Help
My 26x sits on a tidal mooring at Littlehampton and is dripping wet and mouldy inside due to condensation- its almost raining inside at times!!
All ideas welcome( I am thinking about a vent in front hatch)and I realise now perhaps why so many yachts are craned out in the winter.............
Cheers
John
Thu, 17/01/2013 - 8:22am
#1
john.denman
Condensation and mould
Ventilation is obviously important. I keep Hera 26X on the drive at home so keeping her ventilated plus a bit of heat now and then helps a great deal.
Others with boats kept on the water may be able to comment more on good ventilation ideas.
But don't forget to check for water ingress which adds to the quantity of H2O inside the boat. In torrential rain some of the deck fittings can allow water in, which may drip from the small plugs in the ceiling or generally seep around. What are the bilges like? Leaking window seals/chain plates/through hull fittings can all be the cause of quite a significant build up. Dry bilges would, I think, be an important starting point.
Hope this helps a little.
Mike
I agree with Mike on the importance of curing rain leaks. My X used to get lots of internal condensation (with the inevitable mildew), but the last two winters it's been remarkably dry. I put this down to the fact that by the end of the previous summer I'd killed all the rain ingress. I don't get any bilge water now, even in heavy rain.
The culprits were the shroud chain plates and forestay tang, all the through-deck bolts on the upper deck, and the window securing screws.
The only really effective way to seal the chain plates and forestay tang is to remove the top plate, pack Sikaflex or similar underneath, then replace the plate. The plates are pop-riveted on with large rivets, so you need a tough rivet gun and the correct size SS rivets before you start - neither are hard to find. I discovered this by accident after noticing a rivet had failed and decided to replace both. After drilling out the other rivet I saw that the space beneath the plate really needed sealing properly. So I did the lot!
I also found that all the screws holding the hatch, jib-car tracks, etc. were slightly loose, especially the one that goes through the block for the centre-board line (the continual stress obviously worked it loose). They can all be tightened by removing the plugs in the ceiling to get access to the nuts. I just tightened them all, except for the block, where I took the bolt out and put sealant all around the hole before replacing.
Finally, I was getting water seeping through the windows, particularly the front ones. I thought I might need to re-seal the whole window, but after taking out the screws, the window was obviously very securely stuck, and the water was seeping through the screw holes (seems the screws aren't needed to hold the window in, they just create an opportunity for leaks!). So I replaced them all with a bit of sealant.
Since then, no water's got in, even in heavy rain, and there's far less condensation. For a final touch, I have a couple of moisture absorbers that I leave in the cabin, the ones you fill with sodium chloride crystals. These suck a lot of moisture out of the air, over a typical winter they'll go through two doses of crystals, each one collecting about 1/2 litre of water each time - 2 litres in total!
I did get a ventilation fan a few years back and fitted it into the forehatch, but it failed and I haven't bothered replacing it. It didn't seem to make any difference in winter. though nice in summer for keeping cooler!
Rick Jones (Treasurer), former 26X & 19 owner, Isle of Wight
Many thanks to you both.I obviously have got some work to do!
This Forum is really great!
See you at the AGM and I hope not to appear too damp and mouldy!
John
Rick
Can you point me towards a name or source for the moisture absorbers?
I dont think I can brave the cold this weekend so checking and fixing leaks may have to wait!
Many thanks
John
Hi John
Try searching for "moisture trap", the ones I got are by Kilrock, my local hardware store do them. Might be worth checking your local shops rather than buying online. They take 500g of crystals each time, you can buy in 500g bags or bigger tubs. The tubs are a bit cheaper, but it's a lot more convenient to use bags so you don't need to measure anything.
Hope you find something!
Rick Jones (Treasurer), former 26X & 19 owner, Isle of Wight
I agree with all the comments made. I have had a number of boats in the past that have had varying amounts of condensation. We always found ventilation to be helpful in empty boats. Having lived on a boat for a couple of years we found a dehumidifier very useful particularly if you don't want constantly damp clothes. We initially had one with a tank but found that it needed emptying twice a week A larger piece of kit was more efficient and drained down the sink. On the down side it used nearly 1Kw of power. I realise that this is not really an option for you John with a swinging mooring but I thought it worth a comment.
Thanks Rick and Colin
I have installed a 350w dehumidifier which extracts 1-2 litres weekly and with tape gasket sealed hatch has solved problem!
Some water getting into bilges and collects beneath loo- missed by rear auto pumps- realise need to seal leak but
any ideas for best place for a manual pump ?
Regards
John
If you buy a couple of valves and a Y connector you could use your existing manual pump but I guess finding the leak is probably the answer.
We have just had our first sail of the season and having left the boat ventilated but covered we had only a little condensation which was good. Unfortunately the large swell and a 30Kn wind made for a rather challenging sail.