12 Volt Fans

Hello to all…

Anyone who's sweated out a summer rain shower in the Bahamas, while trying to sleep below can attest to the need for some "forced-air-circulation"!

Here, you'll see photos of the 10 hi-volume, low-power consumption, 12-volt fans I installed on my Annie Laurie.

I placed them where they'll actually do the most good for the humans on board, whether or not you can have hatches / port holes open or closed.

Before, anyone jumps up and says, "Hey, it's the 21st Century…get some Air Conditioning!!!!", I DO have Air Conditioning on board. I've got 3 A/C units on board (one 16,000 BTU unit for the main salon and one 10,000 BTU unit for the aft cabin and aft head, both of which can also cool off the cockpit, if the companionway and aft cabin hatches are open, and a 7,000 BTU unit for the forward cabin and head), and they work well.

BUT, they require 110 - 120 volts AC electricity and running my Fischer Panda Genset while at anchor is NOT something I'm keen on. The noise (on board my boat, as well as the noise that may disturb others in the anchorage), the wear and tear, and of course the use of precious diesel fuel, all combine to keep the use of the A/C units mainly while connected to shore power and that's typically only when at the dock at home in Florida, where having the A/C going during the summer makes boat maintenance a nice task, instead of a pain in the **s…LOL

(Click on picture for full size)

Mounting the Hella "Turbo" Fans above / next to the berths in the forward and aft cabins was a no-brainer (in the forward cabin the 12 volts is taken from the overhead light wiring…

... and in the aft cabin the 12 volts is taken from the "night-stand" light wiring in the lazarette. Kind of a pain, but worth it!)

Mounting the Hella "Turbo" Fans in the Main Salon was not too difficult. One by Nav Station, to the Genoa track access cover, wired from the breaker panel.

Two, in / just forward of, the galley (one mounted high up, and wired from the overhead light wiring and one mounted to the Genoa track access panel, wired from the pantry light wiring accessed at the aft end of the genoa track access panel, inside the aft outboard galley locker.

Mounting 2 more Hella fans (Hella "Jet" Fans, that can fold flat, out-of-the-way, if necessary), in the main salon, up high and forward and getting the 12 volts from the overhead light wiring was also a fairly easy task.

Mounting 2 more Hella "Jet" Fans in the heads proved a little more difficult, but not too bad. In the forward head, there is plenty of room to mount a fan ABOVE the vanity…

…and BELOW the hatch, giving you the ability to point it wherever you need it, and it's NOT in the way. Its 12 volts is taken from the "above vanity" light wiring.

In the aft head, the headroom is less, and there is less room overall and mounting the fan directly above the sink isn't practical but I was able to mount it directly on the headliner, near the outboard head wall / sidedeck cabinside and wired from the overhead light wiring.

Okay, I've got 10 hi-volume, low-power consumption 12 volt fans on board. Maybe that's overkill to some, but to me it's just fine. (I might even add 2 more, LOL.) They all work well, and make life on board a lot nicer (and they even circulate the cool air from the A/C very nicely, so they save power and make life nicer, whether you've got A/C or not.) I hope you all enjoy.