We had the original Windscoop Ventilator on board our
previous boat which does a decent job, but when the wind shifts directions, you
have to go up top and reposition the scoop accordingly. This wouldn't be an
issue for a shallow drafted boat that points into the wind at anchor, but heavy
boats like ours that draw 6' + don't always point into the wind and move with
the current instead.
The Original Windscoop |
There are several 3- or 4-way or "omni
directional" wind scoops on the market, but the most common designs are
narrower at top than at hatch level, which in our opinion loses a lot of air.
Plastimo's Omni-Directional Wind Scoop |
And with "custom" hatch measurements, most
commercial wind scoops wouldn't work with our hatch dimensions. So after
looking at many designs on the market, we set out to design our own.
We wanted to maximize airflow as much as possible, so with
the bowsprit and high free board, we needed a particularly tall scoop. We also
wanted a rigid top that would keep its shape and withstand reasonable wind
gusts. And we needed strong, yet light weight material that would move easily,
along with a "skirt" that would help direct the airflow and keep the
leeward scoop pieces neatly in place.
The result: a 6 1/2 foot tall scoop with four panels made
from rip stop nylon. Each panel is wider at the top and tapers down to match the
width of the hatch opening. The top is made of nylon flag material, which has
better UV characteristics than regular rip stop. A fiberglassed piece of Luann
is sandwiched between two pieces of the green nylon flag material to give the
top some rigidity, and the 4 panels are sewn to the 4 sides of the top. We bound
the four panel edges together with 3/8" Sunbrella binding tape, and attached
tube webbing loops to all of the top and bottom to serve as attachment points.
The "skirt" was made of Phifertex, which keeps the side panels in
place without blocking too much air flow. (The first skirt was made of
Sunbrella, but it really knocked down the air and was quickly replaced).
This design really drives the air down below -- you can feel
the breeze coming out the cockpit and even flowing into the aft cabin! And
whenever the wind changes, the wind scoop self adjusts, giving us one less
thing to mess with!
Am sitting on the east coast of Australia dealing with a traditional windscoop (unidirectional). Love your design.....are you making them for other or could you share more pics? Seems like a great design and extremely functional. Nancy
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DeleteWhat keeps the bottom in place in the hatch?
ReplyDeleteWe sewed webbing loops to the top and bottom to use as attachment points. We installed hooks inside the hatch for the webbing loops (you could use a small screw, etc.) and they keep the bottom in place.
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