2006 DB52 Ventilation - Fresh Air

[RalphD]

Hi - I have a question for Sedan Bridge owners (2006 style). As you know the only way to get fresh air to flow through the boat at anchor is opening the hatch in the master stateroom and opening the sliding glass door - this doesn't do a very good job in warmer climates when the sun is overhead. I've seen some older and newer models that have salon windows that open for more airflow. My question is, has anyone replaced any of the side windows with custom windows that open? If so, I would be interested of seeing pictures and finding out who fabricated the window.
Or, has anyone has installed additional hatches, etc. to allow additional airflow? I would be very interested to see if anyone has made improvements to allow more airflow.
Thank you,
Ralph

 

[RalphD]

Can I assume that no reply means that no one has done any improvements to improve airflow?

 

[bajturner]

Can I assume that no reply means that no one has done any improvements to improve airflow?

This is one of the main (possibly only) negatives of the DB boats, in my opinion. If I remember correctly, the lack of opening side ports in the design is (was) to achieve CE category B (offshore) rating.

I have spent some time trying to think of solutions short of running the air conditioner / generator 24/7. I don't see an easy way to add significant ventilation by way of side windows/portals, especially without possibly compromising seaworthiness. Newer boats, using newer designs and technology, have achieved this but a retrofit would be challenging.

One idea I have thrown around is to run just the air conditioner blowers off battery. I assume the existing blowers are 120V AC, so this could be done either with an inverter (or two small inverters just powering the blowers via a separate circuit), or by swapping the blowers out for DC models. The power draw would be reasonable.

We have fans in the staterooms. This would add some additional circulation. The next step would be to pipe-in some fresh air from the outside.

Plans are still in the infancy stage...

 

[RalphD]

This is one of the main (possibly only) negatives of the DB boats, in my opinion. If I remember correctly, the lack of opening side ports in the design is (was) to achieve CE category B (offshore) rating.

I have spent some time trying to think of solutions short of running the air conditioner / generator 24/7. I don't see an easy way to add significant ventilation by way of side windows/portals, especially without possibly compromising seaworthiness. Newer boats, using newer designs and technology, have achieved this but a retrofit would be challenging.

One idea I have thrown around is to run just the air conditioner blowers off battery. I assume the existing blowers are 120V AC, so this could be done either with an inverter (or two small inverters just powering the blowers via a separate circuit), or by swapping the blowers out for DC models. The power draw would be reasonable.

We have fans in the staterooms. This would add some additional circulation. The next step would be to pipe-in some fresh air from the outside.

Plans are still in the infancy stage...

Thanks for getting back to me - Agree with your comments above. Piping in some more fresh air from the outside would be good, but the question is how to do it without compromising seaworthiness and aesthetics. We are in the Bahamas now so I have put this on the top of my list when we return to MA in the spring. Please let me know if you come up with something and I will do the same.

 

[bajturner]

Thanks for getting back to me - Agree with your comments above. Piping in some more fresh air from the outside would be good, but the question is how to do it without compromising seaworthiness and aesthetics. We are in the Bahamas now so I have put this on the top of my list when we return to MA in the spring. Please let me know if you come up with something and I will do the same.

One possibility on our boat is to repurpose the dryer vent as an air intake. There is easy access to the aft air conditioner from the hull vent.

We removed the washer/dryer so it's not used at this time, and all the replacements I have seen are ventless. I would prefer vented, but I just don't see many of them.

Another possibility would be to run a vent vertically to the flybridge. It could draw air from the inboard side...