winterizing a solar vent

[Don Crowther]

Hello
I'm a new owner and proud owner of a Hunter 31.

I'm getting ready to haul her out in the next week or so and would like some advice. Winter and blowing snow will soon be here and I have a solar powered vent that I'm trying to winterize. She will be sitting on the hard with a tarp over the cockpit and the vent area will be open to the elements. Should I remove the vent from the hatch and plug the hole or just tape over the vent and hope that no snow gets into the boat?

This is a great site for us newbies. Lots of info and freindly help. Any suggestions will help.
Thanks
Don

 

[jimq26]

I suspect that your solar vent blows out and not in. At least that's how the vast majority of solar vents are set up. I leave mine on year round, and have never had rain or snow entry. You're wiser to keep the air circulating in your boat over the winter months to help prevent mildew etc.

 

[Ross]

I have four cowl vents on my boat, 2 with exhaust fans that are solar powered. They shut off when the solar panel is covered with snow but otherwise function year round. Ventilation is needed all year round.

 

[Bill C320 Papillon]

I leave mine running year round too and have never had any snow etc. get in. If it is a Nicro vent, and you want to remove it, mine just pulls out and there is a solid plate that pushes into the opening.

 

[Allan R]

Fan direction

depending on the fan blade, it can be either intake or exhaust (Nico provides both). I keep mine on, they operate fine as long as the get sunlight.

 

[Maine Sail]

Since..

Since no one else mentioned it you should REALLY consider covering the entire boat!!

Snow on deck is not good in many ways. When you have a foot of snow or even a couple of inches, sitting on deck, at a constant of about 32f, and the sun comes up, hits the hull and heats the interior to 45+ on a warm winter day it can literally start raining from the ceiling inside your boat.

As to the solar vent mine runs year round 24/7/365 and survives temps reaching sometimes to -20f but I cover my boat. Nicro makes a plastic "deck plug" to cover the hole when you remove the vent but as I said above I'd really, really consider covering it so the solar vent can keep it ventilated all winter rather than plugging the hole.

I've been on a number of uncovered boats with snow on deck and they are literally soaked and fairly trashed by late March or April..

A good cover is well worth the expense!!

 

[CalebD]

I'll second Mainesail's remarks.

I would only add that if you look at the picture of MS's boat with its shrink wrap cover you will notice that there is about a 3" gap between the deck and where the shrink wrap starts. This gap provides excellent ventilation and the shrink wrap cover keeps the decks from getting build up of any hard water.
We had our boat shrink wrapped the first season we had her and the guy did not leave enough room for ventilation. We have not shrink wrapped it since and rely on a home made frame with 2 large tarps to cover 99% of the decks.
From your profile it appears that your boat lives in Saskatchewan, CA where you can really have winter. You know what freezing water does to the landscape, do you want it to re-shape your boat?
Good luck.

 

[Maine Sail]

I also..

I would only add that if you look at the picture of MS's boat with its shrink wrap cover you will notice that there is about a 3" gap between the deck and where the shrink wrap starts. This gap provides excellent ventilation and the shrink wrap cover keeps the decks from getting build up of any hard water.

It also prevents damage to a painted hull. One of the worst things you can do to Awlgrip or any other LPU paint is smother it under non-breathable plastic. Not covering the top sides prevents wind chafe and moisture blistering of the paint as well as provides ventilation.

I pay about $80.00 more to have it stop at the deck level, more labor intensive, but it's worth every penny when a new paint job is 10k+!!

 

[Don Crowther]

Thanks to all who took the time to answer my question.
I will be going to the marina this weekend and will check and see if the vent is an innie or a outie. If it's an innie maybe I should pull it and plug the hole.

It look like I will be building a winter cover for her. One of my concerns is the winter winds blowing the tarps off. Our boat will be on the hard about 1.5 hrs away. Shrink wraping isn't an option here as no one does it yet. At least not at the marina.

Most of the time we do not get much snow. And at -25 to -40 the snow we do get doesn't stick to anything it just blows off. The late spring snows tend to be of the wetter varity.

Any thoughts on canvas or plastic tarps?

Thanks you've given me more to think about
Don

 

[higgs]

tarps and wind

One way to make sure tarps stay in place is to use snow fencing over the top of the tarp. You do not need to cover the entire tarp, just two or three strips of the fencing wrapped around the the width will keep the tarp in place during high winds and take the strain off the grommets, which, on a plastic tarp, can be torn out.

 

[alexco38]

Tarp and frame

I used 3/4 inch galvanized electrical conduits to build a frame with a few verticle supports. Every 6 feet or so I added a pair of webbing tie-down to tension the frame against the deck. Once it is all tensioned I can swing on the frame with no deformation.

White poly tarp goes over the frame allows some sun light to go thru. I have a solar panel under the tarp to power a few computer box fans to keep air circulation thru the winter months.

30kt wind has not blown my cover off last winter. No snow, no ice, no mildrew, no faul smell.