We took the dorades off Leonidas ten years ago and then used four types
of solar vents. None worked very well. They all leaked badly. In
ideal conditions they provided only small amounts of air, but their
batteries frequently were too low, they do not work in sultry overcast
conditions and then they just stopped working. The makers/agents were
uninterested in problems.

We have gone back to dorades, and if you install them I suggest:
* biggest cowls you can find (sucks in more air),
* rotating cowls so you can orientate them to the wind,
* we face them away from the wind in stronger winds & they then suck
air out of the boat,
* when boat is left in marina we face them in opposite directions to
cope with wind shifts,
* "three legged" rope guards over all cowls,
* insect screens inside the boxes,
* fairly large dorade boxes as they work as water separators, and this
requires space,
* some way of sealing the vent into the boat (eg screw down mushroom
cap). The traditional pair of sox is suboptimal.

Best of luck and fair winds

Graeme
sv Leonidas



Jim Conlin wrote:

I'd look very hard at the Nicro Day&Night solar vents.They do work,
especially if there's wind or sun.They don't ship water in normal
circumstances, but can, in extremis, be replaced with a plug.They're
cleaner and are less likely to snag sheetsThey have batteries to keep
'em going all night. A good thing.Installation is simpler .
Burrowing out some core and backfilling with putty is a good idea.
Inside trim rings are available. "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach sez use
my name at earthlink dot fishcatcher (net) - with apologies for the
spamtrap wrote in message
news dorades to their boats?

We're looking at long periods on the hook, when we'll be off the
boat all
day (commuting, in the Caribbean) and are looking at mold and mildew

prevention.

For whatever reason, I seem to be particularly sensitive to mold,
having
just had another recurrence of a burst eardrum here at home (clogged

Eustachian tubes, infection follows, pressure builds up and necropsy

finishes it). Thus, making sure we have a free flow of air will be
important.

We'll have full awnings, but don't want to leave the boat open, nor
do we
want to go to bars/grates which would allow leaving the hatches
cracked/open
but (in my, prior security industry-experienced, view) severely
compromising
emergency exit.

Thus the thought of dorades. Two questions about that:

Is it a big deal in our cored deck, or about the same as installing
a winch
or other topside item?

If you've done it, are you happy with the outcome?

I'm thinking in terms of a couple forward, facing forward, and
another
couple aft, facing aft, when we're at anchor, with caps for in and
out when
we're in the Briny (I'd sure hate to dump a bucket of water down on
the new
bedding!!). That, I presume, would allow for a pretty consistent
air flow
through the boat. Finding somewhere to put them which won't screw
up our
deck space any more than is already the case will be the biggest
challenge.

So, experience??

Thanks.

L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things
you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain