AIR MOVEMENT
If your lucky your boat will have lots of opening port lights and hatches. If not, well you gotta' do what you can to make up for it. A good way to start is with fans. We have eight fans and use four types of fans: a two-speed Hella fan, a 12 volt car fan, a 12 volt computer pancake fan and a 12 volt, 18" three-speed box fan. Let's look at the pros and cons of each.
Hella Turbo Fan.
The Hella is a very durable fan and the one we prefer. We had one that ran non-stop for 7 years! They put out a fair breeze at the cost of only 1/2 amp. Be prepared to pay $60 or more and they can be a little noisy . We have some that are almost silent and some that rattle like a snake. They can be taken apart for cleaning if you think ahead before installing. You can purchase them at marine stores or on-line.Portable Car Fan
You can pick these up at an automotive parts store for arount $10 or, if you like paying more, at a marine store. These fans put out a lot of air but are noisy, difficult to clean and draw over one amp. We have one mounted so when we are motoring, it blows the hot air away from our aft cabin. We also have one that we use in the cockpit. We generally use it when we have plenty of elecrricity.Computer Pancake Fan
Another long-life fan. We use one to keep the electronics cool for the auto-pilot and one in the V-berth just to provide air movement for mildew protection. We have a friend who uses them in the hanging lockers to prevent mildew and "boat" smells in the clothing. Very low amperage draw but not a large amount of air movement. Available at electronics parts stores like Radio Shack.12 Volt Box Fan
We, and others, ador the 18" Endless Breeze box fan sold by Fan-tastic Vent. It has 3 speeds, quiet operation and moves a lot of air. It is easy to disassemble for cleaning. Amperage draw is modest given the amount of air movment provided. Available at RV stores, marine stores or on-line. We've gotten the best prices on-line for around $70 - $80.Other Fans
There are as many fans as there are boaters. Everyone has their favorite. We avoid fans without finger guards because even if the blade is made of soft material if you touch the turning blade it will scare the crap out of you. Those which have the suction cup don't stick to all surfaces. AC fans, even though they really move the air, draw a punitive amount of amps.
Fan installation and cleaning tips.
Hella Turbo Fan
Mount the fan where ever you want. Install a plug and the recommended fuse about 16 inches from the fan. Be sure to use a fuse. We know one
boater whose boat caught fire due to a failed fan. You'll need the plug so you can remove the fan and clean it. To clean the fan first unplug it then remove the fan blade by prying off the little cap over the shaft. It should come off using your fingernail. Then loosen the collett nut with needle-nose pliers or a 3/8 inch socket. Then remove the front rotary switch. It is a little more difficult to pry off. Now you can pull the motor out and dunk the frame to clean it. If you like you can lubricate the two motor bearings. When re-assembling the rotary switch use the "on-off" indicators to orient the switch. When installing the fan blade put the shaft in-line with the collett.Portable Car Fan.
These fans come with clamps or permanent mounts. Take your pick. If you are going to use it as a portable be sure to use a lighter plug that contains a fuse. We prefer the plugs that have not only the fuse but a little LED indicator light. To clean you usually have to remove a few screws in order to remove the fan guard. The fan blade is often impossible to remove.
Computer Pancake Fan
If you install these permanently be sure to include an on-off switch so you can clean the blades. You may want to consider using a blade guard to keep your fingers from getting bit. They will definetly make you say a swear word *2#$%! No disassembly possible for cleaning.
Endless Breeze Box Fan
The fan comes with a fused power cord and when we ordered one on-line it came with a free extension cord. We mount ours in the overhead hatch in our cabin. Both fan guards and the blade disassembles for cleaning. The blade has a set screw to allow removal however, as soon as you get the fan remove the set screw and apply anti-seize to the shaft and screw.
SHADE
The obvious choice for shade is the awning. There basically two types of awnings, flat and tented plus there are numerous variations. They can be fabricated from basically two types of material: porous shade screen or close-weave acrylic (eg Sunbrella). The choice of material and type depends on the cruising area you will be spending most of your time.
Material
This is an easy choice. If you want to keep out the rain then acrylic is the only choice but it is heavy (which makes it a bear to handle in high winds), expensive and requires a lot of re-inforcement. Shade fabric (which comes in varying percentages of shade) on the other hand is light weight and cheap but the rain pours right through.
Flat Awnings
These awnings are usually quite large and do a good job of shading the boat. They make it easy to walk around the deck underneath and they look nice. A great choice if your living in the marina or in an area that doesn't have much wind or rain. In moderate winds they really put a strain on the fabric, create a lot of windage, and are difficult to take down in an emergency. In the rain the awning tends to catch the water putting even more strain on the attachment points.
Tent Awnings
The best thing about tent awnings are their ability to hold up to high winds and keeping the rain out of the boat. However, they don't provide much head room to walk around the deck and to get in and out of the cockpit. We made a Sunbrella tent awning for the back of the boat and a tented fore deck shade awning using 80% shade cloth. We've left our tent awning up in 20+ knots with no problems.Other Shade
We spend a lot of time along the Eastern Baja where the temperatures run in the 90's and the sun makes even the white decks hot to walk upon. On
the deck areas where the awning doesn't shade we put low-cost automotive window shades. They significantly reduce the amount of heat the deck radiates into the boat. We lay them down and put a couple of weights on them. If the wind comes up we'll run out and remove them. We also wrap our ice chest with one. Other boaters hang them over the side where their referigrator is located. Another good item to have is some of that aluminized bubble wrap. Doubling a piece and placing it on top of the food in the referigrator and in the portable ice chest makes a big difference. You can also cut it to shape and put it in the portlights.
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