Problems with mildew and such

[GRGKng]

Hey guys,

New boat owner here, and first boat I've owned, so I just wanna make sur im doing things right. I usually use my boat all day, coming home when its dark, and by that time the insides are still pretty wet, so what I've done is usually throw the cover on, and take it off in the morning so the sun can dry it out. It gets pretty humid here in MN, so is that the best way to prevent mold and that stale smell? I've done some research on the forums, and picked up a West Marine dehumidifier, that I have kept in all night too, and it seemed to help a bit, but it still get pretty damp inside. So for a boat that gets stored in the driveway, would my best bet be to run the dehumidifier all night, and then uncover the boat and let the sun take over in the morning? I'm thinking of adding two buckets of that Dri stuff with all the minerals, and use them with the dehumidifier from West Marine.

Another thing is the West Marine dehumid I think it only circulates hot air.. Is that good? or should I get the bigger dehumidifiers that actually collect water?

Thanks in advance!

[Faceplant409]

Personally, I would not cover it that night. If mine is real wet I'll let it sit in the back yard over night and let mother nature work all night and really start at sun-up. Make sure ALL the food is out and lift all the cushions. I've seen kitty footprints on my windshield, and I'm lucky we've not had 'coon visits yet...

As for keeping it in the driveway all the time.. In Cali I used to use a canvas cover and then a silver tarp over that. I had 3 containers of Drisair that I'd change monthly. You may need more because of humidity...

[Pistol Pete]

Welcome aboard GI,

You're on the right track. You definitely want to dry your boat out as soon as possible.

Faceplants advice on leaving the cover off the night of is good and, letting the sun get at it as soon as possible. Obvisouly, you need to pull up all the seat cushions.

Personally,

I have 4 driz the air buckets and 2 west marine electric dehumidifiers in my boat at all times. Believe me, it's not over kill. The other really good way to dry a boat out fast is to put a box fan in there and let it run for a day or 2.

[GRGKng]

Thanks for the reply guys. So Pete, would you recommend I keep my dehumidifier running with the cover off? Along with 4 of those dri air buckets?

Thanks!

[Pistol Pete]

No,

With the cover off, I would just have a box fan in there.

Cover on = dehumidifiers and driz the air.

Sorry for not being clear on that.

[GRGKng]

Thanks, is the west marine dehumidifier better than a general bigger humideifer that collects water?

[Dexter]

Anything you can do to circulate air is probably the best. In my garage I've installed a cheap ceiling fan right above the boat. The entire boat is dry by next morning. I also use a portable fan if I leave it outside. Malibus have a lot of carpet.

[GRGKng]

this might seem like a stupid question, but those of you with fans, where do you aim/put them?

[Pistol Pete]

The large ones that collect water are over kill.

I leave mine running in the boat 24/7 with the cover on and don't have to worry about when I might need to empty a bucket. The west marine ones draw about 100W so, it's like having a 100W light bulb on inside the boat all the time. The way they work is there's a small heater element ring inside and a fan. The ring heats up (a little bit) to boil off moisture and the fan just keeps the air moving around under the cover. I place one towards the front of the boat and one towards the rear of the boat. BTW, you do want to put the driz the air inside a seconday container as you see in my arsenal of moisture combators...

[GRGKng]

Nice, and thanks. http://bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=1041 I actually use damp rid, should I use Driz air instead? Thanks.

[Pistol Pete]

They're both the same. I happen to like driz the air better because I can buy the desiccant easily in large packs locally. Also, the granuals of driz the air seem to be larger than damp rid and therefor when being used in my driz the air black containers, they don't fall through the grills as much.

[Pistol Pete]

BTW,

You'll want to check on/empty the driz the air or damp rid containers about every month.

Also, the water that they collect is nasty stuff, DON'T spill it. DON'T drink it. Where I pour mine out, it kills the grass.

[Pistol Pete]

this might seem like a stupid question, but those of you with fans, where do you aim/put them?

I've put a box fan in the bow facing stern. I've also put a smaller table top, oscillating fan in the middle of the boat and let it oscillate.

[Pistol Pete]

My link

[martinarcher]

My boat sleeps in the garage, but one thing I have done since I got it was use the shop vac to suck all the excess water out of the carpet upon retuning home form the lake. This has done wonders for rapidly drying out the boat. In the morning the boat is usually almost complete dry. If I don't use the shop vac, the carpet stays soaked all night and doesn't show much improvement in the morning and then it takes a few days to totally dry.

With a wooden floor in my boat I have got into the habit of vacuuming the carpet out every time we return from the lake. Another benefit is the inside of the boat is always clean!

I would guess if you shop vac'ed the excess water out of the carpet the night you came home it would really help the boat dry out much faster.

