At the Mets in Amsterdam, Rutgerson Marin unveiled Flush Air Vent, a new air intake to be installed on the hatchway flush with the deck
by Niccolò Volpati
It is simplicity that is hard to make, Bertold Brecht argued, and the Swedes at Rutgerson Marin put this maxim to good use by presenting at the Amsterdam boat show a new air intake to be installed on the through-hull absolutely flush with the deck. Most systems on the market, once fitted, protrude several inches. What’s the problem? The deckhouse, and in general the entire deck surface, the less overhang the better. This is not only a matter of aesthetics, but also a matter of safety, since on a boat very often one moves around barefoot.
It is simplicity that is hard to make, Bertold Brecht argued, and the Swedes at Rutgerson Marin put this maxim to good use by presenting a new air intake at the Amsterdam boat show to be installed on the AbsoluteFlush Air Vent, on the other hand, is about 3 mm thick and has an external ferrule that mounts on the through-hull or on deck. The rest of the air vent is all internal to the ferrule. It is raised and lowered manually, very easily. To close it, for example, simply press it down with one foot. It is designed to capture as much air as possible when raised, without taking in a single drop of water. This is thanks to a serpentine system that immediately expels water, whether it comes in from the sea or rainwater.flush with the deck. Most systems on the market, once fitted, protrude several inches. What’s the problem? The deckhouse, and in general the entire deck surface, the less overhang the better. This is not only a matter of aesthetics, but also a matter of safety, since on a boat very often one moves around barefoot.
The air intake has no latches, knobs or moving parts. It is simply raised by pushing it up and closed by pressing it down, with no need to go below deck to perform this operation. The advantage of an absolutely “flush” vent is also that you immediately notice if it is up, thus avoiding leaving it running when you don’t want it to. Imagine you are on a sailboat and you have let go of the moorings without closing the vent. To do so, all it takes is for a crew member to step over it with one foot and crush it.
More information can be found at www.rutgerson.se
(Rutgerson, air & dry – Barchemagazine.com – November 2023)
