Installing Additional Vents

[tjg1677]

Hello all,

It is becoming apparent that I need to fit some more upper ventilation to my boat as it has two cabins with absolutely no ventilation at all, crazy !!

My boat has the vinyl headlining fitted that allows approx a 3 inch void space between the roof and vinyl, my main concern is how on earth do you make this good and look reasonable when you fit a vent above it without just a nasty 4 inch diameter hole in the vinyl.

Also, what is the best type of vent to use, in the past on narrowboats it was easy as you just fitted brass mushroom vents, wouldn't quite look right on a cruiser methinks, I have considered the flat pancake / UFO type vents but I don't feel they give the best ventilation, however I stand to be corrected on this as I have had little experience with them.

Any info / input / help / past experiences all gratefully received.

thanks in advance

Trev.

[JennyMorgan]

I trimmed a friends new vents several years ago. Quite simply I cut out a match to the flange of the vent used varnished mahogany which then served three purposes, it acted as a pad to the nuts & bolts that I used to fasten the ventilator and it also pulled the headlining up to the roof, lastly it covered the edges of the vinyl. You may need to increase the foam padding between roof and headlining around the wood pad, a case of suck it and see. Some vents are delivered with a suitable metal backing plate, am sure that if you are a half reasonable DIYer you'll find it all falls into place.

[ranworthbreeze]

2 hours ago, tjg1677 said:

Hello all,

It is becoming apparent that I need to fit some more upper ventilation to my boat as it has two cabins with absolutely no ventilation at all, crazy !!

My boat has the vinyl headlining fitted that allows approx a 3 inch void space between the roof and vinyl, my main concern is how on earth do you make this good and look reasonable when you fit a vent above it without just a nasty 4 inch diameter hole in the vinyl.

Also, what is the best type of vent to use, in the past on narrowboats it was easy as you just fitted brass mushroom vents, wouldn't quite look right on a cruiser methinks, I have considered the flat pancake / UFO type vents but I don't feel they give the best ventilation, however I stand to be corrected on this as I have had little experience with them.

Any info / input / help / past experiences all gratefully received.

thanks in advance

Trev.

Hi Trev,

Why not fit a extractor light with a UFO type vent on the outside as you mention, we have a couple of the vents on Ranworth Breeze they work well. I have fitted similar extract-a -lite's in domestic showers that work with transformers.

http://www.brianwards.co.uk/deck-hardware/ventilation/extract-a-lite-12v-white.html

Don't forget the Brian Ward NBN discount, just have a word with Tanya or Nick.

Regards

Alan

[tjg1677]

thanks Alan and JM for the input, all useful stuff, looks like ufo vents are th way forward. I do still have the problem of the vinyl though. The void is about three inches deep but the vinyl is fitted between stringers approx eight inches apart and the material will simply not stretch that much to pull up flush with the deckhead, so still looking for solutions to that one please.

trev

[MauriceMynah]

Short piece of drain pipe/soil&vent pipe perhaps

[Regulo]

I'd get a block of timber (or several thicknesses of plastic) to suit your 3" gap. Having obtained your chosen vent, cut through in the required position. You now have a hole through both superstructure and headlining of the required size. Mark this opening on your previously fabricated spacer and cut out. Mount the spacer (it may have to be in two halves, to manouevre under the headlining) using suitable adhesive to the fibreglass, allow to set, then screw the outside vent through the fibreglass into the spacer. Do the same with the inside cover. Don't cut the inside vinyl too short! 

Well, that's what I'd do, if I were me!

[Regulo]

As Alan suggests, a powered extractor would work well. There are also solar powered vents http://www.brianwards.co.uk/deck-hardware/ventilation/solar-vent.html ,but I don't know how effective they are. I do know they're expensive!

[JanetAnne]

1 hour ago, Regulo said:

I'd get a block of timber (or several thicknesses of plastic) to suit your 3" gap. Having obtained your chosen vent, cut through in the required position. You now have a hole through both superstructure and headlining of the required size. Mark this opening on your previously fabricated spacer and cut out. Mount the spacer (it may have to be in two halves, to manouevre under the headlining) using suitable adhesive to the fibreglass, allow to set, then screw the outside vent through the fibreglass into the spacer. Do the same with the inside cover. Don't cut the inside vinyl too short! 

Well, that's what I'd do, if I were me!

You beat me to it! Yes, cut your spacer in half and then you can easily insert each half into position from the top and clamp into place while the glue goes off. Then cut the vinyl to size round the aperture and finish with either the trim supplied or something suitable.

[tjg1677]

Thanks all and nice one, some real top tips there, spacers it is, may even experiment by laminating sheets of one inch polystyrene foam to make the thickness, easy to work, cut and glue. Thanks again, i love this forum, it gives one some great advice, ideas and food for thought.

Trev

[Wildfuzz]

4 hours ago, tjg1677 said:

Thanks all and nice one, some real top tips there, spacers it is, may even experiment by laminating sheets of one inch polystyrene foam to make the thickness, easy to work, cut and glue. Thanks again, i love this forum, it gives one some great advice, ideas and food for thought.

Trev

Or find a man with a wood lathe and have them turned to suit!

