We have a 1999 Catalina 36' MK II in Chicago on Lake Michigan. It has "the usual boat smell" [musty & damp]. Boat sits at a slip all week, closed up [electric available]. Thought ventilation might help dry it out.
Has anyone tried the "NICRO Day/Night Solar Plus vent [either 3" or 4"]? Have seen mixed reviews on the internet. Some folks swear by them, others complain of short battery and/or fan life.
Originally I thought of mounting two, [forward hatch and aft cabin hatch and reversing one to draw fresh air and forward one exhausting.]. Rethought that approach. Would not trust it up front with waves washing over the deck. And since aft cabin hatch is covered with a seat, no sun.
Currently thinking of mounting one through the center hatch plexiglass. However, I have concerns of ability to get air flow from aft cabin and v-berth.
Anyone have any experience with them? Any other ideas/approaches?
Mike Walsh
I had one of those on my '88 C30 in the hatch over the head. It worked OK, but the battery died and, at that time at least, you couldn't replace it. The fan also got very noisy; I'd have to remove the blades and oil the shaft fairly often to quiet it down.
On my C36, I store the inflatable on deck at the dock and it would cover the solar vents, so they wouldn't work. To solve that problem, I created a 'whole boat fan', that's fits into the hatch above the fridge and is plugged in to shore power. There's a short article with pics in the July 2011 Jibsheet. [url]http://www.c36ia.com/node/2043[/url] I've been using one for years; have to replace the fan from time to time, but they're cheap.
Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay
Funny you should mention this. I went into the head the other day and when I looked up I was sortof surprised to see the solar fan spinning away. I installed it in the hatch 12 years ago and have never touched it or checked on it since. I leave the cowl ventilators open and the solar fan is on "exhaust" and between the two, my boat has never smelled damp or "boaty". I'd give the solar fan a thumbs up.
Mike
Deja Vu
1991 MK I # 1106
Marina del Rey, CA
I installed the Nicro Day/Night 2000 Solar Vent in the Main Cabin Hatch back in 2004 and changed the battery last year for the first time. It is set up for exhaust. It is installed a little aft of center so the hatch handle will not interfere with the unit when the handle is moved from a closed to open position. It is the only one on the boat so I went for the highest point - main cabin hatch.
When we close the boat up, the head door is propped open about 4 inches to let air out into the cabin and to not restrict airflow to/from the V Berth. We also use the West Marine "Air Dryer" (WM# 9406WM-ABX - [url]http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product2_11151_10001...) on the V Berth shelf (the forward one next to the anchor locker) plugged into a timer to run about 6 hours at night during the season and a little longer in winter months. I also leave the Aft Cabin door open.
This combination has made a big difference on our boat in terms of condensation/odor elimination, etc. Without it, the V Berth ceiling was a bit of a rain forrest from the condensation in the spring and fall.
Hope this helps.
Jack
Solstice
Hull #1598
1996 MKII/TR/FK - M35AC - 3 Blade MaxProp
Lake Texoma
www.texomasailing.org