Issues with Condensation!

[Morris Wilson]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I just looked your boat up. Definitely insulate all of those little round ports from the outside. See if you can insulate the big square windows on the sides from the outside. Put plastic over those windows from the inside. that will keep all of those from at least condensing. same with that big box hatch thing on deck forward. Insulate that from the outside.

praying that you don’t have leaky teaky decks screwed through the fiberglass leaking on you. Because screwed will be the Operative word.

I have those leaky teaky decks and hate them. They are great to walk on but a nightmare to keep up and find leaks to keep the boat dry. A big yes on using the wood stove (and fan). I have that and it works.

[MVDarlin]

I have a 34 C&C in Ketchikan, AK. Ketchikan is famous for horizontal rain. 180" per year. I run a small dehumidifier and ceramic elect heater 24/ 7 on shore power. Dehumidifier drains to the bilge and gets pumped overboard. Keeps the boat dry. Elect heater prevents freezing inside.

I also have a propane furnace with external exhaust / air intake that produces dry heat. Exoensive to operate furnace. A gas oven / stove will generate moisture when operated. An external vented oil stove will also keep things dry.

[gulfislandfred]

How many people and dogs do you have on board? We all breathe out water.


I lived aboard in the Salish Sea for almost 30 years. When I had wood heat it was much easier to dry the boat out and keep it dry.


Ventilation makes a huge difference. Solar vents. with their own little solar panel and fan, work pretty well, but you have to cut a hole in the deck for each one.
Bigger solar panels will run computer fans even in cloudy weather.

If you're on a budget, bubble wrap is cheap insulation. The stuff with foil on one or both sides is easy to use. You can use duct tape around the edges to seal out moisture, but it has to be dry underneath before you seal it.


Crank up that wood stove, and blow the warm air around with computer fans.

[raisedkk36]

When I lived in Alameda the only time it wasn't wet was during Fall. The rest of the time I just kept two windows, the forward hatch and the back doors cracked. Amazing what a little air flow can do for cutting humidity.

[slugsgomoo]

Originally Posted by Liberty Tambien

i don't intend on ever removing the teak deck, mine is healthy and is too beautiful to just tear out. i have done several jobs of re calking the seams to try and seal it up. Wood though unless it is constantly wet or dry, expands n retracts, So gaps open and close daily; with this in mind though theoretically, when the deck is dry and it rains, thats when the highest chances of leaks are, until the wood swells, then the leaks should be considerably less. So in periods of long rain the deck should seal up tightly. Just a thought, might be true might not be.

Rain is actually not your friend with teak decks. If you have to keep them, I'd do a deep clean with teak cleaner twice a year and keep them oiled. In between, wash the decks down with salt water, as it helps the wood stay hydrated and oily. I don't know the exact science, but I know that fresh water will dry it out and the wood will end up with raised grain & cracked and leaking. If you haven't oiled the decks recently, I'd bet that they're extremely thirsty.

Ours had been rebedded (not well) within the previous 10 years, and the problem really just boils down to too many screws going through the deck and too many places to ever find every leak.

I do still love the beauty of a teak deck, and if I could've afforded a more modern style where there aren't fasteners through the deck, I'd have considered it. For now I just enjoy them from afar. I still have far, far too much teak on the exterior of my boat to maintain as it is

[GordMay]

Salt water, in combination with UV sun light is a natural bleaching agent [‘pickles’ the wood].
Salt water kills the fungus, mildew, mould and algae, that cause wood rot. Fresh water promotes it.
Any water keeps the teak ‘swollen’ [tight joints], but salt residue absorbs and retains moisture, and prevents it from drying out, and shrinking.

When scrubbing teak decks, it’s important that you scrub against the grain. Going with the grain will remove a larger amount of the softer wood, between the grains, which also puts strain on the caulking, resulting in leaks.

[Stu Jackson]

In post#4 I asked what you had for heat and your answer prompted some excellent replies. It is gratifying to see the amount of effort skippers put in to helping those who ask this recurring question which always pops up around this time of year. How come they never ask in July?


You can also learn a lot by doing a google search on "+boat+heating+systems" because the guys who make them also share a lot of info on the hows & whys of heating and insulation.


