ean_p
Well-Known Member
am about to buy and install a number of fans around the boat......so which are the best/...is caframo still the one to go for and if so which model and why please?
cheers
ian p.
cheers
ian p.
Fans...which is/are the best please?
- Thread starter ean_p
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Salty John
Well-Known Member
Caframo are good fans but they've become incredibly expensive since they appointed a local distributor.
We used to sell the Ultimate model for little more than £30 a couple of years ago and now you'll need to pay nearly twice that!
Hella are worth a look if you want an upmarket product.
The cheap and cheerful Chinese fans tend to be noisy - if you can locate it where no-one can get hurt you can take off the finger guard which is what causes most of the rattling.
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
We have a Salty John Caframo, bought when their price was lower. It replaced a cheap car shop one and was a vast improvement. It moves a lot of air and makes galley work far more pleasant in summer Med conditions. Current drawn is easily replaced by solar panels.
Gerry
Well-Known Member
Personally I love the Caframo fan but as Salty John says the price has become ridiculous. I'm okay though 'cos I just managed to buy a load at $23 each from a Lowe's in the USA that was clearing them out
We tried all sorts before settling on the Caframo, the best of the rest was Hella but they were a very poor second IMHO.
If you are going to be cruising in hot climates maybe you'll have to bite the bullet and pay the ridiculous amount that Caframo are now charging. Good luck!
We tried all sorts before settling on the Caframo, the best of the rest was Hella but they were a very poor second IMHO.
If you are going to be cruising in hot climates maybe you'll have to bite the bullet and pay the ridiculous amount that Caframo are now charging. Good luck!
TQA
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If you go with Caframo [ I have 4 on my boat and am happy with them ] buy spare fan blades as they break. Store the spares carefully so that they do not distort and take a set.
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ean_p
Well-Known Member
Many thanks for the early replies......looks like Caframo are the bees so will ask a friend who lives in Canada to cost some for me!!!!....which models have you experience of please?? and how do they score on air flow, power consumption, noise (or lack of it!), functionality and reliability?...... I'm tempted towards the folding Sirocco so they can be 'parked' when not in use but are the Ultimate 747 and 757 as good if not better?
TQA
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 20 Feb 2005
- Messages
- 6,815
- Location
- Carribbean currently Grenada
Mine are Ultimate Model 747 Of the 4 I have replaced one and gone through 3 sets of blades in 2 1/2 years.
The fans were propably 2 -3 years old when I bought the boat.
It is noticeable that the chandlers in the Caribbean usually stock fair numbers of spare blades which suggests a weakness.
NB if they get noisy sometimes a blade replacement quietens them dramatically.
The fans were propably 2 -3 years old when I bought the boat.
It is noticeable that the chandlers in the Caribbean usually stock fair numbers of spare blades which suggests a weakness.
NB if they get noisy sometimes a blade replacement quietens them dramatically.
whipper_snapper
Well-Known Member
We have 2 of the 743's
They are OK, but can be noisy and airflow is not great. We improved airflow by removing one half of the mesh shield and accepting that we will loose some fingers.
We also have 3 of the 757's
Which are much better, more air movement for less noise.
nickf
Well-Known Member
Have two Carframo 757s. Excellent. Lower speed is usually enough (Boat in Greece) for me.
Salty John
Well-Known Member
The 757 is the one to get in my opinion. In Canada they are around Can$42 and Can$ 6 for the blades. In the USA, about $38. In the UK, £58!
The 757's rotating head is held in position by a big spring in the base. If you start to get rattles or vibration it's sometimes because the spring has lost tension - just tighten the nut in the base.
The 757's rotating head is held in position by a big spring in the base. If you start to get rattles or vibration it's sometimes because the spring has lost tension - just tighten the nut in the base.
david36
Well-Known Member
We use a 747 as a mobile including in the cockpit on really hot days, 748 Bora over the bunks and an 807 in the saloon. We have had them for 2 years and they have been excellent - high air volume ( very high volume for the 807 but maximum rarely needed), quiet, reliable with no blade breakages so far and a tiny electrical draw. We thoroughly recommend them - except for the price!
Fair winds.
oldvarnish
Well-Known Member
Agree on the 757 - excellent fan. Big plus point is that if you catch the spinning blade with your head or hand there's no damage to either.
I've got another Caframo fan in which the blades are enclosed. Much more expensive and nowhere near as good.
I've got another Caframo fan in which the blades are enclosed. Much more expensive and nowhere near as good.
ITH
Well-Known Member
We have four 757s, including one on coil-cooling duties in the refrigerator compartment (thank you Viv Cox for the tip). In six years they have been maintenance-free, and as others have said, they perform well: modest current draw, good air flow and comparatively quiet. However, best to mount them on solid panels/bulkheads. We mistakenly put one on on a thin ply panel in the saloon, which turned it into a sounding board.
tri39
Well-Known Member
I can only afford two 757's! But last August in the boatyard they were sometimes on all night!
Also have a noisy truck fan over the galley which gets used when we return to the boat on a summer's day. Going to try a computer fan aimed at the fridge coil too!
Also have a noisy truck fan over the galley which gets used when we return to the boat on a summer's day. Going to try a computer fan aimed at the fridge coil too!
Rhapsode
Active Member
Caframo Sirocco 807
My Caframo Sirocco 807 failed after two and half years. It was a bit too fussy for my liking anyway with two buttons - one for speed and one to set a timer. The buttons weren't making full contact so sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Now I have wired it to bypass the buttons and it happily spins at maximum speed until I switch it off. Happy again!
My Caframo Sirocco 807 failed after two and half years. It was a bit too fussy for my liking anyway with two buttons - one for speed and one to set a timer. The buttons weren't making full contact so sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Now I have wired it to bypass the buttons and it happily spins at maximum speed until I switch it off. Happy again!
ean_p
Well-Known Member
once again many thanks for some very informative reply's....... looks like a mix of scirocco and 757's......incidently will the 757's swivel in two planes? ie around the base and also at the stem / fan joint so as to make it fully directionable? and is it possible to easily dismount them (wiring aside) leaving just the base plate?
noelex
Well-Known Member
Could you compare the output verses noise for the 3 different models?
I had a 747 and was very happy with it. In the main bedroom it did not fit well so a purchased a Bora. I have been disappointed with the Bora it seems to produce less Air than the 747 at the same noise level. ( on high it produces a bit more air than the 747, but too much noise for sleeping)
I am now thinking about getting a Sirocco to replace the Bora, so I would be interested in your comparrison.
Salty John
Well-Known Member
The 757 nods up and down at the connection to the base and rotates 360 degrees halfway down the cylindrical mount - so, yes, it's fully articulating.
You can detach the motor and blade assembly from the mount by undoing the brass knurled nut which would leave the base and short shaft behind, but it would still be attached by the power cable. I don't know why you would want to do this.
ean_p
Well-Known Member
thanks for the reply John.....I'm interested mainly so as to be able to stow them away when not likely to need to use them as in off season in the Med etc rather than just leave them in place to get damaged. The same reason that the Sirocco seems good as it would fold flat but doesn't have the full articulation of the 747/757's
regards
Ian p
regards
Ian p
B&M
Well-Known Member
I have 3 757s' on my boat in Greece and are excellent. They have the added ability of cancelling out disco music, which can be a big problem in some harbours, especially Preveza.
