We're having some problems with damp seeping in. Both the v-berth and
the aft cabin have wood bins on the sides for storage...these are open
and about 9 inches deep. That's where we store our clothes. The hull
side and bottoms are carpeted with the same fabric as the the liner, a
sort of nubbly burlappy material but more closely woven. It seems the
clothes on the bottom are always damp. I've been rotating them so they
won't mildew but that's getting tedious. Also have damp problems where
the cushions meet the hull walls in the berths. Got some roll out thick
paper stuff from West Marine but as soon as it gets damp, the sheets
start picking up moisture again. I've taken to running fans all the time
to keep air circulating and am cutting back on boiling anything or
running the heater excessively when it's raining so humidity doesn't
build up. I've got 3M window plastic over the ports and the vents are
all open and drawing. Thought of using DampRid, but since NC is in a
permanent state of humid, we'd be going through one of those every other
day. Any suggestions on how to keep damp and mildew from forming (except
stopping breathing processes)?

If you are connected to dockside power, you might look for a small
dehumidifier.

katy wrote in news:4960bb50$0$1267
:

We're having some problems with damp seeping in. Both the v-berth and
the aft cabin have wood bins on the sides for storage...these are open
and about 9 inches deep. That's where we store our clothes. The hull
side and bottoms are carpeted with the same fabric as the the liner, a
sort of nubbly burlappy material but more closely woven. It seems the
clothes on the bottom are always damp. I've been rotating them so they
won't mildew but that's getting tedious. Also have damp problems where
the cushions meet the hull walls in the berths. Got some roll out
thick
paper stuff from West Marine but as soon as it gets damp, the sheets
start picking up moisture again. I've taken to running fans all the
time
to keep air circulating and am cutting back on boiling anything or
running the heater excessively when it's raining so humidity doesn't
build up. I've got 3M window plastic over the ports and the vents are
all open and drawing. Thought of using DampRid, but since NC is in a
permanent state of humid, we'd be going through one of those every
other
day. Any suggestions on how to keep damp and mildew from forming
(except
stopping breathing processes)?


Set a glass full of iced tea on the table. Try to stop it from
condensing the horrible humidiity in a boat and wetting the table.

Your hull is doing exactly what the glass of iced tea is doing on a
grander scale. The hull is cold, like the glass. It's a great
"dehumidifier", which is your solution to the problem.

Buy a small dehumidifier, the one that's a little self-contained air
conditioner that runs off 115VAC. Be SURE the one you buy has a DRAIN
HOSE you can drop in the sink so you won't have to manually dump the
tank, which will fill up in a matter of a few hours on a damp boat.

Close the boat so the dehumidifier can pump all the water out of the
swamp air inside the boat. If anything is left open, new swamp air that
you are now letting into the boat (sea air in the tourist brochures)
will never let it pump the boat dry and stop the condensation.

If you think the boat is too hot with a dehumidifier, install an air
conditioner, which will both dehumidify the boat and pump the heat
outside.

Leave the AC run all summer and the dehumidifier running all winter to
keep the boat dried out. Your problem goes away as soon as the air
inside the boat is DRY, not like a North Carolina swamp.

The other crap from West Marine is just that, crap. Damprid will work
inside a plastic bag.....but not in an open boat. It's made to sell.

You will simply be amazed at the CONSTANT stream of water that comes out
of that condensate drain hose of the little dehumidifier. 20 gallons a
day isn't unusual. The whole boat will smell lots better, once the
mildew and bacteria growing from the swamp air loses its water source
and they die.

pirate wrote:
If you are connected to dockside power, you might look for a small
dehumidifier.

Was wondering about that since we don't have the [roblem in the summer
with the AC going...thanks...

Larry wrote:


Buy a small dehumidifier, the one that's a little self-contained air
conditioner that runs off 115VAC. Be SURE the one you buy has a DRAIN
HOSE you can drop in the sink so you won't have to manually dump the
tank, which will fill up in a matter of a few hours on a damp boat.

Close the boat so the dehumidifier can pump all the water out of the
swamp air inside the boat. If anything is left open, new swamp air that
you are now letting into the boat (sea air in the tourist brochures)
will never let it pump the boat dry and stop the condensation.

If you think the boat is too hot with a dehumidifier, install an air
conditioner, which will both dehumidify the boat and pump the heat
outside.

Leave the AC run all summer and the dehumidifier running all winter to
keep the boat dried out. Your problem goes away as soon as the air
inside the boat is DRY, not like a North Carolina swamp.

The other crap from West Marine is just that, crap. Damprid will work
inside a plastic bag.....but not in an open boat. It's made to sell.

You will simply be amazed at the CONSTANT stream of water that comes out
of that condensate drain hose of the little dehumidifier. 20 gallons a
day isn't unusual. The whole boat will smell lots better, once the
mildew and bacteria growing from the swamp air loses its water source
and they die.

Thanks....I was almost getting ready to run the AC with the heater in
desperation...on way to Lowe's now to see what they have in stock...

