moving air around - 1985 E28

so..I want to increase the air movement in the cabin..over the winter months to control
mildew and wet...my two hatches are pretty grazed..one near the mast..the other one over the v berth...
is there a good shop or place to ups the old ones in and have the shop replace plastic? and..is this a good
spot to install the vents to move air around?...vs. making new holes in the deck (which I prefer not to do ) ...
and finally...do folks recommend the solar/ fan vents or just the open, non moving vents?...as always thanx for tip
and ideas from the community....richard / colorado / odyssey sailing systems llc... :nerd:

Our 1981 E28+ came with a Nicro solar vent fitted in the "glass" of the forward hatch. It doesn't catch the sheets or sail and is out of the way of walking etc on the foredeck. It can be closed off by pushing up the collar of the vent from the inside and the fan can be shut off with a button on the inside. You have to actually put your finger through the moving blades of the fan to do that but no digital damage yet. The blade wheel seem to slide off more easily over time and may need to be replaced over time. It is sensitive to shadow and the battery doesn't last very long into the night. Ours is set to exhaust and inlet air comes in via two 3" round house vents we fitted into a single plywood "winter" companionway hatch. This saved the lovely teak boards from modifications from original. We use a 110V air dryer dehumidifier in the cabin (one of those flat round ones with holes in the top) to move air around inside the cabin and keep the head door open and the engine compartment door/hatch open too. Since the opening ports in the head and opposite seem designed to let in water even when closed we bought visors for them and now they can be left open if needed, even in rain, for good cross ventilation.
We considered modifying the as fitted 12V engine space ventilation fan to draw air in with a 110V replacement motor when alongside but didn't need to do it even in our wet Victoria BC climate.

is there a good shop or place to ups the old ones in and have the shop replace plastic?

My quote for lens replacement (only) from Select Plastics, the Connecticut hatch repair specialists, was $450 each, exclusive of shipping or tax.

But you can unmount your old hatch lids and any plastics shop will cut you a new one from the pattern of the old one.

Reinstallation is pretty easy.[/COLOR]

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?108-Lewmar-Superhatch-Lens-Replacement

E 28 Vents

Hi Respected Sailors
Installed Nicro Solar Vents with screens in 1983 and we have had minimal mildew. Exhaust vent in starboard head. Intake vent same spot on port side. Installed after a wet week in 82 with big mildew. The exhaust vent in head seems to do a very nice job of keeping the boat "head" odor free. The intake vent produces a nice "little" breeze for part of the v berth. Batteries last about two years. Have had to replace one of the Solar Vents as it quit working.
Our season is generally less than 4 months in NH.

Pat
1981 E28+
Chips

Hatches and Vents

Weighing in on behalf of superstition and ignorance, I would not cut a large circle out of the plastic hatch lens. But that's just me.
:0

I did add a couple of Beckson (http://www.beckson.com/images/c-6rsat600.jpg )
model C-6SS, non-electric vents about 20 years ago and they work very very well. Their design keeps spray out, too, and they can be closed/opened from the inside.
I got the SS version, as experience with one of those on a prior boat showed that long-term UV exposure would weaken the plastic version.

As for Select Plastics, friend of mine with an E-38 sent his lens frames back to them and got them back ready-to-go, with the metal frames cleaned up like new.
He's happy and they look awesome.
He left the bases installed on the boat, and extracted the hinge pins.
Not sure, but I believe that they can replace the gasket at the same time.

Several solutions, 'bout equally correct.
Anything that gets that damp air out of the boat is good.

Cheers,
Loren

Do you have power at the dock? A small dehumidifier will do more for mildew and moisture than any other solution can dream of. we started using a dehumidifier at the boat a year ago and its like a whole new experience. wet items and dark corners that would have stayed wet for weeks now dry in minutes, and the never ending mold cycle is forever ended. No holes no cutting no upgrades just all of the benefits.

If no power, can use dry air containers throughout boat. Cheap, buy at Lowes. I use the Damp Rid brand (unscented version, some of the scented ones aren't so pleasant for a marine app). I have 8 of them on my boat now, those with the hatches set to vent and the cowls does a good job.

Beckson vent o mate vs Nicro

I've been using a single Nicro day/night solar vent on the Ericson, and so far no mildew, but I haven't gone through a winter with it. Last winter I used two computer fans connected with fused microclip wires to a single car battery and a small 1.5 watt solar panel. One under the anchor chain pass through thing blowing in, and one through where the old broken nicro vent hole was blowing out. It seemed to work well as long as I charged the battery every week. On my Islander, I had a single Beckson Ventomate that was awesome. It cracked pretty bad after two years (white plastic version), but when it was windy, it exchanged the air out surprisingly well. I'm sure that having an active vent is better, but it worked as long as the wind was blowing.

Good luck!
Dean

a BIG thanx everyone...some great ideas and tips on this thread.... I'll post pics
and let you know how we resolve our "air movement issue".... cheers...