Fan by the helm station

[Just Limin']

Has anyone installed a fan above the helm station? Having just come over from a sailboat, I really miss some "wind" in my face. It got a little hot this past weekend even with everything open. I wish one of the front windows could open.
I'd like to see if anyone has mounted a small fan, where they got it and how they wired it.
Thanks.

Bill Eggert
Just Limin' 25SC
Annapolis

 

[abcandjrc]

Here's how I did it on our R21. I am sure that being a sailor you are familiar with these fans. They are two speed, work beautifully, and have low current drain. I admit the open back will occasionally scare the heck out of you when you try to adjust it, but I haven't even lost skin, let alone joints. 😀 And I am obviously a slow learner.

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More details about the wiring are available by clicking on the photo. Obviously the 25 will take a different approach, but our experience with these fans is excellent.

 

[doke01]

We bought these from Walmart http://www.walmart.com/ip/6-Car-Fan/16421414. They were only $12-$13 when we bought them so we bought 5 and mounted two in the forward berth, one at the helm and one at the forward/port side passenger station and one in the cave/aft berth... The clamp is removable and the bracket mounts to the overhead/bulkhead nice and easy. You remove the bracket, mount it, slide the fan in, and then screw in the locking screw. They have individual on/off switches and they oscillate. It's good because you don't have to wire separate switches. Just route to the fuse box and you are ready to go. They also put out quite a bit of air for their size.

This is the second year we've been using them without a problem. I don't know the current draw but we've run them all night at anchor, along with the refrigerator, freezer, and lights without issue. I installed solar panels so they top up the charge when the sun comes up.

It's definitely a good deal since one 'marine' fan usually runs in the $40-$60 range. You can get 4-5 of these fans for that price and even a spare in case you are worried one might go bad.

I'll take some pictures and post them when I get a chance..

 

[doke01]

I also flipped the overhead hatches above the helm/passenger station to open forward...

It's easy to do. Just take out the screws from the top, pull out the hatch, change direction, drop in, and reinsert screws. They are not caulked/sealed in.

It makes a huge difference in air flow when under way and you don't have to open the forward hatch if it's a little choppy.

 

[RProffer]

I saw the Sirocco Model 807 at West Marine today and it looks just like what I have been looking for for use on my R21-EC. I do not know how it would work on a R25. This fan has 3 speeds and can blow at you, or flip it around to blow on the windshield to defog, or flip it down to blow on the v-berth. It has timers for 2, 4, 6, or 8 hours. Here is the manufactures website http://www.caframo.com/marine/marine_products_12voltfans_sirocco807.php, and this is the cheapest one I have found so far http://www.suremarineservice.com/807CA-WBX.aspx

 

[Brian B]

I also flipped the overhead hatches above the helm/passenger station to open forward...

It's easy to do. Just take out the screws from the top, pull out the hatch, change direction, drop in, and reinsert screws. They are not caulked/sealed in.

It makes a huge difference in air flow when under way and you don't have to open the forward hatch if it's a little choppy.

I have a concern when you say the hatch is not caulked/sealed. Were the edges of the hole itself sealed with an epoxy when the factory made the cut in the material? The manufacturer of my present boat did not perform this step resulting in water intrusion and eventual rot in the material. Is this a wood core product or a plastic composite?

 

[RProffer]

Caulking is not used on these hatches. When I received my boat, one of the overhead hatches needed to be replaced. I was surprised when they did not calk it. They said it did not need calk, and I have had zero leaks.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

We installed the Sirocco fan, the same as Rick below. We've installed it 5 months ago, it is quiet and with several speeds and you can get a nice selection of winds and it can be adjusted to and endless number of angles. Besides looking like it could have been factory installed it draws very little current, which adds to the benefit when anchoring out for long stretches of time. We really like that we can put it on the timer mode so it goes off automatically after the set time. We mounted ours in the stateroom but I can see one could easily be mounted in the pilot or galley area.

Jim F

 

[abcandjrc]

I have a concern when you say the hatch is not caulked/sealed. Were the edges of the hole itself sealed with an epoxy when the factory made the cut in the material? The manufacturer of my present boat did not perform this step resulting in water intrusion and eventual rot in the material. Is this a wood core product or a plastic composite?

See viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2712

 

[abcandjrc]

Does that fan truly gimbal in all planes, as the ad implies, or just in the single plane of the bracket. From the ad, it doesn't look like it does. The Hella I used is really fully gimbaled. But it is more money.

It does look like a nice fan in other respects, like 3 speeds vs 2, and the timer is a good idea. Everything is a trade-off, I guess.

(And it looks like it may even have a guard on both sides. Obviously they had used Hellas and found the finger-nipping disconcerting. That is not harmful, just momentarily terrifying, kind of like having your buddy hand you a charged capaciter when you were in high school.)

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Yes the fan gimbals in at least three directions, at the wall base and at the fan there are two brackets. One bracket lets you swivel (in may installation case) left to right and an interior bracket that lets you adjust the fan up or down.

Jim

 

[doke01]

As far as I could tell the fiberglass edges were sealed. I believe it is correct that these hatches are designed by the manufacturer to not need caulking.

 

[abcandjrc]

Yes the fan gimbals in at least three directions, at the wall base and at the fan there are two brackets. One bracket lets you swivel (in may installation case) left to right and an interior bracket that lets you adjust the fan up or down.

Jim

Ah, so the two little "bumps" on the horizontal plane in the picture are actually pivot points, too. It was not quite apparent from the picture that there were two frames surrounding the fan itself. I was wondering if the base didn't pivot somehow to get the third plane. Looks like another good option to get some air moving.