Condensed for your displeasure

Phil Herring

Alien
Mar 25, 1997
4,923
- - Bainbridge Island
Condensation is no one's friend. It breeds mold, wet cushions, and annoying drips strategically aimed at your nose, coffee, or electronics.

How do you fight the dampness? Heat, chemicals, dehumidifiers, or do you believe that if you don't see it, it doesn't exist?

moist (1).jpg
 
Mar 20, 2011
623
Hunter 31_83-87 New Orleans
I run a dehumidifier when at the dock. Just set % humidity desired so I don’t dry out everything and go. run drain hose into galley sink. Keeps cabin dry and not damp/musty. I picked it up at Wally World. Can also find these at other big box stores.
 
Apr 8, 2010
2,149
Ericson Yachts Olson 34 28400 Portland OR
Jerry has the ultimate solution, but there is a lot you can do to keep the moisture under control. Main thing is to reduce - close to zero as you can - standing water inside the boat. For us this means drying out the bilge with a 'turkey baster' every few days the thru the winter. We have rain water coming down the inside of the keel-stepped spar.

Knowing that there will be vapor present, have lots of air flow via cracking the hatches and aeolian vents, like the Beckson models. Some folks like having a bit of heat, like a low-amp rod heater inside just to help create some air circulation from the rising of warmer air currents.

Open up ALL covers over spaces where stagnant air could sit against the hull. We have taken the cushions home every cold season, November - April , for 20 years.

Also, since any dust or dirt will attract moisture and that provides a fertile field for spoors, every other year we clean up the inside hull surfaces with some bleach/cleanser and wipe dry with rags.
The result is that when the hatch is rolled open, there is zero "boat smell".
While some of the preventative maintenance takes occasional work, it's way better than wrinkling your nose every single darned time you come aboard all year long. Not to mention the pained look on the face of guests going out for a sail with you... :(

For clean air inside ideas, I recommend Peggy Hall's definitive book on eliminating boat odors. :)
 
Apr 5, 2009
3,161
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
In the chilly PNW a good heater is a blessing even in the summer because it gets cold on the water at night. My forced air heater pulls outside air, heats it and pumps it into the boat which displaces the damper interior cool air. With the heater running over night, we have never had a problem with moisture on board even when we cruise with my daughters family and 6 on board.
 

JRT

.
Feb 14, 2017
2,060
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
My old O'Day 25 was terrible, and the shore power was always tripping so I could never leave anything running other then the battery charger. This winter I left a small electric heater in the Cataline 310 all winter and it was nice. Boat is dry and warm when I come out and the new marina we are at doesn't have shore power issue. I do still get water in the bilge, which is something I'm still searching to solve, there is no obvious leaks inside the cabin and the water just seems to collect in the 3 bilge areas. The auto pump seems to take care of it and I dry and clean it out every time I'm at the boat. I also add some weather stripping to the hatch boards to cut down on the water from them when the rain blows right at it.