I removed the ventilation cowl on the deck of my 1965 Ariel #330 near the bow. The original installation appears to have been an aluminum deck ring with screw-in cowl, and perhaps also a screw-in deck plate. A previous owner cut the vertical section of the deck ring on a Nicro three-inch cowl and screwed it on top of the original fitting. I removed everything and cleaned up the original deck ring, but cannot determine manufacturer.
The manufacturer's name did appear on this ring at one time in a small oval mark, but it is almost worn off and it currently looks like the letters "NEBIUIU" or "VARIUIU" but neither of those names sounds like anything I have heard of. I also don't know if this ring was the original installation.
The deck cut out is precisely four and one eighth inches. All of the catalogs that I have consulted require either smaller or larger cut outs for their ventilation cowls. I would like to install a new screw-in style cowl vent with ring, or find a new screw-in cowl and deck plate for the ring that I have.
Does anyone know a source for this item? Cutting a larger hole in the deck is certainly possible, but I consider it a last resort.
Pearson used a number of suppliers for hardware. Some firms were European (Dutch). The last supplier was Rostand and their cataloge does show a number of deck plates. You might contact Carol Harrington and ask about a plate that meets your measurements. The aluminum plate is likely the one Pearson installed for access to the water tank as they did not provide a vetilator.
Thanks for the replies guys. The photo of the ring beneath the vent cowl on Sirocco is a dead ringer for the vent ring under my current makeshift cowl. The difference is that my cowl was replaced by a previous owner with an ill fitting snap-in Nicro cowl. The bottom (verticle section) of a new Nicro plastic snap-in style deck ring cut off becaue it didn't fit inside of the aluminium ring, but was too small for the deck cut-out. The remaining horizontal portion of the plastic deck ring was attached to the original aluminium ring, which looks just like the aluminium ring on Sirocco.
The pastic ring was attached by sheet metal screws and lots and lots of silicon. The plastic ring was badly cracked and the installation (which was entirely bedded with silicon) showed signs of leaking.
Frankly I find the idea of a snap-in plastic ring a bit frightening in this location. I like screw-in deck plates for off shore sailing.
Naturally, curiousity got the best of me, and I decided to mess with it before I discovered that the deck cut-out on my boat is exactly four an one eight inches in diameter. The Nicro four inch vent requires a four and three eighth inch cut out and the three inch vent requires something less than four inches.
It would be really nice to find a screw-in cowl vent that fits the threads on my original ring. Otherwise I will have to go with a larger set-up and cut a larger diameter hole.
Thanks for the tip on the Rostand catalog. Also my copy of the Ariel maintenance Manual shows a deck plate on the hand written packing list ffor Ariel #24 as: "9114 1 ea deck plate 3" Rostand"
Although it is conceivable that this plate was installed for the purpose of filling the water tank by passign a hose below through it, the deck plate would in that case seem superfluous since the forward hatch is more proximate to the water tank inlet below than is the deck plate on my boat #330 or Sirocco (see photo above), which is over the anchor locker in the forepeak.
The larger photos of Sirocco's cowl vent are very helpful. The deck ring is identical to mine on #330. As you say, the size is greater than 3" and less than 4". My deck cut out is four and one eighth inchs in diameter.
The fact that we both have identical deck rings tells me that this particular vent may have been factory installed. Unfortunately the cowl that is currently on my boat is a Nicro pop-in type that was adaptd to fit (sort of) this deck ring.The original cowl vent is no longer on the boat.
Thanks for the URL to mariner's hardware. That was one I was not aware of, and the low prifile vents look very good. It looks like I will be enlarging my deck cut-out.
You're right about getting a low profile vent. The sail would get caught up on a taller vent.
I could use some more ventilation on my boat. When I leave the forward hatch open a little I get rain inside. I thought about cutting a hole in the top of the forward hatch and installing a Nicro solar vent.
I'll have to ruminate over that project for a few years. Cutting holes in the boat always makes me nervous.
Thanks once again for great photos. The enlarged photos from Commanderpete show exactly what I have deckplate-wise on my boat, hull #330. However the cowl vent itself is missing. The Marinium info is also useful. It does look more than ever like I am going to need to relplace the entire unit, and enlarge he deck cut-out. That cowl vent of yours sure looks beefy. Too bad that both the cowel vent and the deck plate are missing on my boat. have nothing but the ring, and even that has been altered.
Scott,if your going to drill and install a new cowl vent nicro makes screw in solar vents the same size.You could inter change the regular passive vent with the powered vent when wanted.Keeps air flowing below all the time,I know many people that do this.I dont know about the weather were your at but you dont see many boats on the Chesapeake Bay with out a powered vent or two.Mine has never leaked a drop after all these years.
My engine vents are Nicro 3 inch.screw in type with metal bases.These shown here are 3 years old and are the 3rd set Ive had on the boat.The sun is very hard on them and if you dont keep care of them the look like crap in about 4 or 5 years.
Ventillation Cowl at Bow
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