living on a polyester boat in winter

[DutchDan]

Can anyone tell me how it is to live on a polyester boat in the winter? Won't it be to humid even with a great heating system? I'm thinking about buying a Princess, Fairline, Grand Banks or Hatteras. About 58 foot.

Best.

Dan

 

[sarabande]

I went through two winters on board a motor-sailor, which had an exceptionally thick hull (up to 25mm in places).

No condensation, as there was natural free-flowing ventilation behind the lockers, and I was careful to run a de-humidifier, which used to take about 2 litres of water out of the hull per day (12m long, 4m beam, 16 tonnes displacement).

I suggest the secret is lots of air circulation. A steel boat is a very different animal, and many of them have slabs of insulation adjacent to the hull, or even sprayed on PU foam.

 

[oldsaltoz]

We thought we might have problems with high humidity here in the tropics, but an air conditioner removes all the moisture. I suspect the same would apply inside in winter but with the air con on reverse cycle.

Fibreglass produces a lot less condensation than aluminium hulls, Carpet tiles fixed to the problem areas seems to fix the problem.

 

[Kipper]

It gets Blxxdy cold at nights but I dont think humidty was ever an issue, there is always plenty of ventilation in a boat, gaps all over the place.

 

[DorsetPete]

Overheating and over ventilating is the answer....

 

[Assassin]

It is not really a problem these days, many live aboard all year round and find they love winter as much as summer; it is mainly down to a little research and preparation.

 

[DutchDan]

There are several dealers in Holland that advise me NOT to buy a polyester boat, but a steel boat. Beacause of bad insulation and condensation on polyester boats. That's a big worry for me, before I spend a lot of money on my new boat.
Where can I find people that live on a boat in the UK who can advise me?

 

[AndieMac]

Where can I find people that live on a boat in the UK who can advise me?

Back to the 'Liveaboard' forum

 

[Freebee]

I lived through two winters on a motor cruiser. I used two small fan heaters only for heat........... it was quite cosy in the winter but you had to keep them running most of the time because sitting in cold water the heat escapes pretty quickly.

humidity was not an issue - the only issue for me was getting off the boat onto a frozen icy pontoon -easy to slip.

 

[Tranona]

There are several dealers in Holland that advise me NOT to buy a polyester boat, but a steel boat. Beacause of bad insulation and condensation on polyester boats. That's a big worry for me, before I spend a lot of money on my new boat.
Where can I find people that live on a boat in the UK who can advise me?

They are telling you that because they have steel boats to sell. No basis in fact at all. Many people live in GRP boats all year round (and wooden ones, concrete ones, aluminium ones). Heating and ventialtion to prevent damp are the two key factors, common to all types of hull construction. Some boats are easier than others because they have more insulation and better air flows.

Personally I think the boats you are looking at are not particularly suitable for permanent living. They are designed for (primarily) warm weather cruising and relaxing. They have large open living areas, large glass areas and big openings (doors to aft deck) that need insulation in the winter. It also seems to me to be a waste using a boat with high performance potential and hugely expensive engines as a houseboat.

I would agree with your brokers that more traditional displacement boats (either steel or GRP) make much better boats for living aboard as the emphasis in the design is more on comfort and accommodation rather than speed.

So, it is more about the style of boat than its hull material. Holland is almost alone in the extensive use of steel, a result of lack of native wood for building in the past. There are benefits of steel in the congested inland waterways where contact is more common, and of course it is easier to customise a design where there are no constraints of expensive moulds to build around.

You will find very few people with experience of living permanently on the sort of boat you are looking at for the simple reason they are not considered suitable - but it is not because of the hull material, it is just they are designed for a different purpose.