[shade]

Everyone has given good advice. Here is what I do:

I store my boat in shed w/o electricity so I put a Damp Rid bucket in the storage compartments on either side of the engine and I prop the storage compartment covers up so air can circulate. Oh, lift the seat cushions up too, of course. This has worked well for me. If I had electricity I would use a fan too.

But the best advice I can give you is this:

"Keep the water in the lake, not in the boat." This is one of my rules. I ask people to use a towel to dry their board shorts a little before they get in the boat. This way water isn't pouring off their shorts onto the carpet and under the seats. And don't throw wet life vests back in the storage compartments. Let them air dry a little before putting them away. We usually raise the ski pylon and put the arm hole of the wet vest over the pylon so it won't fly off but will dry.

Some people say, "its a boat, its supposed to get wet." Well, I guess they also think its a boat and its supposed to stink and have black mold growing in it.

My only complaint about my Malibu is all of the carpet. I know some people like the wall to wall carpet, but I don't. I wish my boat had a fiberglass floor w/ no carpet at all, but that wasn't an option in 2007.

[Soon2BV]

"Keep the water in the lake, not in the boat."

I have a large plastic storage tub i keep in the rear locker area (one side of the engine).

Wet tubes and ropes and jackets get thrown into it. I usually pour out a half gallon of water when we get home.

[shade]

I have a large plastic storage tub i keep in the rear locker area (one side of the engine).

Wet tubes and ropes and jackets get thrown into it. I usually pour out a half gallon of water when we get home.

This is a good idea. I would do it too, if I didn't put a 400# Fat Sack in each rear compartment.

[Brian M.]

"Keep the water in the lake, not in the boat."

I do the same and this is how I do it: The Absorber

Keep this at the back of the boat or in the rear ski locker and use it to dry off yourself, your wetsuits and ski vests before getting back in the boat. No more need for tons of large towels either.

I love it so much, I now use it at home in the shower and I have one in my daughter's bathroom for drying her off after her baths.

The nice thing about it with kids at the lake is that you can quickly dry them off and then they can just use their dry beach towels to stay warm.

I also have one designated for the boat and use it to sucked up the water out of the carpet at the end of the day.

They come in lots of colours so get a few. It's better than a shamois or sham wow. PVA is what the Olympic divers use to dry themselves off with a 12x12 piece of material.

Highly recommended!!!

[martinarcher]

I do the same and this is how I do it: The Absorber

Keep this at the back of the boat or in the rear ski locker and use it to dry off yourself, your wetsuits and ski vests before getting back in the boat. No more need for tons of large towels either.

I love it so much, I now use it at home in the shower and I have one in my daughter's bathroom for drying her off after her baths.

The nice thing about it with kids at the lake is that you can quickly dry them off and then they can just use their dry beach towels to stay warm.

I also have one designated for the boat and use it to sucked up the water out of the carpet at the end of the day.

They come in lots of colours so get a few. It's better than a shamois or sham wow. PVA is what the Olympic divers use to dry themselves off with a 12x12 piece of material.

Highly recommended!!!

The Absorber is awesome. I have two of them on the boat. They are excellent for drying the inside and outside of the boat. I have one for each car as well. The amount of water they pick up is unreal. I bought a Sham Wow later after seeing the commercial with "Vince"....what a joke. They are terrible compared to the Absorber.

[shade]

The Absorber is awesome. I have two of them on the boat. They are excellent for drying the inside and outside of the boat. I have one for each car as well. The amount of water they pick up is unreal. I bought a Sham Wow later after seeing the commercial with "Vince"....what a joke. They are terrible compared to the Absorber.

I agree! Sham Wow=Scam Wow

[Dave SML VA]

Hey guys,

New boat owner here, and first boat I've owned, so I just wanna make sur im doing things right. I usually use my boat all day, coming home when its dark, and by that time the insides are still pretty wet, so what I've done is usually throw the cover on, and take it off in the morning so the sun can dry it out. It gets pretty humid here in MN, so is that the best way to prevent mold and that stale smell? I've done some research on the forums, and picked up a West Marine dehumidifier, that I have kept in all night too, and it seemed to help a bit, but it still get pretty damp inside. So for a boat that gets stored in the driveway, would my best bet be to run the dehumidifier all night, and then uncover the boat and let the sun take over in the morning? I'm thinking of adding two buckets of that Dri stuff with all the minerals, and use them with the dehumidifier from West Marine.

Another thing is the West Marine dehumid I think it only circulates hot air.. Is that good? or should I get the bigger dehumidifiers that actually collect water?

Thanks in advance!

What I do when I have to cover the boat wet is to sit a medium sized fan on the floor of the boat and hook up a timer so the fan comes on for an hour or so a few times each day. Of course open up all storage areas. This works like a charm and is easy to do. Damp rid is great but you can use a lot in a years time.

Edited July 19, 2010 by Dave SML VA