MacGregorSailors.com

NICRO 4 in Stainless Steel Combo 12 Volt/Solar
Cat. No. N20704COS
Weight 2 lbs
US$ 214.42

Draws only 1/10th AMP per hour on 12 Volt setting
Moves over 1100 cu. feet of cubic air per hour (intake or exhaust)
Fits standard Nicro 4 inch Snap-In deckplate (included)
Rugged high impact ABS plastic construction with stainless steel cover
Interchangeable intake and exhaust fan blades
The combo 12v/solar vent provides boaters with ventilation flexibility.
Included with each vent is a cable switch box assembly which enables the vent to be easily switched between solar and 12v power.
In the 12v mode, the vent will move over 1100 cubic feet of air per hour, making the combo vent a great choice when 12v hookup is easily accomplished and strong air flow is needed.
2 year limited warranty and 5 year qualified warranty.

NOTE: This product is being phased out by Nicro.

c130king wrote:I am a little confused about solar panels. When I store the boat for long periods I pull out the batteries and leave them at home on a trickle charger as there is no power at the storage lot. Will a solar panel run an interior fan with no 12v batteries installed anywhere?

Yes, but only during the day.

Or are you talking about using a solar panel to keep the house batteries charged up but using the house batteries to run the fan?

That's an option. During the day, the panel will run the fan and recharge the house batteries. At night, the house batteries will run the fan.

But for short term storage I won't use tarps and I probably won't remove the batteries. In this case I think the Nicro would work okay to help circulate some air through the boat.

Yes, it is especially important for sleeping aboard if you have the hatchboard in place and the forward hatch closed to keep out the rain.

Probably the longest period of time I ever went without using the boat was 3-4 weeks and never had a problem with the battery keeping a charge. But probably will need to get a small solar panel of some sort for trickle charge of the battery (or batteries as soon as I install my new switch and get 2 new Group 24s).

Jim

With flooded cell batteries, even in that 3-4 weeks they are self-discharging and with less than 100% charge, they're sulfating at least a little.

Kevin, thanks for the link to the Nicro Combo fan specs!

--
Moe

Fits standard Nicro 4 inch Snap-In deckplate (included)

Tread carefully here folks. Nicro has some slightly different 'standard' deckplates and not all 3 inch NIcro vents will fit other 3 inch deckplates. I learned this the hard way when I upgraded from plastic to SS.

Safest way to nail this is to measure your deckplate opening to the nearest mm, and measure the snout of the proposed vent to the same tolerance to make sure they will fit together like Leena Horne and Sheriff Clark. In my case the SS snout was about 3mm oversize

Kelly Hanson East wrote:

Fits standard Nicro 4 inch Snap-In deckplate (included)

Tread carefully here folks. Nicro has some slightly different 'standard' deckplates and not all 3 inch NIcro vents will fit other 3 inch deckplates. I learned this the hard way when I upgraded from plastic to SS.

Safest way to nail this is to measure your deckplate opening to the nearest mm, and measure the snout of the proposed vent to the same tolerance to make sure they will fit together like Leena Horne and Sheriff Clark. In my case the SS snout was about 3mm oversize

so Nicro has 2 ways to measure 3 inches.. LOL One would think 3inch was 3inch....but what do I know..

I like the 12v/solar combo idea..but at 200+ and its being/is discontinued is not a good thing.

we have the regular 4 inch solar vent. I just remove the battery, charge it with my home charger and don't reinstall, leave the motionless vent in place, under a tarp, seems to be OK so far..then replace the battery in the spring (after re-charging it)

Hi

3" is 3" but the diff between a snap-in & a screw in deck plate is that the snap in deck plate has no threads inside the inner dia soit has a bigger opening !!!, so if your solar fan is designed for a snap-in deck plate & most are and you have a screw in deck plate you will have to change them over thats why some of them come suppied with a snap in one the mounting holes will match up

J

Highlander wrote:Hi

3" is 3" but the diff between a snap-in & a screw in deck plate is that the snap in deck plate has no threads inside the inner dia soit has a bigger opening !!!, so if your solar fan is designed for a snap-in deck plate & most are and you have a screw in deck plate you will have to change them over thats why some of them come suppied with a snap in one the mounting holes will match up

J

One would think that they would make the vents mix and match with minimal hassle if you change vents at a later time, especially from the same company. But it is often not the case.

FWIW, I have the 4" solar vent installed in the front hatch, and even after 3 years of the boat in storage (in brutally humid conditions), the interior is remarkably clean.

--Michael

Michael,

Thanks for the info. BTW, where do you keep your boat and where do you sail? I have lots of family (actually wife's family) in Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach. Really hoping to trailer my boat there some day and sail out to Ship Island and around in that area.

Jim

Jim,

We're in Slidell (roughly halfway between New Orleans and Gulfport). At the moment, we're not doing any sailing... the boat has been in storage on the trailer since the hurricane (but we're working really hard to get back on the water this Spring). But pre-Katrina, our cruising grounds were primarily the MS barrier islands (Cat Island, West Ship Island, Petit Bois Island, etc.). We really miss it.

--Michael

Jim...My message above may have been unclear. We have 3 standalone systems operating in summer boating season and winter storage season.
1. one 5 watt solar plate trickle charges the standard 12v boat battery
2. the second 5 watt solar plate drives only the bilge fan, during the day only (no battery involved), thru a 12 volt voltage regulator chip (so as not to overdrive the bilge fan in bright sun)
3. the Nicro solar vent fan vents the cabin 24/7 on its own little integral solar plate and Nicad....a cheap blue tarp overhead may slow it a bit but does not stop it ( a snow load overhead does stop it).

Both 5 watt plates are outside the blue tarps covering the boat in winter.

Ron

Ron,

Thanks. That is good info. I may look into something like that.

Jim