This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

Let’s start from the end: great!

I don’t usually take such an enthusiastic position but in this case I think it’s a product worth praising. In the Osculati catalogue and website its item code is 16.755.00 and I strongly recommend it.

In the past I’ve always tested other kinds of fans, to be frank used for terrestrial applications, and the opinions gathered from fellow yachtsmen all pointed to problems of noisiness.

Second came reliability: unfortunately excellent products are not always the rule, you often come across items addressing a low consumer target.

This product is by Caframo, a historic Canadian company specializing in heating, ventilation and lab stirrers: this results in a quite rare specialization.

This item sold by Osculati comes in white or black and it’s designed to complement the needs of a boat such as indeed the above mentioned reliability, duration in a salty and humid environment, noiselessness and an airflow that can go towards as many directions as possible.

Sirocco is sold in a package including all that is required for installation.

 

I chose a place where the fan can easily reach all the areas to be ventilated: kitchen, mess room, chart room and master cabin.

As for installation, fix the bracket with 2 Parker screws (remember we’re working on wood) and complete fastening with another 8 screws. After that connect the positive and negative poles with the dedicated cables, and let them loose down the groove, which the fan is equipped with to be fitted into the casing without being crushed.

Apply the fan body to the screwed up bracket: it must click in vertically (in my case upwards) and fasten it with the two bolts in the package.

All that’s left to do is to connect the cables to the 12volt power supply of the boat (the 24volt model is also available): I have used a suitably dimensioned bipolar cable that had been left free when I had the mess room electric system refurbished exactly because I had foreseen to install additional lights or a fan.

 

Let’s start the test.

The lever at the button locks and unlocks the fan body once you’ve found the right position. The jointed and tilting system can really adapt to any angle with great precision.

The fan has three speed levels and the first is almost noiseless while ventilation is more than enough.

The second speed is perhaps the ideal one since the airflow is powerful but noise is absolutely negligible.

The third speed is of course very powerful but noise increases accordingly, even though it’s reduced in comparison with other models, which hardly match the Sirocco II.

An now the timer: it has 4 times, settable by the 3 hours up to a maximum of 12 hours.

Switching off – that’s what it actually is – is very useful, especially because speed 1 let you fall asleep undisturbed.

Current draw: one of the many winning features is maybe the first, considering what the fan can do. The current draw is as little as 0.34 Ah when at full power, like a light bulb.

Just to give you an idea: a refrigerator usually draws about 3 Ah and, considering it’s switched on 24/7 (at lest in my case), it’s as if we had to consider a negligible 10% more that no one would notice.

Of course it’s unlikely to use Sirocco II for such long hours but the peace of mind deriving from this 0.34 Ah (at full speed) really make us switch it on whenever we wish.

Un’altra delle caratteristiche più apprezzate è senza dubbio il ridotto spazio che il ventilatore occupa una volta chiuso e posizionato a parete: ho verificato la sua stabilità in tale posizione in navigazione e non ci sono tentennamenti; ma se si volesse esser certi di ammortizzare anche eventuali piccoli urti accidentali, si può applicare nel punto di contatto l’apposito “ammortizzatore” adesivo fornito nel kit.

One more appreciated feature is no doubt the little space this fan takes once folded against the wall: I’ve checked its stability in that position during navigation and there’s no wavering. Should you wish to soften any unwanted impact, you can install the dedicated buffer that comes in the kit on the contact point.

Price: €244. It’s no doubt some money, especially for a fan, which is not an essential accessory for navigation, but quality costs and we have to keep it in mind like never before.

Moreover the adjustable airflow prevented me from buying at least another 2 units for the area where I tested the fan therefore at last this made ends meet. As I said, it’s no doubt a non-essential object but for those who spend a lot of time on board and in warm climates comfort is as crucial as navigation and this aspect cannot be underrated.

Başak and I had the chance to test it all the season through, for about 6 months, and I cannot but express a positive opinion: if you intend to buy a fan, making a purchase once for all, the reply is Sirocco II.

Congratulations to Caframo and to Osculati for choosing it!

Giampaolo Gentili
Latest posts by Giampaolo Gentili (see all)