"katy" wrote in message
om...
We're having some problems with damp seeping in. Both the v-berth and the
aft cabin have wood bins on the sides for storage...these are open and
about 9 inches deep. That's where we store our clothes. The hull side and
bottoms are carpeted with the same fabric as the the liner, a sort of
nubbly burlappy material but more closely woven. It seems the clothes on
the bottom are always damp. I've been rotating them so they won't mildew
but that's getting tedious. Also have damp problems where the cushions
meet the hull walls in the berths. Got some roll out thick paper stuff
from West Marine but as soon as it gets damp, the sheets start picking up
moisture again. I've taken to running fans all the time to keep air
circulating and am cutting back on boiling anything or running the heater
excessively when it's raining so humidity doesn't build up. I've got 3M
window plastic over the ports and the vents are all open and drawing.
Thought of using DampRid, but since NC is in a permanent state of humid,
we'd be going through one of those every other day. Any suggestions on how
to keep damp and mildew from forming (except stopping breathing
processes)?


I like the "stop breathing" idea. I wish you'd try it.

--
Gregory Hall

"katy" wrote in message
om...
We're having some problems with damp seeping in. Both the v-berth and the
aft cabin have wood bins on the sides for storage...these are open and
about 9 inches deep. That's where we store our clothes. The hull side and
bottoms are carpeted with the same fabric as the the liner, a sort of
nubbly burlappy material but more closely woven. It seems the clothes on
the bottom are always damp. I've been rotating them so they won't mildew
but that's getting tedious. Also have damp problems where the cushions
meet the hull walls in the berths. Got some roll out thick paper stuff
from West Marine but as soon as it gets damp, the sheets start picking up
moisture again. I've taken to running fans all the time to keep air
circulating and am cutting back on boiling anything or running the heater
excessively when it's raining so humidity doesn't build up. I've got 3M
window plastic over the ports and the vents are all open and drawing.
Thought of using DampRid, but since NC is in a permanent state of humid,
we'd be going through one of those every other day. Any suggestions on how
to keep damp and mildew from forming (except stopping breathing
processes)?


I like the "stop breathing" idea. I wish you'd try it.

--
Gregory Hall

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:57:29 -0500, katy
wrote:

We're having some problems with damp seeping in. Both the v-berth and
the aft cabin have wood bins on the sides for storage...these are open
and about 9 inches deep. That's where we store our clothes. The hull
side and bottoms are carpeted with the same fabric as the the liner, a
sort of nubbly burlappy material but more closely woven. It seems the
clothes on the bottom are always damp. I've been rotating them so they
won't mildew but that's getting tedious. Also have damp problems where
the cushions meet the hull walls in the berths. Got some roll out thick
paper stuff from West Marine but as soon as it gets damp, the sheets
start picking up moisture again. I've taken to running fans all the time
to keep air circulating and am cutting back on boiling anything or
running the heater excessively when it's raining so humidity doesn't
build up. I've got 3M window plastic over the ports and the vents are
all open and drawing. Thought of using DampRid, but since NC is in a
permanent state of humid, we'd be going through one of those every other
day. Any suggestions on how to keep damp and mildew from forming (except
stopping breathing processes)?

I use a small electric dehumidifier - it seems to keep things fairly
dry (unless there's an actual leak somewhere).

My dehumidifier will sit in the sink, and I have taped down the "bin
full" float, so that it won't turn off if the water bin fills - it
just overflows into the sink, then overboard.


--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca

"katy" wrote in message
om...
We're having some problems with damp seeping in. Both the v-berth and the
aft cabin have wood bins on the sides for storage...these are open and
about 9 inches deep. That's where we store our clothes. The hull side and
bottoms are carpeted with the same fabric as the the liner, a sort of
nubbly burlappy material but more closely woven. It seems the clothes on
the bottom are always damp. I've been rotating them so they won't mildew
but that's getting tedious. Also have damp problems where the cushions
meet the hull walls in the berths. Got some roll out thick paper stuff
from West Marine but as soon as it gets damp, the sheets start picking up
moisture again. I've taken to running fans all the time to keep air
circulating and am cutting back on boiling anything or running the heater
excessively when it's raining so humidity doesn't build up. I've got 3M
window plastic over the ports and the vents are all open and drawing.
Thought of using DampRid, but since NC is in a permanent state of humid,
we'd be going through one of those every other day. Any suggestions on how
to keep damp and mildew from forming (except stopping breathing
processes)?


Hi Katy! I hope all is well! As others suggested a dehumidifier works great.
I don't have much of a problem with dampness during the summer months, but
I've noticed minor problems with the weather cools. I've going to get one
myself after I haul in February.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:57:29 -0500, katy
wrote:

We're having some problems with damp seeping in. Both the v-berth and
the aft cabin have wood bins on the sides for storage...these are open
and about 9 inches deep. That's where we store our clothes. The hull
side and bottoms are carpeted with the same fabric as the the liner, a
sort of nubbly burlappy material but more closely woven. It seems the
clothes on the bottom are always damp. I've been rotating them so they
won't mildew but that's getting tedious. Also have damp problems where
the cushions meet the hull walls in the berths. Got some roll out thick
paper stuff from West Marine but as soon as it gets damp, the sheets
start picking up moisture again. I've taken to running fans all the time
to keep air circulating and am cutting back on boiling anything or
running the heater excessively when it's raining so humidity doesn't
build up. I've got 3M window plastic over the ports and the vents are
all open and drawing. Thought of using DampRid, but since NC is in a
permanent state of humid, we'd be going through one of those every other
day. Any suggestions on how to keep damp and mildew from forming (except
stopping breathing processes)?

You're getting condensation. The only thing that will work is
reducing the humidity level of the interior air in the boat. An
electric heater paired with a dehumidifier is probably the most
effective. We sometimes run an electric heater with the air
conditioning which accomplishes the same thing.