Anyone found my dorade vents?

[Nostrodamus]

Anyone found a couple of dorade vents floating in the Atlantic.

Seems I have a bit of a problem as I seem to knock them off from time to time, especially in high winds. It would appear that the slack genoa line does not like them, especially in big winds and throws them overboard at every opportunity.

The are, or to be more precise were, situated forward of the mast along the centreline and behind the baby stay which should stop this but it doesn't.

I have several choices... take them off before a sail and fit the blanking plates but this seems to defeat their purpose, fix a lanyard between the vent and the cowl, get a stainless steel cage as seems to be the norm on most boats or fit the flatter or solar powered vents to the cowl.

Anyone had the same problem? What solution did you use? Are solar powered vents worth the money as they seem to be very expensive or can you buy ready made cages?

Thanks for any replies.

 

[sarabande]

solar powered are nice idea, but the volume of air they remove at night time has been discussed here previously. General perception was "non".

Shaped guard tubing seems to be the answer if you wish to keep the 'scoop' effect.

 

[Tomahawk]

are they good at keeping water out whilst venting?

If not take them off for sailing. Unless you are going very long passages in bad weather, which doesn't seem your style, it should not make much difference..

... Alternatively we have low profile vents on the foredecks... which seem to stay put....(so far... but now I am tempting fate)

 

[Nostrodamus]

The low profile vents may be worth looking at but the old ones which are now doing the ARC were good at scooping air in and keeping water out.
I agree they may not be needed in Plymouth Mr Tomahawk but next year you will be looking for cool air as well.

 

[michael_w]

Despite the babystay, my dorades plucked off by the jib sheets on occasion too. I've got lanyards that are tied off within the dorade box to prevent them going swimming. The only real way is to have stainless steel hoops made.

The other problem is as mine are the "low profile" type, there isn't enough upstand to keep their heads above water when the wet stuff rolls down the foredeck, so they have to be reversed to be come extractors.

 

[vyv_cox]

We reverse ours when sailing to avoid their being caught by genoa sheets, We've had the same ones for over ten years now, so the method seems to be working.

 

[Nostrodamus]

We reverse ours when sailing to avoid their being caught by genoa sheets, We've had the same ones for over ten years now, so the method seems to be working.

I had reversed mine as well but alas they are no more. Looks like I am going to have to cage the new puppies in.

 

[sarabande]

the tip on a detachable lanyard sounds a like a winner.

 

[onesea]

£15 from a plumbers merchant on No 2 this season, has the advantage of being omni directional. Keep meaning to buy a spare so I can spray them white for looks .

Plus the shape is such ropes are less likely to snag...

 

[Nostrodamus]

Thank onesea..I will look but how do they attach? It shows once again how we are being ripped off by adding "for the boat" on the end!

 

[Bobobolinsky]

Lanyard works for me. I thought the whole idea of a directional cowl was so you can extract by moving them around

 

[Nostrodamus]

Lanyard works for me. I thought the whole idea of a directional cowl was so you can extract by moving them around

I actually thought they introduced air into the boat rather than extracted it.
I am just looking here where they make the guards.

http://www.ahoycaptain.com/shop/dorade_main.html

Apparently 20% of replacement vents are from jib sheets pulling them off.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Dam.. just realised it is an American site.

 

[Bobobolinsky]

Hang on I think I bought your cowls on E Bay

 

[onesea]

Lanyard works for me. I thought the whole idea of a directional cowl was so you can extract by moving them around

There is a whole science to air flow with cowls, if there is some one from general cargo ships on here they will explain. The boat I have is an X race boat and was never fitted with the the bottom of the Dorade box to separate water from the air. So a Dorade would just let in the rain in the wrong direction.

Thank onesea..I will look but how do they attach? It shows once again how we are being ripped off by adding "for the boat" on the end!

I just drop some elastic in on a hook underneath, its not an exact fit but works for me..

One down side I have found last time out, the weather was such solid water was coming on the deck and against the vent it went up and inside . I guess the Dorade box would deal with it

Ours is on the top of the coach roof, it was a tad breezy

 

[aluijten]

Anyone had the same problem? What solution did you use? Are solar powered vents worth the money as they seem to be very expensive or can you buy ready made cages?

This came standard to our boat. Maybe of some help for you.

 

[lenseman]

Using stainless steel bolts and (plate) washers throughout, make up a lanyard and mount within the dorade and then down inside to a fixing inside the wooden housing onto which the dorade is mounted. In this way, no lanyard will be visible and the errant dorade will hopefully remain on deck?