Installing a Marinco Solar Vent

[@campbellshaw8698]

Yay! He's back!

[@TRAILERYACHTADVENTURES]

Thanks for the thumbs up. Apart from moving and setting up a new home in Metung, we currently have an old dog with dementia that hates the water and being on the boat. Makes longer trips a bit difficult but hopefully will be doing some shorter ones on the lakes soon. Cheers Mark

[@shortwidgets]

Thanks. I'm putting the same unit in my sailboat here in Titusville, Florida. Great video.

[@Hubcap3738]

Nice rl mate. You should be sealing the deck with epoxy resin. The proper way is to cut a bigger hole and fill it up with epoxy resin and then drill and install. This is a permanent fix, you should keep an eye on that installation in case water gets into the core and delamination will occur. Silicone degrades. I'd love a rl28 though!

[@TRAILERYACHTADVENTURES]

Thanks for the heads up. Yes epoxy over the painted surface is the most permanent way to do it and if I was a lot younger I would have probably done that. My reasoning is the high strength marine silicone I use is guaranteed for 20 years and I have had below water through hull ports sealed with it for more than that without leakage. I smeared the cut surface liberally with the silicone as well as applied it to the deck flange. I have had cheap Bunnings silicone fail after only a few years and would never use it on a boat again. In 20 years I will be over 80 and I suspect my sailing days will be diminishing substantially. Cheers Mark

[@davidlapointe4710]

I dont get it. Do you drill and install before the epoxy is set? Why would epoxy not leak if you drilled through it?

[@ianbell5611]

Very good. Happy Retirement. I retired jan. 2023. 😁

[@CaptMarkSVAlcina]

Hi Mark, I just realised I have missed a neither video of yours so will need to watch it. LOL THIS ONE I DO NOT MISS. What a great idea, never thought you would have a problem with mould as I never did or any one I know at Williamstown and just thought it would be the same down there. How does air get in or out when you pass up the inside thing to stop water getting in ? The yacht beside you with all the mould is a 24/28 triton yacht , because I had one. Sold now. The blue one looks like a Sunsailer and the wooden boat name Murray is a AWB very famous as only if I remember right 350 or so were built for WW2 in Melbourne.

[@TRAILERYACHTADVENTURES]

Hi Mark, I replied to this but it vanished. The climate down here is very mild and often the warmest part of Victoria in winter. The mould is most problematic in winter when the boat is closed up for longer periods. I am sure the mouldy Triton next door doesn't help either. Neringa is very airtight so the vent will create a constant movement of air through the cabin which I am told goes a long way towards keeping the mould away. Yes the boat Murray next door is a classic wooden boat and has only moved in recently. I hope her owners start restoring her as there is quite a bit of timber showing though damaged paintwork. I am sure the triton is a great boat, this one is sadly very neglected and hasn't moved for years. Cheers Mark

[@richarddegroot1481]

Hi Mark. Just picked this up and nice work. Looks like a great unit. I’m in SA and humidity is high during winter over here as well. Rather than drilling a hole in the boat I thought a dehumidifier might work. There a few on the market designed for bedroom size that only draw about 40 watts so my thinking was to use timer and run for say 8 hours a day and my solar panel should keep up with power draw. Did you explore this? I’m not sure if this will be more effective than your solar fan as I’m assuming it will draw moist air in or does that not matter and it’s more about air circulation. Be interested in your opinion. With thanks and cheers

[@TRAILERYACHTADVENTURES]

Hi Richard, Its a good question and I probably don't have the full answer yet. I used heaps of the water absorbing canasters in the boat over the last couple of winters and the mold seemed to still appear frequently. I have been told that is more about the air circulation rather than just the moisture but cant really give an opinion until I have had the boat through a winter with the solar vent. We have had a cool damp summer since installing the vent and there has been little sign of mould growth since. Having said that we use the boat more in summer so it gets naturally ventilated more often than winter. The other consideration is that the solar vent mostly runs 24hours a day in summer but now the days are shortening and especially on cloudy days the vent is not running by morning so will be shifting less air in winter. I think the theory is that the mold spores are very light so any air current will stop them settling and if the air is exhausted even better. You dehumidifier may also work if it sets up some constant air movement inside the cabin. I you go that way let me know how it turns out, I would be very interested. Cheers Mark

[@richarddegroot1481]

Hi Mark. Appreciate your reply. The humidifier has a fan drawing air in and then out so it should provide some air circulation. I’ll give it a go and let you know how it turns out. Oh just for info I have a 1985 Sabre 22 and been learning how to sail over the past couple of years. Cheers Rich

[@alanmctavish3628]

Can I install on a vertical wall?

[@TRAILERYACHTADVENTURES]

I don't think there is any problem with installing on a vertical wall except that it may not be as good at keeping heavy rain from making its way into the cabin. The rain would have to make its way over a lip but it may leak slightly. Cheers Mark

[@gregg6282]

I cannot believe how noisy this little fan is. It costs a lot of money. It does work but i cant live with this whinning sound

[@TRAILERYACHTADVENTURES]

Yes its not silent but it is quieter than a lot of the cheaper units I have tried in the past. Mine is at the other end of the boat to where I sleep so I don't notice it. I do turn it off at night when others are sleeping onboard.

[@wayofthesamurai90]

Pretty funny, at 1.50 you say that you can hardly hear it running

[@gregg6282]

@@wayofthesamurai90 I bought one based on this installation. It's noisy. It works but it is really noisy