Fresh Air Inlet.

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prjacobs
Posts: 235
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 4:06 pm

Fresh Air Inlet.

Post by prjacobs »

Hi,
A quick question: On the fresh air inlet, aft of the engine control on the starboard side of the cockpit, is there some kind of cover over this to keep water out? I have a round opening with no way of closing it off. At the other end, in the galley, there's a cover that spins shut. I was thinking of putting some kind of Clamshell cover at the cockpit end, but am curious to know the original setup.
Thanks!
Peter
Bob McGovern
Posts: 283
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:08 am
Location: Wyoming, USA

Re: Fresh Air Inlet.

Post by Bob McGovern »

Ours has a plastic louver over the blower intake (outlet?), something like this:

Image

http://www.mflouver.com/round_plastic_louvers.html

I haven't yet figured out what all the ductwork goes to. There is a surprising amount of it. Presumably the two mushroom vents on the transom deck are both engine compartment intake air? Ours has a blower, I think. Then there's the duct you describe, from the cockpit to the starboard salon berth. That seems to tee off to a hose coming out of the engine compartment (heat?), with a 3-way damper under the cooktop cabinet. There's another louvered vent outboard, on the starboard comings, aft quarter. Do the blowers always run when the engine is started?

If anyone could sketch approximate duct runs & put arrows on direction of flow, that would be super helpful!
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prjacobs
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Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 4:06 pm

Re: Fresh Air Inlet.

Post by prjacobs »

Bob, it sounds like an HVAC guy once owned your boat!
My vents:
1st transom vent goes to the engine room by hose.
2nd transom vent ventilates the lazarette (no hose).
vent in cockpit goes directly to galley bulkhead by hose.

I had one of these in mind to protect the cockpit side vent hole:
Image
Bob McGovern
Posts: 283
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:08 am
Location: Wyoming, USA

Re: Fresh Air Inlet.

Post by Bob McGovern »

That cowl should work very well. It also looks tougher than louvered vents. Ours is missing several fins -- it's down where feet might kick it.

Some previous owner chose that nasty white vinyl accordion hose for all our ductwork, all shredded or collapsed by now. It does look rather like something from the movie Brazil. Takes up a shocking amount of stowage, too.

So that vent you are talking about, back by the shifter, with the little blower on it: does that pull air out of the boat, or blow air into the boat? Is it there to prevent carbon monoxide from building in the cabin? We're changing to a non-pressure alcohol stove, so we want some positive way to vent the galley.
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prjacobs
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Re: Fresh Air Inlet.

Post by prjacobs »

I have the white flex tube too. It looks "original", and after some diligent scrubbing cleaned up well. Also, it's a metric size so imperial inlets/outlets don't fit too well. There's no blower on mine, although that might be a good idea. I used 2" sections of pvc pipe, split, as hangers for the flex tubing, and attached them to plywood stringers that are epoy'd to the inside of the cockpit wall. With only 1 screw as the attachment point they can be rotated to suite the direction of the flex tube. The tubing can be popped in and out easily as work on locker floors and partitions progresses.
Image
In the picture above you can also see the re-located and enlarged cockpit locker lid gutter drain.
And If I run out of things to do before launch day I'll crawl back into the lockers and paint the upper portions under the deck too. :lol:

Image

Image

I'm not sure which direction the air is intended to flow. Not having a blower lets it go either way and saves a few Watts too.
Are you going for the Origo alcohol stove? I've never had CO problems on the Vega with the Origo, as we keep things well vented when cooking.
Bob McGovern
Posts: 283
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:08 am
Location: Wyoming, USA

Re: Fresh Air Inlet.

Post by Bob McGovern »

Either the Origo or the Cookmate clone of same. Boat came with a non-gimballed Kenyon pressure alcohol stove, tho an old Origo fire pan lurked beneath it. We were originally thinking propane, just for the convenience -- but the infrastructure required to do it to ABYC standards ruled that out. Locker, rust-proof tank(s), regulator, solenoid, sniffer ... about $1200 worth of accessories before you even buy the stove! Everyone seems to love the Origo non-pressurized.

Now we have to decide between the single burner & the two burner stove. When underway, most couples tend to cook simple one-pot meals -- if they cook at all. At anchor, where we may feel more creative, we have a Magma propane grill/oven (came with the boat) and a Coleman single-burner that uses the same 1# propane cannisters. Probably build a fold-down solar oven for bread-baking. Since counter space is so limited, I'm trending toward the 1-burner stove. (We also want a flip-down door on the stowage above the stbd salon berth that can serve as extra countertop for the galley. But that's getting waaay ahead of ourselves. ;) )

The Jabsco blower I pulled out runs the same direction regardless of polarity. It was set up to blow air into the boat -- either into the cabin near the mast foot or into the engine clamshell, passing under the sink, depending on how you set the dampers. We may or may not repipe it ... unless someone knows a compelling reason to have that ductwork. Current ventilation plans include adding two dorade boxes just forward of the mast; replacing the central mushroom vent between mast and seahood with a large, aft-opening hatch; cutting two oval opening portlights into the cockpit bulkhead; designing a windscoop for the forward hatch; and mounting 12V fans here and there for personal cooling when the wind doesn't blow. We are taking a dark blue boat to Mexico. We'll need all the help we can get. :lol:
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