Solar vent in head Hatch?

[SeaBreeze78]

Any thoughts? I am about to drill a 4.75” hole in the lewmar hatch over the Head for a Marinco Day/night 4” solar vent. See photos below. The objective is to move air through the boat especially on summer days in the tropics buttoned up at the dock or while away exploring in a dinghy. I bought the biggest solar vent I could, the 4”. As Bill Cullen (Triumph) rightly points out you do not want to put this in the V-berth hatch due to waves and possibly water intrusion. The Marinco can be simply unscrewed from the outside, then someone can reach in and unlatch a main cabin hatch gaining access to the inside of your boat. Not good.
That leaves me with placing the 4” vent over the head. No one can fit through that hatch.

I can not center the solar vent in the hatch due to the locking handle underneath interfering with the vent. When I move the vent far enough back to clear the locking handle. The vent on top will hang over the rear of the hatch about a half inch. Really more an issue of being unsightly, and not necessarily an issue of impacting function of vent or opening of hatch.

My dilemma, do I buy a smaller 3” vent? Do I cut off a 1/2 inch of the locking handle? Do I install the 4” vent and always look at the lopsided installment? I want my cake and eat it too!

Any ideas, suggestions or votes?

Dana Vihlen
Sea Breeze
2003 #78

Hatch open

FE7037D1-2488-41C1-AAA9-177B2C6C9426.jpeg (69.85 KiB) Viewed 3038 times

Photo from below showing locking handle issue

2ACB6814-18AF-410D-AD21-91F0387AE631.jpeg (74.61 KiB) Viewed 3038 times

[LI_Sound_Cat]

Please let us know what you decide to do as I am looking at doing this exact same project this winter. I am not near the bot, but when I looked at pictures I was concerned about the handle and you validated the issue. Without seeing it, I think I would go for the smaller vent.
Thanks

[russp]

Hi, mine is pretty much central, just means I can’t fully latch the cover but it has enough bite to be safe. I left handle the full size.

[tranquil]

First, thanks for posting this and thanks to all for the inputs. My Catalina 30 had a solar vent on the starboard cabin top, aft of the head. The layout between my C30 and C350 are foundational similar in terms of layout and I've long wanted a solar vent in the C350.

Does anyone have a diagram of the C350 cabin top? What wiring runs thru and where? What is in the cabin top space above the kitchen sink? What about under the dodger, starboard of the winch? Any idea of the pro's and con's? The C30 vent leaked a little on to the main cabin floor, hence I was thinking about somewhere in the kitchen over a counter top or sink, but not where one would need to step on deck for some reason.

Thanks
Teri

[Pgtjs]

Hi folks,

For what it is worth I had a solar vent in a previous boat. It worked well. BUT as it ages, the hum increases and eventually it fails. The hum may stop some from sleeping in either cabin as it cycles on and off. After dawn it starts recharging and struggles on and off regularly until you are totally awakened.

Some boats have drilled holes in the companion way boards and placed fine mesh over them to stop ingress of bugs etc. I have not - we dont really need them around here, and have a canvas "drop over" cover with a screen in it for summer nights circulation. I guess I would not favour any drilling into Lewmar plastic/acrylic for its long term viabliity - mine are crazing slowly and I guess will eventually need to be replaced. Why exacerbate that process?

Cheers, Geoff. S.
Taeko 1V, C350#392, Semiahmoo. Blaine, WA.

[SeaBreeze78]

Geoff:

Yep different places, different problems. I live in the tropics (Florida Keys). The boat gets extremely hot in the summer from the the heat and the water temperature. Trying to keep it aired out and a relatively descent temperature without running the A/C much. Hence the passive solar vent. I would much rather drill a hole in a acrylic hatch cover that is already crazed than in the deck. Besides, the large vent covers up a lot of the hatch and will prevent some future crazing. The thing that saves my hatches from any rapid deterioration in the tropical sun is cloth covers. So this hatch will not be covered in the future.

