Around here condensation during storage periods is reduced by leaving a 40 watt bulb on inside the covered boat. Maybe a boat the size of a Mac would need two bulbs, one at each end. Just enough to raise the temperature slightly above ambient to stop the moisture from condensing on the inside surfaces. Place them low near the floor and convection will keep it dry. (Humidity in an enclosed area will reach equilibrium without a gradient from Brownian motion, so a fan might help, but might be redundant, unless some areas have air that is otherwise trapped).
I like to scatter newspapers around inside surfaces and find it helps with odour control. Just pick up the paper in the spring and everything is clean underneath them. Haven't had any trouble with newsprint staining any surfaces so far.
Maybe lower-wattage bulbs would work. Or a simple timer on the lights can be used to reduce power costs, but that requires some long-term testing on your part to determine the effective settings.
Separating the cushions (and anything else you can) using slats as you suggest sounds like a good idea as well.
- Brian.
You know using the newspaper sounds perfect with helping with moisture and oder. I hadn't thought of that before. I know my mother always uses baking soda in the fridge and just opens the box top and leaves it in there to absorb oder. reading what you wrote just reminded me of that. The only issue I have with leaving anything on that is electrical is that I am out of town a good bit and my parents are kind enough to keep the boat in their back yard and I don't want to impose the responsibility of checking on it from time to time. It is the disadvantage to town house living for the time being. but hopefully by next season my wife and I will have a house and a Garage/barn something to keep her dry. I think I am going to put some newspaper in the boat as you suggest and some silica packs, I want to keep the silica packs in permanently though but just in the compartments and under the cockpit.
honestly after reading all of the replies to this thread I think I have it pretty good when it comes to staying dry. Makes you feel good learning that you aren't the only one dealing with it. learning tons of new tricks of the trade on this website every day !
This stuff is awesome stuff that I have used out of the tube for various parts on the boat. So I am figuring it would work great on the rub rail.
This is what it looks like when it dries.
This was a temporary fix to my keel lock down bolt while I was sailing the boat in the lake this season. Of course I have to take it apart to use it properly after I buy new rubber washers.
3M, 5200 is about as good as it gets. I glued my rubrail on with it. It also comes in black. Use 3M, 4200 if you plan to use it somewhere that it won't get painted over. 4200 has UV protection and it also doesn't take as long to cure.
seahouse wrote:Separating the cushions (and anything else you can) using slats as you suggest sounds like a good idea as well.
I have put my boat into "long term" storage a couple of times now and what Seahouse recommends is what I do. All bilge/storage covers removed so that air can flow. Also I stand up or prop up all my cushions so that air can flow. No electricity so was unable to put in fans or lights. I do not have a solar fan...yet.
From Jul 07 until Dec 08 my boat was in storage under tarps in Jax. No issues at all...but there was a little water (maybe 2 liters) in the bilge behind my battery compartment. Then it was stored from 1 Jan 09 until 30 Aug 09...same deal...no mold...no odors...but about a couple of liters of water. It was under tarps this time for all but about 1 month...the tarps finally shredded to the point my Dad removed them.
I think the water came in the hole for the steering bar on the transom. This will be sealed up when I get back in December.
Right now the boat is in the same storage yard and sealed up since 9 Sept. This time it is NOT covered by tarps...keeping my fingers crossed that I continue to have a dry, clean, non-smelly boat.
Yeah I know that smell....it can even overpower brand new interior paint & furnishings! The boat is as well sealed as it's ever going to be, short of vacuum sealing the whole thing. Hmm....I wonder if they even make something like that. A great big storage bag you can put your boat and trailer in, and then suck out the air to seal it in a vacuum. No moisture, no mold.
I actually just got back from hauling my boat out of the water. It's on the trailer and waiting to be winterized. I'll keep checking this thread...good ideas here for the storage months. I wish I were able to do the heater thing.
Hope I say this right. One great thing about owning an old boat is not worrying too much about that. I want it to be dry when I'm in it. To that end I piled on latex caulk mercilessly and sealed up what I could seal up. Maybe, worrying too much about keeping it dry is a mistake. Maybe, having to do some cleaning in the spring is just the nature of all boats. To worry too much may take the joy out of it. I store anything that can ruin in the garage (there you have to keep the mice out of it. Oops another worry). Seriously, it may be a losing cause. The first 30 years didn't hurt it.
ah bleach water would be a good one, I bet that will take away some of the old boat smell too. Speaking of mice getting in the boat while storing it. I was re-wiring the boat one day and saw all these mouse droppings or rat, and I knew that something had to be somewhere. Sure enough at the aft end of the boat in the very corner there was a carcass that seem to be glued to the boat. Freeken gross ! anyways it looks like it had died in there years and years ago so it was mummified. The only thing it looks like it had done was eat some of the styrofoam. other than that no other animal problems, just ants that had collected under the cushions one month that I had an epic battle with and won. like some of you I have all my cushions in my storage space which is very dry. The only thing left in the boat right now is the electrical panel and wires and a fire extinguisher.
I bought one of these air dryer dehumidifiers on sale @ W/M last winter only used it for the first time this fall with all the rain we have had this yr dont think it stopped all summer !
pge 359 in the cat. mod # 7867518 was on sale last winter for $35.
learning tons of new tricks of the trade on this website every day !
haha. it's not a bad smell, just old boat smell.
One great thing about owning an old boat is not worrying too much about that. I want it to be dry when I'm in it. To that end I piled on latex caulk mercilessly and sealed up what I could seal up. Maybe, worrying too much about keeping it dry is a mistake. Maybe, having to do some cleaning in the spring is just the nature of all boats. To worry too much may take the joy out of it. I store anything that can ruin in the garage (there you have to keep the mice out of it. Oops another worry). Seriously, it may be a losing cause. The first 30 years didn't hurt it. 
