Inward opening ports and rain.

[Lihuedooley77]

Port lights are inward opening so that from below, the port can be tightly closed and dogged down to keep seas, spray and rain out of the cabin and berthing areas..

Hatch covers are generally the same idea.

This below procedure , for us, is on monohulls.

One of our basic rules is that we close and dog down all of the hatches and ports just before we get underway , and sailing. Keeps the sea spray, or occasional wave from drenching berths or cabin interior. Same for passing showers or full on rain . We open them up at our destination.

When on board at night, we open up the hatch above our V berth, and if it rains at night, which can happen in the tropics, we reach up and close the hatch. Later , when the rain or shower passes, one of us will open the hatch back up to get some ventilation. Also, with the open or clear plastic hatch, we can see the night sky, and stars as we snug in and doze off for the evening. Pretty special.

We do not sleep in those spacious aft staterooms or large quarter berths since there is little ventilation , and wave slap on the hull of the monohull.

However, we do have small fans in the cabin, main salon, and both berths, so that can help a little. So do ear plugs to reduce the sound of the fan when sleeping , along with the boat noises that I work dilligently in silencing.

We also secure the main halyard away from the mast so it does not slap and ping against the mast when in port, anchored, moored or in a slip. Also shows respect for our neighbor boaters, sail or power.

Looking at those sea going condo maximals, I often wondered how the ventilation was in those amas where the large comfortable berths are located. The pictures in the mags and sails brochures look super large and comfortable for sleeping and nocturnal sports. Nice !.

Some times, if the cockpit seats on the monohull are long enough, we can lay out the cockpit cushions and sleep on deck to stay cooler than down below. Fresh ocean air , and under the tropical night sky. Most often, we just snug in to the V berth.

from what we can easily observe, the in ward ports need to be closed tight and dogged down to keep seas, and spray and rain out of the cabin and berth areas, at least on a monohull. Might be harder to do if the port opens to the outside.

However, from the photos of those plastic awning port protectors, looks like it could reduce some of the effects of a light shower while in port.

And, depending on the cruising grounds, screens on the outside seem to be a good plan to keep the bighters out of the down below areas. In the Ausie Whitsunday Islands, at sundown, we were visited by huge black flies that could eat thru medi- evil armor. And I do mean bite ! for AAA, I sprayed em on the fly, they became aeordynamically unstable and were disposed of in short order.

Just wondering if nowadays the idea of boating is a huge catamaran that is more on the lines of a water borne St. Regis or Ritz Carlton as far as expectations of guests and owners.

The salon comfort zone looks to be outstanding, with lots of room to move about, and great for sharing good times, meals and sundowners. Large aft decks as well .

For us, well on the monohulls , we have to find a compromise, between good seamanship, sailing, and life on board . It is all part of the sailing life, and we love it.

Just FYI, on inward opening ports, and our procedures .

Inward or outward, if it rains and the port is open, things are going to get wet.

[admiralslater]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Hmmm, our boat has Goiot Cristal portlights that open outwards. They are on the hull below the deck line and above the hull deck join. When cracked open they keep most rain out but because the hull slopes in at that point they are more exposed. When open they can catch sheets that droop over the edge of the deck.

I’m not sure that permanent rainshields would survive wave splashes and strikes, but we will try, as they are nice for additional ventilation. We often leave the shower room portlight open (at anchor/mooring/berth) as we’re not worried about water in the shower.

I am going to make a mould and construct a small eyebrow that will stop the rain and allow the window to be wedged open . After installation the port won’t open fully

[Skededel]

I have a L440 that suffers from water dripping into the cockpit. I’d love to learn more about how you’ve used the white window sticky back material (or other solutions) to divert the water. Pictures would be great! List of materials too. Where do you divert the water to?

[Bean Counter]

Originally Posted by Skededel

I have a L440 that suffers from water dripping into the cockpit. I’d love to learn more about how you’ve used the white window sticky back material (or other solutions) to divert the water. Pictures would be great! List of materials too. Where do you divert the water to?

There is a series of posts and photos somewhere on this forum on this, but I can't find it yet (Maybe it was on the Lagoon Facebook forum)


Ah here is one link:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...of-198770.html

[Perfect Ride]

Originally Posted by Rustytony

In the rain at anchor it was hard to get ventilation in the hulls. The ports all open inwards and would dribble water inside.
We also found that the hardtop ran rainwater to edges above flat surfaces that allowed it to run into cockpit seat cushions. A simple moulded ridge would have channeled it away.

As you ready to select your boat look at these designs carefully: airflow at anchor and water drainage. Quality ventilation in the salon and each hull is a critical factor, as is having quality ports that open. We built a large tent for the boat that allows us to keep five of our top ports open in all but the worst of rains. This offers good ventilation even if the side ports need to be closed. For our Antares, we run tubes for water catchment or to divert over the side. The boat is designed for good interior ventilation and to divert water outside of the cockpit naturally. Great items to put on the list of consideration as you start shopping for your cat

[Rustytony]

Originally Posted by Perfect Ride

As you ready to select your boat look at these designs carefully: airflow at anchor and water drainage. .......
Great items to put on the list of consideration as you start shopping for your cat

Thanks very much for your reply and to all those earlier. It is something I will keep in mind when looking.

It really does surprise me that the moulds don't have the tiny changes needed to manage water drainage.

The inward ports idea makes sense but I am thinking the outer eyebrows mentioned earlier might be good additions.