I am moving onto my
boat part time this spring and want to be ready. By part time, it will be random based on when I am working in the area and available to come down, however it should be three to five days a week. I will be mid-Chesapeake (read hot/humid/summer) and will have full
electrical while in the slip. So here is my list my list of questions for those
living aboard...
** Keeping dry inside:
I know it's “ventilation!” But how to tell you have enough before everything is damp? If I am on the
boat in the summer I will be running A/C, however when I leave it will be turned off and that means the cool, dry air will be replaced by warm moist air.
How much air transfer in a hot moist atmosphere is enough? I was thinking of replacing the center
companionway board glass with a vent and putting two
solar vents in the v-berth. Enough or do I need a bigger 110v fan keeping it moving. I was also considering adding a
bilge blower (overkill?).
Do things like this (
Air-Dryr Marine Dehumidifier from Wholesale Marine) have success in the humid summer?
**Keeping
clothing dry
I will have dress shirts, suits (yes – some us still wear them), etc. and bagging them will be impractical. Have you found desiccants
work for closets and drawers or do they absorb so much while sitting on the
water they are impractical? Is it better to approach the above issue and this one takes care of itself?
**Shutting down when leaving
When leaving for a couple of days (as many as a week) do you typically shut down everything
electrical? Some say never leave anything on and then people leave lights, bubblers, etc.?
**Alarms
Plenty of people leave their
boats for weeks. Do you have alarms? If so, who do they notify and how? I wanted to put a
bilge alarm in and then tried to figure what I would expect their reaction to be. How many of us even look when a car
alarm goes off? (other than to find the !#%$%! at 2 a.m.)