Drying Stuff

[thinwater]

Though summer has now arrived, my last cruise was 3 days of rain and 1 day of clouds, and highs in the low teens C. My boat has a full hard top and thus good ventilation in damp weather, and I often don't get that wet. On the other hand, I was wearing a dry suit for 2 of the days!

How do you get dry, particularly in cool weather? Any special tricks other than spreading out the gear? I generally dry my foulies under the hard top, not an option for most.

What about boots? At home I have an electric drier which is great, but it's big and the power demand (150 watts) is too much.

I can be happy with most anything so long as I can dry at night.

 

[Pete7]

Last August during the UK Summer we turn the diesel heating on to dry out after 3 days of rain.

 

[William_H]

Things are dried quickly by either raising the temperature so reducing relative humidity or by reducing humidity or best is both. Water also evaporates from air passing over the wet. When I get wet in winter and get into the car a combination of air conditioner (dehumidifies) and heater on the air blast dries things and especially the windscreen fast. Now on your boat heating may be available but dehumidifying takes a lot of electric power. A fan may also help. May be worth exploring.
For those complaining about UK summers I can only suggest a change (reduction) in latitude. olewill

 

[Halo]

Leave all your wet stuff, including foulies and boots under the cover so you don't have wet stuff below. If you have a parked car nearby use it as a drying room. ( even daylight warms a car). If you are going home in the next 2 days don't bother trying to dry just bag wet stuff and bung it in the lazarette till you go home. Make sure you ventilate when using the stove. Eat ginger nuts and drink whisky so you don't care if it's wet.

 

[SteveSarabande]

Dehumidifier + eber

 

[thinwater]

Halo: Humorous.

Steve: Dehumidifier with real power takes real power. Eber (heat) only works in the winter. And neither, on it's own, is going to get much dry over night. Fans? Some way of getting the air inside the boots and sleeves?

 

[SteveSarabande]

Halo: Humorous.

Steve: Dehumidifier with real power takes real power. Eber (heat) only works in the winter. And neither, on it's own, is going to get much dry over night. Fans? Some way of getting the air inside the boots and sleeves?

My maeco has a clothes drying mode, it dries clothes in no time at all. The eber works 12 months a year.

 

[thinwater]

My maeco has a clothes drying mode, it dries clothes in no time at all. The eber works 12 months a year.

I think I'm going to need more explanation, since I'm not understanding something. Eber, I assume, is a reference to a diesel fired heater; at least here, this is air conditioning season and the heat won't run for 6 months. Maeco I don't get at all. If it is a clothes washing machine, that's not very helpful.

 

[SteveSarabande]

I think I'm going to need more explanation, since I'm not understanding something. Eber, I assume, is a reference to a diesel fired heater; at least here, this is air conditioning season and the heat won't run for 6 months. Maeco I don't get at all. If it is a clothes washing machine, that's not very helpful.

Just seen you are american on a british forum.

In good old blighty we need the eberspacher all year. Maeco is a popular boat dehumidifier, but it needs mains electric.
http://www.airconcentre.co.uk/produ...&network=pla&gclid=CNjZoJrrgM0CFekp0wodutMOQA

 

[johnalison]

The prime requirement is for a cockpit tent or cover of some kind. In small boats I used to set up a tarpaulin over the cockpit supported by the boom. This means that the companionway can be kept open for ventilation. Unless you have a source of dry heat, there is little you can do. Eight humans emit one kilowatt of heat, but quite a lot of moisture with it, so a party on board is not the ideal solution. Occasionally, if I have been motoring enough to have a hot engine, I will leave the engine cover open in port to get some free heat.

 

[VO5]

Yes, and quite the most annoying of experiences is for water to wick up from the wrist up to the elbow.
I find it unbearable. Therefore I have a manky old sweater cut to short sleeves that I wear under foulies so as not to suffer the discomfort.

To dry stuff quickly, I run the engine and open the access door to the lazarette where I hang the stuff, leaving a crack in the lid for the damp hot air to escape, works.

 

[pmagowan]

The only thing that tends to get wet are waterproofs. They are wet on the outside and reasonably dry on the inside if they are a good make. I just leave them under the spray hood (dodger for Americans) and they are either dry or reasonably so when next required. It is best not to take wet stuff below if possible on my boat being a wooden 28 footer with minimal space for hanging storage and a propensity for damp.

When I build the new boat I intend to install a system I am designing which involves controlled ventilation with built in heat recovery and hence, by default, dehumidification. I will have a drying locker for clothes which has a extract to remove wet air and a hot air port to introduce hot dry air. This should be very effective at drying clothes and the whole boat should be dry and with a well controlled temperature (either hot or cold depending on requirement).

 

[thinwater]

Just seen you are american on a british forum.

In good old blighty we need the eberspacher all year. Maeco is a popular boat dehumidifier, but it needs mains electric.
http://www.airconcentre.co.uk/produ...&network=pla&gclid=CNjZoJrrgM0CFekp0wodutMOQA

Yup, American. I figured this was the right place to ask about cold and damp, since most American sailors hide until the sun comes out in the summer.

Yup, now I understand. I do run heat in the winter--a great dehumidifier--and I use a dehumidifier at the dock, however the power requirements are too great for cruising, considering solar doesn't work when it rains for days.

Thanks!

 

[JumbleDuck]

How do you get dry, particularly in cool weather?

I have a charcoal heater. After a snug evening with that lit, I turn it right down and hang damp stuff around the cabin (not on the heater, of course). By morning everything is bone dry. I love it - the dryness is even better than the warmth.

 

[lw395]

I find that modern fabrics make being in damp gear a lot less unpleasant.
Breathable oilies and cool-max layers etc.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I find that modern fabrics make being in damp gear a lot less unpleasant.
Breathable oilies and cool-max layers etc.

It's not just clothes ... I love waking up to find that all the towels are bone dry, all the cushions are bone dry, my books is bone dry ...

 

[neil1967]

I think a desicant dehumidifier only takes 400-500 watts when running max power, and the better ones will cut out when the programmed humidity level is reached. A reasonable battery bank and some solar might allow you to run one through an inverter at least for 3-4 hours a day, which will remove a significant amount of moisture from the air.

 

[GHA]

Drip feed refleks diesel heater - nice toasty down below when its horrible outside, drip dry then hang up near the heater. If it's warm enough not to have the heater on then stuff will dry OK on it's own.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I think a desicant dehumidifier only takes 400-500 watts when running max power, and the better ones will cut out when the programmed humidity level is reached. A reasonable battery bank and some solar might allow you to run one through an inverter at least for 3-4 hours a day, which will remove a significant amount of moisture from the air.

400 - 500W for 3 - 4 hours is 1200 - 2000Wh, or 100 - 170Ah at 12V. That would have to be quite a solar panel.

 

[thinwater]

Yes, and quite the most annoying of experiences is for water to wick up from the wrist up to the elbow.
I find it unbearable. Therefore I have a manky old sweater cut to short sleeves that I wear under foulies so as not to suffer the discomfort.

To dry stuff quickly, I run the engine and open the access door to the lazarette where I hang the stuff, leaving a crack in the lid for the damp hot air to escape, works.

I've actually taken to wearing a drysuit a lot more. Never wet, though not good in warmer weather (~ 60F max) or for very long days (eventually the condensation gets bad).