Inexpensive Comfort Fot Dockside Living

[ssullivan]

Hi Everyone,

Just sharing a great purchase we made a few weeks back. We purchased the lowest-end dehumidifier from Lowes (or Home Depot) to run while we are living dockside.

The thing dries out the boat entirely (cushions, shower, everything...) in less than 8 hrs.

I had bought it to give some extra life to my electronics (I have a computer network aboard, as well as LCD tv and PlayStation). An added bonus is the comfort it provides.

They do tend to produce heat though, so it's best to use it in conjunction with a light air conditioner blast here and there, or as the weather turns cold and damp.

Just sharing this idea with the masses, since I hear so many people complain about the moisture/mold, etc.... in boats.

[Strygaldwir]

I have an 2 airconditioners aboard my boat, they seem to do a very good job of duhumidifying the air aboard. We generally don't have any problems with that.

What's just as interesting is the comparision of my $750 CruiseAir conditioner to my Lowe's Haier $65 Air conditioner. The Haier cools better and faster! I have only had the Haier for one season, so it might not last, but at $65, I could buy one every year for 10 years and still be ahead! I certainly can't see any instance where I'd recommend the higher cost of the CruiseAir. Maybe someone else can think of something!

[ssullivan]

The more I shop and compare everything, the more applications I see for regular, non-marine items on a boat. If I'm thinking about using them, I always imagine that they will rot/break each year, and do the math to see if it's worth it or not. Often, it is!

I learned this from my brief stint working aboard a megayacht. As I went through the boat (as a deckhand, so I saw it all... ha ha), I noticed that many items were just standard, off-the-shelf parts, not "marine."

Of course I only speak of non-essential items like ACs and GenSets. When it comes to safety, I don't take any chances at all.

Incidentally, I do have 2 Cruisairs aboard, but they were already here when I purchased the boat. I'm happy with them, and like the way they hide out of sight. Does the AC you are speaking of sit in a hatch?

[Strygaldwir]

Actually, my wife made a cover/deflector that wraps around the A/C and the other end attaches to the base of the hatch. She used Sunbrella for the cover, took her a couple of hours to do. I was thinking of constructing something out of marine plywood, or glavanized sheet metal. Her solution was a lot more practicle. The AC we got is actually about 60 percent of our Cruiseair It is pretty much a square. It will actually be less problem to store than the cruiseair.

I actually removed the cover from our Cruiseair to clean the condensors and such. There does not appear to be anything "marine" on the insides looks like a standard Danfoss type compressor, that is to say a hermatically sealed compressor. Galvanized screws, not stainless.

Go figure.

I am always looking for alternatives to the more expensive "West Marine" type solution. Often you can find great, sometime superior solutions to the standard boat parts. I guess you need to have a decent understanding about what you're looking at, and the advantages of one solution over another. Either that, or you ask alot of questions

[CaptainK]

Dear ssullivan,

I know you're on the East Coast. So how much is your dock side life costing ya?

I just wanted to see how much of a diffirence in prices form there and here.

Regards,

Kevin
CaptianK

[SailWiz]

Sean, Based on the info you provided, I went to both Ome Depot and Lowes ISO the low end unit but to no avail. All of the ones they had were pretty big. Do you happen to know the make of yours? Thanks, Wiz

[ssullivan]

Sorry.. missed CaptainK's post up above, so I'll answer both:

Captain K: It costs a lot.... a real lot, but probably not what it does in Florida. For winter in-water storage I paid $2000. For the few months I was here before the "winter" started, I paid another $2000. Add to this all the upgrades on the boat, and I think I'm going to have to sell my soul.

Wiz: I keep thinking of "Nobody Beats the Wiz", an old commercial in the NY area. Maybe you can modify your signature. The lower end and "smaller" dehumidifier I bought at Lowes is a Whirlpool AD25BSR0. It's not tiny, but it was the smallest they carried (and least expensive). It is pretty powerful and will practically dry your bilge!

Showers in board in the winter? No match for this unit. I was collecting 3-4 gallons a day in the fall.

So Sean, I am having a mental melt down here. Is the $2000 slip fees, and for how long?, and by the "showers in board" are you refering to showering on the boat, and the additional moisture? And are you saying the unit will or will not keep up?
Sorry for the blond moment, but it just does not compute today

[SailWiz]

Sean, Thanks. I'll check it out. Space is of course a concern. I bought one of those round so-called dehumidifyers and although it states it will "dry out your boat of RV." it is really pretty worthless with the humidity here in Florida.

Capt K, My cost for a live aboard slip in Tierra Verde, Fl which is on the Southern Tip of St. Petersburg and close to the entrance of Tampa Bay is $700.00 per month. This includes water, electricity, cable, a trash resepticle ant the head of the dock, use of shower and head facilities, pool, hot tub and laundry room @ $1.00 per load. Included in the $700.00 is a live aboard fee to account for the amenities of $150.00. It is very reasonable and a well kept marina.

[ssullivan]

Kai Nui once whispered in the wind:
So Sean, I am having a mental melt down here. Is the $2000 slip fees, and for how long?, and by the "showers in board" are you refering to showering on the boat, and the additional moisture? And are you saying the unit will or will not keep up?
Sorry for the blond moment, but it just does not compute today

Ha ha... no need to worry. I probably wrote another hurried post. Man... maybe I should get off this site for a while when I have all these projects going on. My poor quality posts do not add to the board when I'm rushing.

But... yes. One payment of $2000 is for in water storage from Nov until April.. The other $2000 was a pro-rated summer charge to get me from Sept until Nov here. OUCH!

Yes, by "showers in board" (should have been *on* board), I was saying we do all of our showering on board and that the unit has no trouble keeping up. It's so powerful for a boat that it actually dries up your skin if you don't back it down a little bit.

[CaptainK]

Well wiz,

I suppose that's a fair price to pay. But, I have heard other people pay for less than that price per month fee.

[CaptainK]

Sean.

At least that's only "one" payment for those many months. Excluding your never-ending upgrades, that you keep mentioning on this forum.

But, for some people. Especially those who use their sailboat for business, that I understand.

I visited your website. Very nice website, by the way. And I even listened to the interview that Kai gave to you on his website. I loved the interview. I wish you luck, on you & your wifes' venture into chartering!!

[ssullivan]

CaptainK once whispered in the wind:
Sean.

At least that's only "one" payment for those many months. Excluding your never-ending upgrades, that you keep mentioning on this forum.

But, for some people. Especially those who use their sailboat for business, that I understand.

I visited your website. Very nice website, by the way. And I even listened to the interview that Kai gave to you on his website. I loved the interview. I wish you luck, on you & your wifes' venture into chartering!!

Thanks for the kind words, Captain K.

[Jentine]

Sean, where do you keep your boat for that kind of money? I store in the water in Connecticut for a lot less, about 2/3 rds less.

$400 a month for liveaboard does not sound bad to me. That is about what we pay here. No worries Sean. It is all starting to make sense now. Summer in Moss Landing is over, and the fog is finally clearing
Thanks Kevin. I had fun doing that interview. Sean is an interesting person to talk to, and the topic had some unexpected aspects to it.