Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 21-05-2018, 17:26   #1
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Monterey, California
Boat: Westsail 32
Posts: 775
Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

We had a bit of a wet passage (see photo), and had some water ingress into a normally dry area due to a combination of factors. 1. The hawsepipe lid popped off. 2. The bow plunged through multiple waves. 3. An excessive heel angle caused the water to not go straight to the bilge. 4. The water found it's way into where all our reference books were stored.

It doesn't rain here on Bonaire, most days are sunny, and it's always blowing, but after 7 days, the books still aren't drying out at an appreciable rate. I also have to be careful about leaving them out on deck, as if the wind catches them from the wrong angle, they blow open, and all the damp pages fold over and make a mess.

Anyone have ideas (other than chucking them overboard and replacing them with new ones)?
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	vlcsnap-2018-05-15-14h14m42s512.jpg
Views:	389
Size:	388.2 KB
ID:	170293   Click image for larger version

Name:	vlcsnap-2018-05-17-14h29m08s175.jpg
Views:	414
Size:	337.3 KB
ID:	170294  

Click image for larger version

Name:	vlcsnap-2018-05-21-20h23m45s427.jpg
Views:	351
Size:	321.1 KB
ID:	170295   Click image for larger version

Name:	vlcsnap-2018-05-21-20h22m47s288.jpg
Views:	350
Size:	277.7 KB
ID:	170296  

Ryban is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-05-2018, 17:58   #2
Senior Cruiser
 
atoll's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: gettin naughty on the beach in cornwall
Boat: 63 custom alloy sloop,macwester26,prout snowgoose 37 elite catamaran!
Posts: 10,594
Images: 75
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

try putting kitchen roll sheets between each of the damp pages
atoll is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-05-2018, 18:49   #3
Registered User
 
Suijin's Avatar

Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Bumping around the Caribbean
Boat: Valiant 40
Posts: 4,625
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

Having been doused in salt water, they may never dry out. Salt is hygroscopic and it's now in your books and will continue to attract moisture. You basically have to rinse them in fresh water if you want them to effectively dry out, then interleave them as atoll suggests.
Suijin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-05-2018, 20:07   #4
Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bellingham
Boat: Outbound 44
Posts: 9,319
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

You might try a light spray of Saltaway on the pages. Could be available at the Chandlery in Bonaire.
__________________
Paul
Paul L is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 03:20   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Boat: Island Packet 40
Posts: 6,416
Images: 7
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Suijin View Post
Having been doused in salt water, they may never dry out. Salt is hygroscopic and it's now in your books and will continue to attract moisture. You basically have to rinse them in fresh water if you want them to effectively dry out, then interleave them as atoll suggests.
If you try this I'd mix some methylated spirits with the water to get it to evaporate quicker. Try a little bit on a part of the text to ensure it won't effect the print.
RaymondR is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 04:15   #6
Registered User
 
Sailmonkey's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Houston
Boat: '76 Allied Seawind II, 32'
Posts: 9,626
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Suijin View Post
Having been doused in salt water, they may never dry out. Salt is hygroscopic and it's now in your books and will continue to attract moisture. You basically have to rinse them in fresh water if you want them to effectively dry out, then interleave them as atoll suggests.


+1

Get the salt out And then the books will dry
Sailmonkey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 05:47   #7
Registered User
 
Suijin's Avatar

Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Bumping around the Caribbean
Boat: Valiant 40
Posts: 4,625
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

Quote:
Originally Posted by RaymondR View Post
If you try this I'd mix some methylated spirits with the water to get it to evaporate quicker. Try a little bit on a part of the text to ensure it won't effect the print.
Salt does not dissolve in alcohol so adding it will be problematic. If the salt cannot be rinsed out then no amount of drying aid is going to help. Rinsing with alcohol after water might work, but then there is the impact of the alcohol on the binding, paper, etc. which is unknown to me.
Suijin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 07:56   #8
Registered User
 
TeddyDiver's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Arctic Ocean
Boat: Under construction 35' ketch (and +3 smaller)
Posts: 2,731
Images: 2
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

Vacuum bagging..
TeddyDiver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 08:45   #9
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Boston's North Shore
Boat: Pearson 10M
Posts: 839
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

I've never tried this.
Could you seal the book in a container with silica desiccant crystals?
Or with rice?
guyrj33 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 08:57   #10
Registered User
 
taxwizz's Avatar

Join Date: May 2013
Location: Toronto
Boat: Small yellow rubber ducky
Posts: 706
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

Try roasting them slowly on the barbecue.

taxwizz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 10:21   #11
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Southern MD, Chesapeake Bay
Boat: Catalina & Maycraft
Posts: 996
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

As a last ditch effort, I'd try heating the oven to about 120 degrees and placing them, opened up, in the oven. Every so often flip through the pages, and re-position them to a new open page for further drying. Opening the oven should release the accumulated humidity. If there is a lot of salt concentration, try gently rubbing them with a clean freshwater cloth.


Upside is, you will always remember this extraordinary trip when you use the books - no problem.
Hardhead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 11:02   #12
Registered User
 
Scaramanga F25's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 971
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

I have only succeeded in this by opening the wet book page by page first and then let dry. Once a wet book is let to dry unopened its ruined.
Scaramanga F25 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 11:05   #13
Registered User

Join Date: May 2009
Location: SW Florida
Boat: Hunter 30
Posts: 150
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

This will not help you but I was stationed at the US Army Records Center when they had the big fire. They took the records to McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing and put them in their giant freeze drying vacuum chamber they used for spacecraft testing.
sailm8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 12:06   #14
Registered User
 
Bill O's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2015
Boat: Bruce Bingham Christina 49
Posts: 3,328
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

Ryban,
Too bad about your books. Unfortunately agree it will be very difficult to save your books after being soaked in saltwater. Even if you can get them "dry" the salt left behind will keep them damp.

You mentioned these were your reference books. Do you have a list of them and possibly have anyway to download digital copies?

While we still have some hard copies onboard, most of ours are now digital.

Possibly provide a list of ruined books (if you can download) and I'm certain someone on CF will have a copy to share.

Bill O.
__________________
Bill O.
KB3YMH
https://phoenixketch.blogspot.com/
Bill O is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-05-2018, 13:27   #15
Registered User
 
Suijin's Avatar

Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Bumping around the Caribbean
Boat: Valiant 40
Posts: 4,625
Re: Books got wet on last passage, any drying ideas?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sailm8 View Post
This will not help you but I was stationed at the US Army Records Center when they had the big fire. They took the records to McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing and put them in their giant freeze drying vacuum chamber they used for spacecraft testing.
Freezing is actually a good tactic for dealing with wet documents as it gradually extracts moisture out, but it requires a constant temp and probably lower than your household freezer, although I don't think absolute zero is required. :P
Suijin is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
books, passage

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Fiberglass got wet. Still good? sully75 Construction, Maintenance & Refit 8 28-10-2021 08:56
Batteries and some wires got wet, does it matter? northoceanbeach Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 5 17-07-2016 18:48
For Sale: Baja Mexico Guide books & Charts, South Pacific Guide Books and general sailing books dheaslip Classifieds Archive 3 10-04-2014 02:32
For Sale: Books Books Books Mambo Classifieds Archive 7 26-03-2012 21:04
For Sale: Books, Books, and More Books cabo Classifieds Archive 4 20-12-2011 23:38

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:36.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.