The most popular vent cowls are made by Vetus in a variety of sizes. These plastic cowls are light and functional. However, they have a problem with the sun – our experience is that after a very short period, sometimes less than six months, they begin to turn an ugly brown on top which progressively worsens. You can clean this off with acetone or MEK, but it returns quickly. In Marina Del Rey, where we used to keep BEOWULF, the Vetus cowls would turn brown within four weeks of cleaning.
We’ve found a solution. Nicro Ventilation Systems, Napa California, makes a white spray paint for coating vinyl plastic, and PVC surfaces – called “Nicro-Cote”. We purchased two cans from West Marine (their part #N28630) and used it o BEOWULF’s 13 Yogi sized Vetus cowls. They come up looking like new, and so far, six months after application, they are still looking good – much better in fact than the cowls looked at this point when new.
