a year in the driveway

[AFD]

so we lost an engine last year and used the boat for a month or so as a condo on the dock ehile we decided to replace the single engine with a match or replace both with efi 350's.

we decided we love our boat and its ride and power and dont need bling under the hatch so long as they both work properly and why drop $20,000 when you can spend $7000?

anyway, my wife got pregnant (not really a shock, we have to do IVF) but we decided with a delivery on father's day, 2weeks early, the boat wouldnt get any real use and to leave it on land for the season. we also have a 19month old kicking and screaming.

Not having this boat for too long, what should be done during a humid summer to keep the boat fresh?

any concerns with the good engine? it was properly winterized and new manifolds and risers will go on the same time the new engine goes in.

thanks in advance
Anthony

 

[magstang1]

I wondered where you went. Congrats on the kiddos. I have two myself.

I guess if you were really concerned about heat and humidity you could get some desiccant packs but I'm guessing keeping all the doors cracked and a fan moving the air would suffice.

On the other hand, boats do like being in the water. Hint hint...

 

[dpmulvey]

Get a 15 amp home to 30 amp ship adapter and plug in the boat. Get a dehumidifier from homedepotlowes. Put it on the counter, turn it on and let it drain into the sink and overboard. Close the the boat and enjoy your newborns!!

 

[bbwhitejr]

Get a 15 amp home to 30 amp ship adapter and plug in the boat. Get a dehumidifier from homedepotlowes. Put it on the counter, turn it on and let it drain into the sink and overboard. Close the the boat and enjoy your newborns!!

Mine stays shut up on the trailer, in my boat shed, at my house when we are not using. Very hot and super humid here. The dehumidifier sounds very intriguing. Currently have a small fan running on low with 4-damp rid containers set up and works perfect. The only pain is the weekly dumping and refilling of the damp rid. I would look into the dehumidifier...

Bennett

 

[AFD]

im going to check amazon now for cheap dehumidifiers, thanks guys, already made a at home shore plug for the boat oit of one of my cords that lost an end, yes, its higj quality cord but a meathead that worked for me cut the brand new end off so it became a home cord.

 

[AFD]

and thank you for the congratulations. they are a handfull.

 

[dpmulvey]

It is what I did in my town home near TPC Sawgrass when I went out to sea years ago. Only difference was the AC was set to 80*F to circulate the air a few times a day. Worked great.

HTH.

 

[boatman37]

before i bought my boat a test drove another and there were a few bowls of charcoal hidden in a few places. so i asked why??? the answer, to suck up the humidity. reasonable?

 

[1990-270-da-lover]

Congrats on the newborn addition to your family. As said above a dehumidifier plugged into the home is a good answer to summer humidity.

 

[blaster]

before i bought my boat a test drove another and there were a few bowls of charcoal hidden in a few places. so i asked why??? the answer, to suck up the humidity. reasonable?

Not reasonable. Sounds like a black mess. Carbon may absorb a little odor but not water.

 

[boatman37]

yeah. not sure i would want boals of carbon laying around but that was their strategy

 

[Jack F]

I didn't use my boat last summer, sat in the driveway shrink wrapped, before I put it away I gave it a really good cleaning and put several Damprid 64 oz. Fragrance Free High Capacity Moisture Absorber in the the bilge,topside,cabin and also the head, changed them out once, when I unwrapped the boat this spring it was like new.

 

[AFD]

going to BJ's to grab a case of damp rid today. dehumidifiers are crazy expensive in the summer, even on craigslist.
i'll grab a pair of small fans and leave them om low too. with the closed off aft cabin, air circulation would be tough with one fan.

when we used the boat last summer, i had microwavable, rechargeable moisture absorbent, they work great but need to be recharged every few days. im not climbing on the boat every couple days to run the microwave so damp rids here i come.

any idea about cedar to keep bugs away? They sell cedar hangers for closets or i could just go buy cedar shingles and lay them out
my grandmother, for the last 100years has put moth balls in their boats over the winter to prevent spring time bugs, but the smell lasts for a month after though...

 

[bbwhitejr]

Another thing I did this past off season that I read would combat bugs was to place dryer sheets everywhere. Bought a big cheap box at WalMart and placed about 15-20 throughout the boat changing them out maybe 1/month. Good smell and no bugs.

Bennett

 

[chasemixon]

we tried the moth balls out and I'll say the smell was ok to me but the admiral would have nothing to do with it... interesting about the dryer sheets... moth balls did not keep any of our bugs away... Dirt Dabbers (Mud dauber) are terrible down here.