getting moisture out of your boat

[ilovetrains]

I need to find something to take moisture out of my boat when stored wet. We typically go out on the weekend and board, run around, etc. The boat sits on a lift with the mooring cover on it, under a covered dock. Problem is, the boat always has some water in it when put up.

I was looking for some kind of ventilator/de-humidifier as there is 110 volt access at the slip. Any ideas?

[Bill_AirJunky]

Living in the Seattle area where it rains daily 8 months of the year, we learned this one. A good cover is an absolute necessity, breathable & waterproof. Sunbrella is the best.

And check out the Dri-Z-air dehumidifiers at any hardware or RV store. It's amazing how much water these things will suck out of the boat.

[mellen_mpz]

I bought some "Damp-rid" from Ace hardware and threw it in a small bucket. Put that in the boat before the cover goes on and it seems to do a good job but I live in phoenix where it never rains and is about as dry as it gets

http://www.damprid.com/

Edited May 11, 2009 by mellen_mpz

[Capt-Rum]

Anybody try the solar powered vents that can be put in the covers?

[Pistol Pete]

You definitely want one or two of these. I can't believe no one mentioned this already. It's a gimme if you have 110V power accessible.

[Bill_AirJunky]

You definitely want one or two of these. I can't believe no one mentioned this already. It's a gimme if you have 110V power accessible.

Yea, I have one of those that I put in the boat if I have power. There is no container on it to catch the moisture so I never really know how much I'm getting from the boat. It may work or it may not.

[JayHoy]

I work at a friends boat shop in the fall winterizing boats ,charcoal works very very well in shrink wrapped boats for the off season. I have added a few pieces in a small pail and left in my boat when damp and works well and its cheap.

[Pistol Pete]

Yea, I have one of those that I put in the boat if I have power. There is no container on it to catch the moisture so I never really know how much I'm getting from the boat. It may work or it may not.

That's not how it works, Bill.

The idea is that it raises the air temp. and moves the air around.

[ilovetrains]

I have actually been thinking about getting a cheap de-humidifier at wally world and rigging it to drain into the bilge, then letting the bilge pump take care of getting the water out, or just pulling the bottom plug.

[Monk]

Over the years we have tried all these methods. What we have been using these last four years has worked the best. Went to Wal-Mart pick up three small fans with clamps on them. One for the front of the boat one in the middle of the boat and one for the rear. Hook them all up to a timer to shut off in a few days. Warm air circulating around the boat dries everything right up. Also we pop all the cushions so to keep the air moving around all the storages spaces. Boat is on the lift May-Oct. Have never come back to a wet boat. We do try to get most of the water up before we cover and set the fans, for this we use a few chamois. They pull a lot of the water in the carpet up and out. Good luck, this has work the best for us.

Edited May 13, 2009 by Monk

[Catfish]

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/store...mp;classNum=380

Check out this dryer from West Marine. My boat is on a lift in FL and I've had one for several years with no problems and no mildew.

Cheers