Dehumidifier size

Nov 16, 2012
1,055
Catalina 310, 2000, #31 31 Santa Cruz
On our Catalina 27 we used a small peltier dehumidifier (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QTW6KQ) to keep the inside dry and smelling good. We'd like to do something similar on our C310, but the larger interior volume of the C310 makes me think a bigger unit would be preferred, maybe something like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UWP07NI. Has anyone put one on their boat and been happy or unhappy with it?

Located in Santa Cruz, CA, so in the water year round.
 

KZW

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May 17, 2014
831
Catalina 310 #307 Bluewater Bay, FL
I'm sure it will work, but seems like overkill. I use an Eva Dry 2000.I rigged it to empty into a bucket in the sink which I empty once or twice a week. (I could run it into the sink drain, but don't want to keep the seacock open.
 
Nov 16, 2012
1,055
Catalina 310, 2000, #31 31 Santa Cruz
I'm sure it will work, but seems like overkill. I use an Eva Dry 2000.I rigged it to empty into a bucket in the sink which I empty once or twice a week. (I could run it into the sink drain, but don't want to keep the seacock open.
Good to hear. We were happy with the EvaDry 2200, so will give it a try.
 
Nov 6, 2006
10,095
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
I used one about that size for a few years before installing air conditioning with a dehumidify cycle. Works very well; so well that you can dry the wood interior components too much and cause warping. Be careful how you set the humidistat.. The other thing is that this works best with no ventilation so that the dry air is not displaced by more wet air. I got tired of moving it off the boat and reinstalling every time I went out for a sail. In your neck of the woods, I wouldn't think you'd need that much capacity.. but it is hard to find a smaller one with all the features.
 
D

Deleted member 117556

Just ordered an Eva Dry E 500 which is a renewable dehumidifier supposed to work for 500 cu ft. space. Will let you know how it works because this one uses silica gel beads that are regenerated every 30 days by plugging it in. Therefore it does not need to be drained or emptied.
bob
 
Sep 30, 2013
3,595
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Good to hear. We were happy with the EvaDry 2200, so will give it a try.
And THAT'S good for ME to hear, since I just ordered an EvaDry 2200 for our C22. :)

We had a really hideous mildew eruption late this summer, spent a week taking everything off the boat and giving her a stem-to-stern "GI party". I DON'T want to go through that again soon.
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
Sorry for the delay. We haven't had the best internet connections on the ICW in NC lately. Good here in Beaufort, NC.

We used the NewAir AD-250 during our winter liveaboard time in Boston. We had to empty it about every other day.
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,721
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
I've been using the Evadry 2200 on a 34' catamaran for about 5 years. It's on a timer and only runs 30% of the time (in the winter this provides a defrost cycle). If you need a larger unit to keep a sealed boat dry, the boat is not sealed. Are there any ventilators open? There should NOT be if you are running a dehumidifier. Bilge dry?

I run a hose to the sink drain (the outlet is well above the waterline--no seacock).
 

51RD55

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Jul 13, 2015
99
Hunter 31 Toronto
Cat 310 - looking forward to know how that Eva Dry 500 works out. Our boat is a ten minuted drive from our house so it is easy for us to recharge it by bringing it home and then returning to put it back in. Now that the boat is on the cradle, we are not allowed to have anything plugged in if we are not there actually working on the boat. This sounds like a great solution.
 
Nov 26, 2012
1,654
C&C 40-2 Berkeley
I found that a small space heater works better than the dehumidifier. The problem with the dehumidifier is that it takes time and requires that the space be fairly airtight. A boat is not airtight so the dehumidified air is continuously replace with the more humid outside air. The heater warms the cabin and, thus reduced the relative humidity which is what matters. I also installed a Nicro vent to keep the air warm and moving through the boat. Works very well. That has been my experience.
 

KZW

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May 17, 2014
831
Catalina 310 #307 Bluewater Bay, FL
I run the dehumidifier year round. Here in the Florida panhandle, there is lots of excess heat in the spring, summer, and fall. I run a heater and the dehumidifier in the winter.
 
D

Deleted member 117556

51RD55...Just received the Eva dry 500 and also got a humidity meter with it. Will get it set up at the boat and let you know.
Bob
 
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D

Deleted member 117556

Yes, I have it in the boat for a couple months and also have a humidity meter on board. Frankly, I can't tell if it is doing anything. It seems like I should have 2 or 3 of them on board to make an impact. It is also the wrong time of year to test it because it is drier. However, the humidity in the boat is in the 60's most of the time and in general the humidity is the same as it is outside. I did plug it in and regenerate it once and that seemed to work well. I am running my west marine plugin dehumidifier along with it but if I wasn't I would recommend at least two to handle the area. Hope that helps somewhat...
bob
 

51RD55

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Jul 13, 2015
99
Hunter 31 Toronto
Thanks for the reply Bob. May have to settle for an electric one for when we are in the slip. Can't plug anything in if not on the boat when it is on the hard.