Winter afloat - keeping damp at bay...

[RJJ]

Solar powered greenhouse fans are available on line. for example

Solar Powered Greenhouse Fan Ventilator

Thanks. Do you know if this is waterproof? Would you install in the forehatch and trust it with a breaking wave?

 

[Stemar]

Would you install in the forehatch and trust it with a breaking wave?

I wouldn't trust anything that doesn't seal down tight against a breaking wave.

 

[RupertW]

I'm pretty sure they all do that. I think the Meaco DDL8 wins awards for the amount of water it extracts per hour at low temperatures.

From the PBO tests on dehumidifiers they didn’t - Marco stood out on that essential because as we know, sometimes marinas reboot the power supply and people sometimes borrow the socket for a few hours.

 

[RupertW]

300w of solar on a cloudy winters day in the UK isn't going to run a dehumidifier even the little Maeco, we have one and 300w of solar.

Stick to ventilation if you are on a river mooring and use the solar to keep the batteries topped up instead.

I think Plum in post 25 has the right answer, he normally does.

That’s really interesting and surprises me. So in a sealed boat with no occupants and presumably fully dried before leaving there is still too much moisture for a few short bursts of the Maeco? I agree that with crew on board and hatches opening and closing it couldn’t keep up on a winters day.

What happened when you tried it? Did you come back and find the boat damp a few weeks later?

 

[RJJ]

I wouldn't trust anything that doesn't seal down tight against a breaking wave.

quite...so I'm interested in the solar ventilator, but unsure how I would fit it. probably obvious to you, but not to me

 

[duncan99210]

If I had a problem with damp or mould, I’d be prepared to fit one of the solar vents in a “winter” washboard (One that get fitted for the winter rather than for regular use). I wouldn’t fit one in any of the hatches as I don’t think it’d survive a meeting with a green one over the bow.
However, I don’t have a damp problem with either of our boats: one in Greece, the other in Cornwall. Not surprising with the Greece based boat but the Hurley 18 in Cornwall doesn’t suffer from damp at all. It’s got a Tannoy vent in the cabin roof and that’s it. Dry bilge, no leaks and no problems with what are usually pretty wet winters.
When we lived aboard, we found that the Ebersbacher pulled enough fresh air into the boat to effectively banish condensation. We had a cockpit tent and usually left the top washboard out at night: that provided enough ventilation to stop any condensation on the deckhead beyond some round the hatch frames.

 

[Euphonyx]

Keep a dry bilge. If like mine you have a keel-stepped mast, rain comes down the inside. I've arranged for it to drain into a plastic box with a small bilge pump and float switch which empties it into the WC holding tank. It could be out through a skin fitting but I prefer to keep them all closed when unattended.

How did you manage that?

 

[Pete7]

That’s really interesting and surprises me. So in a sealed boat with no occupants and presumably fully dried before leaving there is still too much moisture for a few short bursts of the Maeco? I agree that with crew on board and hatches opening and closing it couldn’t keep up on a winters day.

What happened when you tried it? Did you come back and find the boat damp a few weeks later?

I have seen 1.5 A from the 300w solar panel on a drab afternoon in January in the Solent. The Meaco Junior draws 330w or 680w depending on the setting. We use it plugged into shorepower when on board during the winter which makes a great job of drying out the boat and wet dog. A few hours and the boat feels noticeably drier, but no way it could be left connected to an inverter on the batteries.

 

[JumbleDuck]

There is some truth in what RW says!
You don't leave your car open in the winter do you?

I have two classic cars which get laid up every winter. Both live under breathable covers with the windows open a few inches, one in an open-fronted barn and one in a wooden garage. Neither smells.

 

[pyrojames]

Thanks. Do you know if this is waterproof? Would you install in the forehatch and trust it with a breaking wave?

Very similar ones are common in Australia, generally to keep the boat cool rather than dry. They are fine in heavy rain and spray, but don't keep out all solid water. I have on on my forehatch and did thousands of ocean miles with it there. If weather was really bad it could be removed and sealed, with it's own dedicated plug. Similar to this (Solar Vent with Stainless Steel Cover, $104.95 | Whitworths Marine)