Good luck.

[LakeSuperior]

Heating outside cold moist (90% RH) air starting at say 25 degrees to a comfortable 65 or 70 degrees will result in a dramatic drop in relative humidity. Contrast that to the summertime case where you have 65 or 70 degree air already at 90% RH.

In the north country, inside home RH can become uncomfortably low in the winter months because of this phenomenon. The problem is less now with the super insulated and well sealed homes having natural gas, propane, or electric heat where there is no outside air draw through the house (combustion air comes in through a pipe.) However, back in the day it was a problem.

The slow draw of winter air needed to keep your wood stove burning should help dry the boat out as mentioned in other posts.

[David Mathis]

I can't speak from experience since our boat goes on the hard here in the north country but a few years ago a couple had a sailboat about 35' they planned to live on all year. Over the summer, they stripped the inside of the boat to expose the fiberglass then had spray foam applied to stop the condensation and keep the living area warmer. I never had a chance to speak with them after they left but the rumor line indicated that it greatly improved their winter living conditions. You would have to wait for warm weather to apply spray foam but it might be worth the effort for next winter.

[Shaneesprit]

How much electricity do you have?
Because a dehumidifier, is a great way to deal with it,
240W 1.15A @240V 50Hz These are just the specs from my house hold Meaco 20L
and taking the water out of the air the boat will feel warmer.

[Liberty Tambien]

Originally Posted by gulfislandfred

How many people and dogs do you have on board? We all breathe out water.


I lived aboard in the Salish Sea for almost 30 years. When I had wood heat it was much easier to dry the boat out and keep it dry.


Ventilation makes a huge difference. Solar vents. with their own little solar panel and fan, work pretty well, but you have to cut a hole in the deck for each one.
Bigger solar panels will run computer fans even in cloudy weather.

If you're on a budget, bubble wrap is cheap insulation. The stuff with foil on one or both sides is easy to use. You can use duct tape around the edges to seal out moisture, but it has to be dry underneath before you seal it.


Crank up that wood stove, and blow the warm air around with computer fans.

i have me and 1 other dog, ive been keeping some of the hatches/port windows cracked open to promote ventilation and have already seen a significant improvement. once i get some more wood im sure i'll start cooking myself in here.

[Liberty Tambien]

Originally Posted by slugsgomoo

Rain is actually not your friend with teak decks. If you have to keep them, I'd do a deep clean with teak cleaner twice a year and keep them oiled. In between, wash the decks down with salt water, as it helps the wood stay hydrated and oily. I don't know the exact science, but I know that fresh water will dry it out and the wood will end up with raised grain & cracked and leaking. If you haven't oiled the decks recently, I'd bet that they're extremely thirsty.

Ours had been rebedded (not well) within the previous 10 years, and the problem really just boils down to too many screws going through the deck and too many places to ever find every leak.

I do still love the beauty of a teak deck, and if I could've afforded a more modern style where there aren't fasteners through the deck, I'd have considered it. For now I just enjoy them from afar. I still have far, far too much teak on the exterior of my boat to maintain as it is

Oiled the decks last summer and wash the decks down about once a week with salt water, these babies are well taken care of

[Liberty Tambien]

Originally Posted by Shaneesprit

How much electricity do you have?
Because a dehumidifier, is a great way to deal with it,
240W 1.15A @240V 50Hz These are just the specs from my house hold Meaco 20L
and taking the water out of the air the boat will feel warmer.

I have about enough to charge my phone, and my computer, 24/7. Unless i wanna run the generator, i dont have enough sunshine to keep the batteries charged for more then a week.

[Juggerknot]

Originally Posted by Liberty Tambien

A small wood stove center of the boat and a propane stove in the galley.

The propane stove if used for heating will put tons of moisture in the air...

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Liberty Tambien

What kind of insulation would you recommend?

There are foam boards lining the hull but thats all that im aware of, so nothing great as of now.

Foam sheets (1.5") work well but only if air cannot get between them and the hull. We cut ours into planks and caulked each edge. We actually have to run a humidifier sometimes because it gets so dry.