first time cruiser - few questions!!!

Boater71

Member
Mar 5, 2018
321
Boston, MA
Boat Info
2008 Sea Ray 310 Sundancer
Engines
MX6.2 MPI Bravo III DTS with Axius and SeaCore
Kohler Genset
Spent the first couple of nights on the dock and family really enjoyed cruising - have not fished yet. our first night was interesting, the AC was running and kept the cabin comfortable, however my son and I felt the wind sucks out of lungs, we are the 2 with allergies, is this addressed with a fan to move air around the cabin or should be looking for mold? 2nd night I slept in cockpit and son slept on sleeper sofa and we slept good! my kids love to eat popcorn, any ideas on which vaccum is portable enough to use/store on the boat? we washed the carpet protector, but how to properly clean the actual carpet?

my boys are 10 and 12, life jackets while cruising for sure, not on while docked, how about while in cabin and cruising at 5 to 10 mph (leaving marina or entering marina no wake zone)? what are the rules about being in the cabin - I'm talking no wake speed?

Carbon monoxide, I added one wireless detector mounted in the aft seating area in cabin (I purchased from Costco, one with a battery lasting 10 years) where else should I be adding these? i have no problem add as many as needed. already have one wired in front v-birth.
 
You can clean the carpet with a carpet cleaner.
No life jackets in the cabin. If you go down they can get pinned against the top of the cabin. They should be readily available though. Check your state's rules.
Probably should have co detector on each sleeping area. Sounds like you're good.
Good luck with the boat. Have fun.
 
If you are looking for mold .... look in ever compartment and make sure all your sump boxes are clean and bilge pumps working. Look in and around your AC unit even if you have to take a cover or a wall apart to get to it just to make sure it's clean as well. When I'm not on my boat I run the dehumidifier program on the HVAC to keep the cabin nice and dry.

For vacuums..... I bought a sears 2.5 gal shop vac and it works great and can be stored anywhere. I've had the need to use it as a wet vac and a dry vac so far on my boat for various reasons.
 
Its really hard to keep mold out of a boat. There is almost always some because of the damp environment, even if you cannot see it. If you are sensitive or have asthma you will notice it. Your AC system probably has a "dehumidify" setting that you can leave on when you are connected to shore power and away from the boat. Makes a huge difference in keeping dampness out of the boat. And there is a new mold killing spray that you can spray on surfaces that is very helpful.
 
Thank you. I will get some cleaning rags and some bleach and starts going through all compartments. Thanks for the tip on the humidifier. Looking at shopvac now!!

anyone on fans?
 
You can set up the AC so that fan stays on to circulate the air even when the compressor is not running - Also, your AC has a thin "filter" over the coils, make sure to keep it clean - show us some pics of the boat - what marina are you at and where do you plan to cruise?
 
You can set up the AC so that fan stays on to circulate the air even when the compressor is not running - Also, your AC has a thin "filter" over the coils, make sure to keep it clean - show us some pics of the boat - what marina are you at and where do you plan to cruise?

how about when cruising? AC requires 120v? right now i keep the front hatch slightly open.

Thanks - right now Warwick but moving to Boston next couple of weeks.
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I wouldn't keep that hatch open when underway, wind could grab it.....get a cheap 12v fan from an RV place if circulation is a problem - or run the gennie to keep the cabin cool when underway - I assume you've been cruising to places like Potters Cove and Newport? Wickford is a nice destination too - I just ran a boat from Cranston to Quincy - its a long day - consider a stop on either side of the canal or maybe even Cuttyhunk - thats a great looking boat!
 

Yes, ozone generators kills everything - literally and space has to stay open for several hours to air out. They do work. Do you know how they use? duration and how long to get rid of the ozone after?
 
I wouldn't keep that hatch open when underway, wind could grab it.....get a cheap 12v fan from an RV place if circulation is a problem - or run the gennie to keep the cabin cool when underway - I assume you've been cruising to places like Potters Cove and Newport? Wickford is a nice destination too - I just ran a boat from Cranston to Quincy - its a long day - consider a stop on either side of the canal or maybe even Cuttyhunk - thats a great looking boat!

yes, we went to Potters cove, Bristol, east Greenwich and Newport. we were also looking for fishing spots, kids like to do catch flute and strippers - did not know where to go. We did some clamming though!!
 
In addition to cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, here are 2 suggestions.

1. Get a separate dehumidifier. A 110v Frigidaire works fine for us. Using it saves wear and tear on the expensive A/C. I have ours drain into the shower. It won't cool the interior but will certainly keep the humidity down. It has a fan to circulate the air.

2. This Kanberra Gel does a great job of keeping the mold/mildew spores under control. It's available at Amazon, and West Marine has small jars of something very similar, but smaller. If you boat only in Boston, your short season should mean that a container of this stuff will last a couple of years. Here in Florida we boat year-round and the big container lasts about a year.

Also, we take it when we go to the cottage up north. Immediately dispels the mustiness of an old cottage that's been closed up for 8 months.

Kanberra Gel.jpg
 
Yes, ozone generators kills everything - literally and space has to stay open for several hours to air out. They do work. Do you know how they use? duration and how long to get rid of the ozone after?

I believe the unit has a timer on it. I think it runs for a couple hours. It seemed like they really only needed to open the hatches and cabin door for a few minutes to air the boat out and use again? I was told "it'll return the new boat smell after one or two uses".

There was no mention of any extended wait but, full disclosure, this was a post-boating day conversation whilst consuming adult beverages dockside. As such I cannot guarantee the veracity of these claims :)
 

Years ago I read/herd bad things about ozone and boats -- something about attacking fittings/hoses as I recall. May want to do more research to verify.
 
In addition to cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, here are 2 suggestions.

1. Get a separate dehumidifier. A 110v Frigidaire works fine for us. Using it saves wear and tear on the expensive A/C. I have ours drain into the shower. It won't cool the interior but will certainly keep the humidity down. It has a fan to circulate the air.

2. This Kanberra Gel does a great job of keeping the mold/mildew spores under control. It's available at Amazon, and West Marine has small jars of something very similar, but smaller. If you boat only in Boston, your short season should mean that a container of this stuff will last a couple of years. Here in Florida we boat year-round and the big container lasts about a year.

Also, we take it when we go to the cottage up north. Immediately dispels the mustiness of an old cottage that's been closed up for 8 months.

View attachment 72221

That stuff is really pricey. You can buy a cheaper version on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-lis...0?ie=UTF8&condition=all&qid=1562605196&sr=8-5

And then you can refresh it once it dries out by adding some pure Tea Tree Oil and some water. You can buy pure tea tree oil on amazon too. I have done this and it works the same as the Kanberra version at a lot less $.
 
The Kanberra Gel is awesome! Had a car in storage get all moldy, keep a jar of it in the car and never seen a spot since. Pleasant smell.

Good idea to get portable CO detector, I would suggest replacing the factory model with a new marine rated as well as getting one more portable for the second sleeping area. Marine CO detectors generally expire in 8 years.

MM
 
I have one of those units, bought it for my basement that was smelling musty, now fresh as a daisy!
I used it in the boat last week because we had a lot of mold on the headliner, and while I cleaned it all off, I thought id run it a few hours for the heck of it.
I was in the boat today and it smelled great, not quite like new, but almost.
I never heard about the fitting issue so I'll have to research
Where do you keep your boat in Boston? We cruise down the Charles from Watertown and into the harbor almost every week
 
Another thing to consider is keeping all the storage areas in the cabin open when you're not on the boat. Keeps air circulating.
 

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