Folks rightly complain about the noise in the morning with it cycling on and off. This has a nice nightlight in it that should work wonders in the head. After my 2am nightly visit I should just turn off the fan for the next morning to let it charge up.

Again the ability to vent the boat at night, while you are sleeping on the boat; even if it rains, is a plus. We will see. Have not taken the plunge yet and drilled the hole.

Dana Vihlen
Sea Breeze
2003 #78

[scott.monroe]

Hello All & Teri,

I had to access the wiring above the cabin headliner to replace the motorized winch switches some time ago. There is an area just above the galley drawers that is ideal to get conductors aft from above deck. In my C350 they had an access port cut in, I have seen others where the headliner is still intact, but easy enough to cut out and replace with some sort of decorative cover.
Once your in the space it is a "clear" path aft through the starboard side locker and then astern and around transom and back up to the port side electronics. I added a picture montage, the reddish image shows the back side of the topside winch switches with conductors running out to the starboard locker.

Hope it helps,
Scott

[SeaBreeze78]

Teri “TRANQUIL”:

I will post two photos to help with your planning of putting a solar vent over the sink. I will accept some water on the head floor. The problem I did not think of prior to putting the solar vent in the head hatch is. Will a flogging jib sheet foul on it? Will it rip it out of the hatch? Something to be wary about in the future.
In the two photos, look at the relationship of the rear portlight to the sink and see what is above the same mark on deck.

Dana Vihlen
Sea Breeze
2003 #78

[SeaBreeze78]

I was able to successfully install the Marinco 4” day/night solar vent in the Lewmar hatch over the head. $185 with tax from Defender.com The 4” moves 1,000 cubic feet of air an hour (24,000 cubic feet a day). Whereas the 3” solar fan moves about 1/5 less at 800 cubic feet an hour (19,200 cubic feet a day). Brand new out of the box with a 2 year warranty, they say it will run for 24 hours if fully charged with no more charging needed.

Pros and Cons of placing over the head:
Cons, 1) much darker in the head with the vent covering the majority of the hatch. 2) Could get fouled and damaged by a flogging jib sheet. 3) I had to cut 3/4 of an inch off of the Lewmar locking handle. Which does not seem to be much of a problem now.
Pros, 1) Even if unscrewed from deckside, boat can not be entered though the small head hatch. 2) Any leaks will drop on a fiberglass floor and not on fabric or wood if it was placed on main cabin hatches. 3) This has a built in night light that should work well in the head. In addition to my motion sensor light placed under the sink.

Below are two photos deckside. Note the vent is not exactly centered due to the locking handle below.

[LI_Sound_Cat]

Looks great -- please let us know if the jib sheet becomes an issue?

[Airnsail]

If you had to do it again, would you buy the 3 inch or 4 inch version? Price isn't much different.

Mike

[SeaBreeze78]

Mike:

I would still buy the 4”. It moves about a fifth more air. I doubt if the 4” not being centered on the hatch is noticeable by many other than me. I bought my 4” through Defender about $185 with tax. The 4 3/4 inch hole saw will cost some. I was able to borrow the one I used.

I think this is going to be well worth it here in the tropics next summer.

I just checked the caulking around the main companionway hatch covering. I read where that is an issue. Looks like I will be pulling that off next to clean and recaulk.

Good luck,

Dana Vihlen.
Sea Breeze
2003 #78

[tranquil]

WOW and so much to ponder.....Many thanks to all for the inputs, details and pictures-photos are greatly appreciated. Lots to think about over the winter while my C350 is under storage wraps.

May I add; I am so very grateful to the C350 owners in this forum-so much important and useful information that cannot be found anywhere else that makes my sailing life better!

Thanks again,
Teri

[LI_Sound_Cat]

Dana,

Any tips for drilling the hole/installation? I was planning on using a hole saw and taping off the hatch before drilling?

Thanks,

Dan