Venting heat

[Marco Flamingo]

I've used the Nicro solar vents on prior boats. Worked great for the head. Their big selling point is that they don't foul deck lines. Probably not so important on a C-Dory.

Somehow I ended up with solar Nicro in the garage boat stuff bin and put it to novel use. I have a cheapo metal tool shed that I use for a woodshed. The side facing south is painted black and I needed to vent the moisture that I was "cooking" out of the wood. A Nicro installed in a hole cut in the roof wasn't enough. It has a tiny solar cell and a tiny fan. I needed to really move some air so I bought a computer fan and a little trickle charger 12V solar panel. It easily moves 10X the air. I suppose I could put a little 12V battery in line and run it a bit after dark, which wouldn't be necessary in the OP's usage. For my "solar kiln" woodshed, it allows me to cut firewood in late spring and dry it for use that winter. "Seasoning" is <6 months.

I would always avoid cutting a hole in a boat if possible. Make a window sized blank with a 3 to 6" hole in it, depending on the size of your computer fan. Open the window and insert the blank. Attach mini-solar panel. Blow in or pull out. Your choice.

Mark

 

[olddemps]

I am confused, cracking the windows on a car does what I want to accomplish and the is passive venting. Am I missing something here??? I am not trying to air condition the boat with a solar fan, just keep the inside temp equal to or as close as possible to the outside temperature. Preferably below 104, but well below 140.

edit note, generally speaking the island never gets above 96, and seldom above 93..

I have same question / needs.
What did you end up doing for a solution?
I'm in North Carolina and the boat get HOT in the summer on the trailer or in it's berth when not underway even with Center window cracked slightly. Also wanting to keep moisture / Mold down via some ventilation. Thanks

 

[pcg]

We used to divide our time between South Dakota and Texas. For a lot of years, both places were "home."

Boating (and especially anchoring) in the Tropical Tip is unique. Over the years, we have had a variety of sailboats and powerboats here. I can't say I've tried to do what you are going for, with deploying a kite from the cockpit of the C-Dory, so I can't offer any advice on that. With the cruising we've done, we looked for "protected" anchoring, never looking to be out in the wind. So, pretty much the opposite of what your situation is. But, I have dealt with all the same trying to keep the cabin from becoming an oven situations.

Good luck with it.

 

[pcg]

Two options not discussed here… 1) I removed the rear window glass on the starboard side and built an aluminum adapter so I could install a 14 inch RV roof vent in that window to vent cooking orders to the outside, and 2) I had a new window made for the rear cabin door that slides open and has a screen. Option 1) was cheap. Option 2) was expensive. I can’t vouch yet for how well either option works because I still haven’t finished my restoration project.

 

[SEdowneast]

Thought I would chime in here. I'm in SC and it is the normal summer brutal heat here. I've got a 23 Venture. When not in use, my boat is on a lift with a full Angola Cover on it, but I have added cover vents that I think do help keep the heat down. I've got a remote temp & humidity gauge that I keep in the boat (Yo-link; it's great!). I've measured about 106 at the foot well level, so who knows how hot at eye level! While I can't do much for the heat, I think I've landed on something really good for the humidity control. I sealed around the wires in the pass through hole from the cockpit with flexible silicone putty (it's removable). On the cabin floor I placed an Eva Dry 1100 de-humidifier that runs off shore power and only pulls about 20 watts. The Eva Dry is plugged into a remote Yo-Link plug that cuts off at 94 degrees as directed by the temp and humidity gauge (since Pelitier dehumidifiers don't work in high temps). The plug will cut back on at 52% humidity (which is where I have it set to re-start) which is usually in the middle of the night and in the mid 80's temps. Since the Eva Dry unit has a switch and not a control board, it will auto restart. With the cabin being completely sealed off, and the dehumidifier running about 12 hours per day. I have kept the average humidity in the cabin in this swampy heat at 48% as a 24 hour average. The Eva Dry will run about a week before the water it collects needs to be dumped. Of course, this only works if you have access to shore power. One last note, I do also keep a Damp Rid bucket in the boat cabin, so that may also help. If there is a way to help with the heat, I'm all ears!! Thanks all!!

 

[thataway]

Is the boat covered with canvas?, or in a garage or shed? Keeping the sun off the deck, cabin top and windows will help, as will puting Refletic cut to shape for the windows. I ave used a "Mighty Dry" dehumidifier, (compressor driven dehumidifier) which I set on the galley counter, and the water produced will run into the sink drain, and then out of the overboard discharge.

I am in the school, who feels that the Nico Fans / solar charger/small DC motor does not move enough air to keep the temperature down. A few years back on the Delta/San Francisco cruise, the Temperature in Patuluma was in the high 90's and inside the boat close to 100*. I ran the 5000 BTU Artic King window AC which fits thru the front opening middle window, That was able to bring the cabin temperature from 100 to 80*. (Refletic in the windows and also the inside "window coverings" were in place on al windows. I did have one nico solar fan on that boat. But that alone would not have been enough to keep the boat less than 100 degrees. As far as the mold in the boat--getting the humidity down is as important as getting the temperature down.
Since this was a 2021 thread--I wonder what the OP did with fans?