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Hi All, have been a lurker here since the old site,and have just now (Nov.) finally obtained a 2002X and am starting to want to make mods. Of course the first/worst problem is the first hull penetration! So my first "owner" question is: I want to mount a solar Nicro fan but I want to eventually set up for single handing so I'm looking at either the fore hatch lid, or the aft end of the sliding hatch. I'm lucky enough to be able to keep the X behind my house on the canal, so trailering will very seldom (hopefully)be an issue. Any input/hints will be appreciated! Also per Duane, I'm planning to use 4200 to bed with and am thinking for my purposes, my first bedding should be thru a hatch, not the deck. Any thoughts, Gang?! By the way, NEWBIE (me) needs all the help/ support I can get for this first penetration!!!

Congratulations on your new X

Nicro's Boater's Guide to Cabin Ventilation has instructions for installing their vents.

Our Nicro fan sits in a deckplate, which will protrude below the deck and would probably keep the companionway hatch from sliding open all the way. The forward hatch is probably the best of your alternatives.

Wherever possible, I prefer using a holesaw to cut circular holes.
--
Moe

Just an opinion as I don't have a Nicro myself. But the spot where sliding hatch meets the vertical hatch cover is already the best-ventilated spot on the boat. I'd choose a spot distant from there to provide as much cross-venting as possible.

Yet, I'm not sure I'd want the vent fan mounted in that forehatch. Center foredeck is valuable real estate for footing and foredeck safety, so it's a good place to minimize obstacles. And the hatch can flop either direction, so the fan would be at some risk.

Accept any of above logic and you're right back to a hole in the deck!

Thanks for the quick reply, Moe. I tried to find a 4- 3/4 in. hole saw, but couldn't so instead I got a new (guy thing ) Dremel 400 XPR super duper tool with hole cutter attachment! AAARG! AAARG! as Tim the tool man would say!!! I'm 6'4" so need hatch space but placed aft, pushed forward, the hatch should loose 5" from full open,right, not too bad, but maybe forward hatch would be better! Thanx again, Moe!

I guess this is a dumb question......but why not along a window.....

I can see the obvious reason that the acrylic alone is not strong enough..but you only need a penetration through the acrylic, the mount could be inside glassed to the wall......

Sorry, ww, I wasn't clear enough.It's a Nicro solar, hatch/thru deck mount, vent fan.

Accept any of above logic and you're right back to a hole in the deck!

I'm afraid you're right, Frank, but where?

I have mine thru the front hatch. Easy fixing since it is only one layer to get thru.

midget wrote:. . . I'm afraid you're right, Frank, but where?

Take a look at the picture of Moe's 26X on the Mods Page for Ventilation. His seems okay to me, but I wouldn't want to give up that forehatch.



But Pouw confirmed your idea that the forehatch is an easy mod. Plus, it's a good spot for circulating more of the interior air ... maybe you should go ahead and install it in the forehatch. If you step on it you've only lost a hundred fifty or so for fan & hatch (hoping you can still buy that hatch from the factory). Or you can mount it into a deck plate like Moe's. If you're later unhappy, remove the fan & buy a new deck plate.

Most important consideration ... spin up that drill and cut through some FRP. First time's the toughest!

How sturdy are those little vents? I see some of them with stainless shells. If you put it in the forward hatch, will it survive being accidentally stepped on?

I've been thinking of putting one of these in also, and again my location of choice would be that hatch forward, but that is also my at-anchor lounging and looking up at the stars spot - having a vent fan sticking up there would make it somewhat uncomfortable to lie on!

What we need is a fan that mounts flush and carries it's bulk underneath vice above the deck.

- AndyS

They are pritty strong Andy. I kick it frequently by accident. You can just step on it without a problem. However laying on it to admire the stars is like sleaping with a rock in your back. But we are talking about ventilating fresh air from the outside in, and I am not sure that requirement can be guaranteed anymore either

I like Moe's mounting the best - it's an area rarely used for walking and it won't produce drafts near sleepers, either. However, would that location cause an issue if later one wanted to have all-lines-led-aft?

My main concern would be in taking away too much strength from the hatch. I already try not to step in the center of the hatch due to its "give", would having a hole in the center weaken it too much? A matter of fact I think I already have slight cracks near the hinge in my hatch cover...so I am worried about possibly weakening it further...

Any thoughts?

Rich

Another thought is that if you want to vent warm air out, the highest point in the boat will get the best bang for the buck. (No Bruce, don't put it on the mast.) Seems the sliding hatch would be best from this perspective. If it were a super low profile model, you may be able to install it just aft of the mast step so the hatch would slide over it.

Definitely like the idea though. Rich, as we discussed, how much will it cost?

My vent location was probably determined by H&S Yachts for my previous owner. I really like the central location.

It reduces headroom over the walk through by only about 1/8", the thickness of the inner trim ring.

Most importantly for the Admiral, since the fan runs 24x7 even on cool nights, is that it doesn't cause a draft over the V-berth because we can close the forehatch and all the airflow is all between the fan and the gap between the companionway hatch and hatchboard. OTOH, it can provide a breeze over the V-berth with the forehatch open.

I hadn't really thought of it, but as Frank points out, there's precious little standing room on the foredeck, especially when the anchor locker is open, and I'm not sure I'd want to give up standing on the forehatch. I like the fan being higher and further away from green water coming over the bow in heavy seas, and if water does get through, it drips on carpeting rather than the berth.

As for leading lines aft, yes, it would block any running from the base of the mast out laterally. However, the only lines we're likely to have led back on the port side are spinnaker sock control lines coming from the bow, along with the roller furler line. If raising or lowering a spinnaker out of or into the forehatch (or if we had hanked-on foresails), I'm likely to be on the foredeck to control them, and would operate the jib halyard from there. The main halyard and single-line reefing would be on the starboard side. If we didn't get a boomkicker or rigid vang, which would eliminate the need for a topping lift, it could be controlled at the boom end, or line running forward under the boom. And we probably won't bother to run the vang line to the deck either. There would also be the option of running the line from higher up on the mast, to the deck, over the fan, but that would increase the trip hazard.

Now, all this being said, IIRC it was Stephen (Catigale) who discovered that mounting a fan here put a 3-1/2" hole in a wide stringer in the deck. Even with my 250 lbs walking around it, there's no flex in the deck, so I don't see that as a problem. But knowing that now, I don't think I'd put the 4" fan, with its larger hole, there.

Hope this helps,
--
Moe

I had ruled out the forward hatch out of concern that the nicro vent would get damaged if the hatch is thrown open accidently or by the wind. That could damage the gelcoat also- I currently have a rubber bumper to prevent damage.

I have been considering an area above the v-berth - port side - under the lifelines with the fan blowing out. That should be enough out of the way as not to be a tripping hazard, but granted the best place would be high/centered and away from sleeping areas.

My concern about the area next to the mast was stepping or tripping on it while on deck manning the sails or stepping the mast. Moe, I know you haven't had a chance to try your boat on the water yet ( it won't be long though) but let us know how it works out in that regard. From working on it in the driveway, you probably have an idea already. If you wanted to bring all lines to the cockpit and hadn't installed the vent yet, would you install it in the same place or in another spot? Sometimes when a permanent mod like this is installed, at a later date you find that if it had been installed 1" this way, then......

Another location I am considering is in the head port window, but I need to find out if the nicro can be mounted on a vertical surface. It would be nice to have an exhaust fan in there sometimes


Thanks for any feedback
Greg