet exhaust boats over several decades and
have rarely had a problem with an inhabitable cockpit due to exhaust. The only
time a problem arises, it seems, is when the wind is from abraft the beam
(don't you love that phrase?!) at greater than the yacht's speed, and on the
rare occasion when that occurs it's usually easy to alter course to give the
cockpit party clear air.

My Nordhavn 47 is the only one (so far!) with wet exhaust, and there's no way
I'd trade it for a dry stack boat.  The fine folks at PAE told me a dry stack
boat was the way to go, but I persisted and ended up with a great wet exhaust
boat and have not looked back.  Over 18,000 miles in 4 years, including an
ocean-crossing and a lot of putt-putting along various coasts in Europe, the
Caribbean, the Bahamas, and the USA, I have yet to have a problem of
consequence from my wet exhaust system.  If I were ordering a new yacht of any
kind today there's no question that I'd spec wet exhaust.

Tim's right: having the exhaust exit the boat on the quarter all but
eliminates exhaust problems in the cockpit.  He's right again that the wet vs.
dry debate goes on and on.  There is no single right answer.  I admit it's
best to be less dogmatic than I am on the subject.

Something I like very much about our cruising/yachting lifestyle is that there
are no absolute answers on questions like this.  There's every bit as much
evidence supporting dry stack as wet exhaust, and it all comes down to what
you prefer--or, perhaps more important, what you have experience with.  I
prefer wet exhaust because that's where my experience lies, and a dry stack
boat ain't likely to be in my future.

But you never know!

--Milt Baker, Nordhavn 47 Bluewater, Fort Lauderdale

Tim wrote:

I take exception to John Marshall's comment re the "uninhabitability"
of the cockpit on wet exhaust boats.  I've owned six wet exhaust boats
of various types.  Those with the exhaust exiting the stern through a
flat transom can suffer from the "station wagon" effect at higher
speeds, resulting in exhaust fumes being sucked back into the
cockpit.  This can be unpleasant.  On my last two boats, a Nordhavn 57
and 64, the exhaust exits at the aft starboard corner through an
outlet that is underwater at about six knots.  The exhaust is thus
swept back behind the boat and does not come into the cockpit.  There
is no exhaust odor in the cockpit.

The wet vs. dry debate is endless.  For a thorough discussion of the
issue, I suggest Dave Gerr's article in the February/March and April/
May 2008 issue of Professional Boat Builder:  After weighing the
plusses and minuses of each choice, Gerr concludes:  "[M]y preference
is for wet exhaust on yachts and most small passenger vessels.  I
think the majority of boat owners will be happier living with a wet
exhaust."