Tips and Techniques for controlling salt in the cabin

[muttskie]

What do you do to keep salt to a minimum below decks? Short of a fresh water rinse, and towel off, before going below, of course : ) I'm thinking of spray covered clothing, etc...

[Hydra]

1- Keep the boat as watertight as possible (hatches, portlights, ventilators, companionway...).
2- Restrict seawater-dripping clothing to a small area around the companionway. This is a good reason to have the chart table, the galley and the head as close as possible to the companionway.

Remark: sometimes, on the deck, you get not only spray over your clothes but green water, too!

Alain

[JPA Cate]

Muttskie,

A long time ago, I used to participate in PHRF racing out of San Francisco. On the race boats, we just went below, wet and salty.

But on the boat we live on, we leave wet foulies (even it is just rain water) nest to the companionway coaming to drip outside. Eventually, salty foulies get a fresh water rinse, or a wash in *delicate* soap.

Other than that, if you track salt water below, yes, it does require a fresh water rinse on all the fabrics, or they'll get moldy and clammy. Hence the effort to keep it out. A dry bilge helps, too.

Ann

[muttskie]

Originally Posted by Hydra

1- Keep the boat as watertight as possible (hatches, portlights, ventilators, companionway...).
2- Restrict seawater-dripping clothing to a small area around the companionway. This is a good reason to have the chart table, the galley and the head as close as possible to the companionway.

Remark: sometimes, on the deck, you get not only spray over your clothes but green water, too!

Alain

Thank you, Alain.
My boat has the galley and nav station right at the companionway, though the head is more forward.
There is really no convenient place to put wet foulies but in the galley sink, or on the sole. Is that what is done?
I'm curious about how others handle this and clean, and/or rinse, salt water wetted clothing below.
Is it just a matter of letting them drip dry through the sole plates into the bilge below?

[muttskie]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Muttskie,

A long time ago, I used to participate in PHRF racing out of San Francisco. On the race boats, we just went below, wet and salty.

But on the boat we live on, we leave wet foulies (even it is just rain water) nest to the companionway coaming to drip outside. Eventually, salty foulies get a fresh water rinse, or a wash in *delicate* soap.

Other than that, if you track salt water below, yes, it does require a fresh water rinse on all the fabrics, or they'll get moldy and clammy. Hence the effort to keep it out. A dry bilge helps, too.

Ann

Thank you, Ann.
The moldy, clammy part is what I'm trying to avoid. I wanted to get other's advice and experiences to get a head start.

[Hydra]

I have been cruising in autumn in the English Channel, on a boat where the head was before the mast.

We were standing watches and using the saloon settees as bunks, with lee clothes. We had some line strung under the coachroof, to hang the foulies on. Some of them, we just left spread on the folded saloon table, but strongly refrained from taking wet clothes in the bow and stern cabins.

IIRC, I had a waterproof / breathable bivy bag to protect my sleeping bag...

Alain

[Scot McPherson]

Once in a while you are going to have to wash your cushions in really hot water in the morning, and hoist them up into the sun and let the sun kill the mold and mildew.

Once in a while, bring all your stuff to a rug restorer/cleaner and ask them to run them through their carpet washing machines. Their job is to restore rugs that have been neglected and often moldy and half eaten by that mold. It works for cushioning too. For your bunk, get a hypoallergenic mold and mildew resistant one.

The best defense in this case is the best offense. Stay ahead if it BEFORE it becomes a problem. Ever had a mildewed towel before? Did you ever really get out the stink? How about if you forgot it wet one more time? Yep sticks all over again dunit? Right...stay ahead of it.