MarincoSolar Powered and Passive Vents

This product exceeded my expectations for air flow. We had two solar vents installed on out sail boat, a 26 foot one. With the solar vents failing to do their job, I though of switching to passive vents that fit in the same hole size. These fit fabulously, but the 3" ring that I bought sepperately did not. It was to wide, and this unit did not sit well within it either. (Part # Nicro N10866) So I used some GE silicone to put it onto the outside of the boat, and used the provided screws to adhere it to the top. No issues, not warping, and great seal, no water coming in. After replacing it, the next day, the smell of mildew was almost non-existent, temperatures improved dramatically, being more realistic with outside temps. It used to be a hot box in the cabin, not anymore.

I gave it one star because zero isn’t an option.. I thought this was a good vent from the reviews I read but it has an anemic fan with barely noticeable air movement in or out. The light is useful in complete darkness but also pretty weak.The installation instructions are worthless. Had to watch a few YouTube videos before figuring out how to best install it; but not too sure it won’t leak in weather or with green water over the bow even with the vent closed.I thought It would be good to keep air flowing when the hatches were closed.. It may be useful to vent out hot air in summer but after installing it, I wish I’d saved my money.

I'm not sure why folks complain so much about this fan. If you can't figure out how to install this thing from the included instructions, you probably ought to have someone else do it for you. Come on, it's not that hard and most of it is intuitive anyway. Also, this thing isn't an exhaust fan, not designed to suck up cats and other small animals; it's just to keep some air movement in the boat (well, that's where I'm using it). Granted, the light isn't much, but I didn't buy it for that. Actually, it adds a little bit of light in the darkest part of my cabin, right over the head. It's been going strong for several months. Will it last for a really long time? Probably not and I wish it was less expensive, but there aren't many alternatives.

Install went quite easily using butyl rubber to seal between the deck and the fan - three screws and you're done.On the inside, there's a removable cover that will keep out 100% of the insects, but also blocks up the airflow quite a bit, since we've got other (larger) insect entry points anyway, I've been leaving ours off with no issues. No leaks, exhausts a good amount of air when the sun is shining, seems simple enough - hoping it lasts many years.

Wow, total upgrade from the original Nicro Solar Day and Night Vent! When Marinco purchased the Nicro company and began selling Nicro’s vent under the Marinco name, Marinco engineers eventually realized they needed to completely redesign the vent. Note, Marinco has been purchased by Brunswick. Marinco’s new design makes it possible to change the battery pack (4 smaller batteries wrapped together) from within the cabin without having to take the whole thing apart from the top. However, re-soldering the wires to the battery pack is required. The new solar panel is about 1/3 larger. The deck opening is slightly larger in diameter. The new motor is more powerful, and the fan blades do not have to be switched out to change the direction of the air flow. Instead, there is a switch that simply reverses the motor spin. Also, there is a very small light underneath with on/off switch for looking at switch position. The light is very faint, though. I think it better serves as a partial indicator of whether the batteries or motor have gone bad. Time will tell whether the motor will last much longer than the ridiculously cheap and low quality ($2) motor that Nicro was using that caused so much angst over the years. The last motor on my Nicro Solar vent only worked for about six months, and there was not a readily available replacement, nor could a new motor be installed without having to cut the motor housing apart and make a screwy repair with hot glue. There was a repair kit for the original model, but the same removal/installation problem existed. Thus, owners usually had to buy a whole new solar vent. I was forced to buy whole new solar units about 5 times in as many years. Unfortunately, Marinco repeated Nicro’s policy of not making it feasible or even possible to replace the motor. Worse, there is not even a repair kit available for the new solar vent. That is a huge negative that will hurt Marinco’s/Brunswick’s reputation and again force customers to have to purchase a whole new unit - perhaps worse because the new unit costs so much more than the original design. Hopefully Marinco will address this continued problem by upgrading the unit further to make it possible to replace the motor - and actually provide the replacement. How about it, Marinco?When I installed the new model, I discovered that the large donut shaped gasket that goes between the boat deck and the main vent structure has too large of an inner dimension. Thus, when screwing on the unit to the deck flange, the gasket is forced to stick out into the open air. The only way to prevent the gasket from moving out is to glue it to the deck first. Also, the deck flange is too deep. It protrudes a couple of inches into the cabin. There is a second flange that attaches from below, but it cannot be used because the upper flange extends so far down. The vent itself extends about three inches below. Watch out for your head. Marinco needs to provide a thickly padded ring to go around it to protect your head. One more problem is that the installation instructions are bare minimal. Marinco did not even put diagrams in to show how the pieces and gaskets are placed. I highly recommend using a lot of sealant in the deck hole and under the large gasket. Do not seal the on top of the gasket because it would prevent you from removing the vent if needed. I called Marinco about all of the above. Marinco (which, again, is now owned by Brunswick) is very aware of consumer complaints regarding the motor. However, it is still the company’s policy to make people buy a whole new solar unit instead of designing the unit to be able to have a new motor put in. After all, the little motors would only cost customers a few dollars - whereas a whole new solar unit is closer to $200. Much more money to be made. There is a two year warranty from the manufacturer. Fortunately, Amazon makes it very easy to show proof and date of purchase. Wow, I spent four hours calling and writing about this solar vent. Sure hope my efforts help.

Bought this to place in the Vbirth on my sailboat.I had a 4" access plate already and just removed the lid and used 3m 5200 sealer to glue this vent in place, no screwing thru the deck required. If the weather gets bad enough that the water over the bow ripps this off I imagine I will be pretty close to doomed anyway.. :)Love the vent. Not only does it allow air circulation the frosted window allows light up in the bow. The bowels of the boat seem less dank and uninviting.

Works as advertised. Hasn't let in a drop of rain, even here in the soaking Pacific North-West. The clear window makes a bonus skylight as well, as more light below is always nice. Doesn't snag any lines on deck. And stays nice & secure to the fibreglass deck with nothing more than Sikaflex 291. That's right, I didn't use a single screw through the deck. Be sure to position the drain hole on the low side. I bought these with the stainless trim ring which is a great match.

Bought it at the end of September, installed it mid October and stopped working beginning of December. Do not buy

Excellent quality and the retaining bar was a great bonus

The product works but in comparison to other extractors on the market it’s better quality at a price that’s more that double.

Only works in direct sunlight not residual and is louder than I was hoping. Probably wouldn’t buy again

Installed easily. Very noisy in operation. Far louder than the cheap unit that it replaced.

Looks like a well built product, sent it back decided to get the Nicro solar powered battery backup fan