[stumpy]

I put a solar vent into our fore hatch 5 years ago and it's still working well, it came with a dress ring which held the edges of the vinyl to a 3". length of drainpipe glued into the throat of the fan. It was a b*gg*r getting the length right! CT1 is the only glue/sealant I've found that goes off truly transparent.

[Viking23]

The eco vents or UFO vents, some have a stainless steel cover, they have a fly screen built in, after a few seasons, cobwebs and airborne dust and dead insects eventually reduce the airflow to virtually nothing. The eco vent is easy to service from above, the flyscreen is nothing more than a 1" approx, band of fine fly screen, easy to replace when Aldi sell packs of fly screen lol. Cut a strip, bit of glue... sorted. Or wash the original in washing up liquid and rinse well. The original mesh is very fine mesh indeed, much finer than the Aldi type. 

[Regulo]

Hi, Trev,

Don't forget you have to screw the internal cover into place. Might be difficult into polysyrene! I'd follow Wildfuzz's advice if possible, get a pal to turn one.

[Wildfuzz]

Just now, Regulo said:

Hi, Trev,

Don't forget you have to screw the internal cover into place. Might be difficult into polysyrene! I'd follow Wildfuzz's advice if possible, get a pal to turn one.

Find a local woodturning club, they are usually only too keen to help on a project like this, or PM me the details and I will do it for you.

 

S.

[Regulo]

Another thought. Put a pilot hole through from the inside first. Then you won't hit a stringer.

[grendel]

4 hours ago, Wildfuzz said:

Or find a man with a wood lathe and have them turned to suit!

now that would look posh in a nice wood.

[grendel]

or find some thick walled gas pipe the right diameter, then give it a nice coat of paint.

[tjg1677]

Thanks once again everyone for their input, it has been truly fantastic. Thank you also Stuart for your very kind offer, i have ordered some vents and once i have the dims, i will be in touch.

You are a truly great bunch

Trev

[MauriceMynah]

6 hours ago, tjg1677 said:

i have ordered some vents and once i have the dims, i will be in touch

Every one tells me I have the 'dims' all the time. Do you want some?

[tjg1677]

ermmm no thanks MM, I will pass on that if you don't mind lol.

[tjg1677]

Got the first one fitted into the stbd aft cabin as well as a low level vent in the cabin door, see how it goes overnight and how bad the condensation is in the morning.  Managed to stretch the headlining and secure a vent grill on the interior to the deckhead so it don't look too bad after all.

Going to tackle the port fwd twin cabin tomorrow,  that's the one that suffers condensation the worst. Just two more cabins to go after that!

 

Trev

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Trev,

When we are aboard we tend to leave the cabin doors open and run a 600 watt small oil filled radiator overnight, we found this reduced the condensation in the lounge. We only use it early or late in our season.

Regards

Alan

[dnks34]

Condensation has got to be the bain of boating Trev.

Our boat is also lacking in fixed vents but ive never been brave enough to cut the head lining in order to fit a few extra mushroom types!

I think window design as much as fixed vents can help or hinder enormously.   If you are lucky enough to have the posh window frames with self draining chanels to take away the dripage then your laughing.  Unfortunately ours are the typical basic aluminium type and in certain areas where condensation forms above a bed on the frame or glass we have strategically cellotaped puppy training pads to the area to prevent any annoying drips during the night. 

We always leave 1 small hopper window open while sleeping or i start to feel clostrophobic but even doing that doesnt always prevent the condensation and if you have a small oil heater on low over night then its even worse. 

 

 

[quo vadis]

Never had a problem with condensation or not that I have noticed but you don't notice these things when drunk 

[tjg1677]

Ok heres where we are. Had a maint. Weekend last week and got a few bits done. At the moment the to do list is horrendous.

Since buying GK late last season she has had: bowthruster, solar panels, hull repair on the skeg, sixty percent rewire, inverter fitted, lots of lighting work and much more besides. Back on topic, last weekend saw a few important bits done. My boat has four separate cabins, none of which were ventilated. Se now have low level louvres fitted in all the doors and a ecs ufo type vent in the stbd aft cabin roof. The low level vents i simply drilled 2 x four inch diameter holes with a holesaw and put a fixed louvre vent either side of the door. The roof vent was cut out using the same holesaw.  Managed to make the job look neat inside using ecs bulkhead grilles - incredibly expensive pieces of flimsy aluminium, but it made it look reasonable.

 Also got lots of smallish jobs done such as isolators fitted etc. The next maint weekend and a substantial proportion of easter will see two more roof vents fitted, a pulpit rail fabricated and fitted, bridge access doors rehung, duplicate set of engine instruments fitted to flybridge, handrails fitted, more rewiring, tv aerial resited to allow fitting of new canopy, nbn burgee rigged as well as about a dozen minor jobs.

I posted elsewhere about pulpit rails and after several re thinks have come up with a cunning design that i can assemble and install myself using yacht hand rail gate stanchions, stainless tube, various fittings and some big 14mm holes in the deck, thus saving about 70  percent  what i was quoted and for a more desirable result. So with to do lists growing and savings dwindling I will press on and keep you informed, may even take some pics too!!!

Trev