Mold & Mildew control

[vega1860]

That's just the ticket for interior circulation to keep the lockers dry Tom.

You also need to bring fresh air in and out of the boat.

I found some notes I made from the book:

You should work toward a complete exchange of air hourly so your ventilation system should be designed to flow
15 CFM per crew member (900 cubic feet per hour) plus the volume of the empty boat.

A 30 foot sailboat contains about 1000 cubic feet of air on average.

An occupied boat obviously requires more ventilation than an unoccupied boat. (We found our boat did just fine, unoccupied, in winter conditions with just one 4" solar exhaust vent running. We never close the intakes except in VERY heavy weather.)

Additional vents over the galley and head to carry away water vapor and odors are a good idea.

A 3 " Nicro Day/Night Solar Vent flows 600 CF per hour. The four inch model flows 1000 CF per hour. The exterior cover is the same size. Get the four inch model. They come with two fan blades and can be set up for intake or exhaust. On our boat, we think the intakes can be passive.

The problem we have had with these is that in high latitudes there is just not enough sunlight to keep them running in the winter when you need them most. Unfortunately, Nicro has discontinued the 12V model so we are looking for an alternative. (We have decided we need one more active exhaust vent)

Comment: When we talked about this with people in the Pacific Northwest they always asked if we hadn't had a problem in Hawaii where it is supposed to be so humid. The answer is "No". In Hawaii, we always set up a full length awning over the boat and opened the hatches (Pictures and article). The trade winds flowed through the boat and she was always bone, dusty dry. The mold and mildew problem we found in the high latitudes caught us completely by surprise. We were astonished at how wet the inside of our boat was when we closed her up to keep warm. As always, we learn as we go however. We bought dehumidifiers, we insulated and, finally, we ventilated. Now we are better prepared and more comfortable...

...even with the cold rain that is beating down on the coach roof as I type this.

[tomperanteau]

Originally Posted by Minnewaska

I wonder how long they would stand up to the humidity and salt air.

Computer fans are typically sealed to keep the dust out. Moisture is another thing. I have heard of another C36 owner that has done this too. He did not mention anything. I know that some of the fans are brushless, so that would be a plus.

Because they are so cheap, you could keep spares on-hand.

[tomperanteau]

Originally Posted by vega1860

...even with the cold rain that is beating down on the coach roof as I type this.

How about this west coast weather, eh? It's cold and wet here. We currently have a weather alert with gale-force winds at San Pedro. Had a water spout just off the coast of New Port, too.

Can't wait for summer!

[CoralReefer]

I used Bio-Clean green, sprayed on and left, kills all mold and mildew. You can watch those black nasties dissolve and the interior bulkhead turn white again. This is an all natural product, non-toxic and made strictly in the USA. I've started using it on all parts of the boat and have yet to find anything this stuff won't remove or clean.

[poopdeckpappy]

Originally Posted by tomperanteau

How about this west coast weather, eh? It's cold and wet here. We currently have a weather alert with gale-force winds at San Pedro. Had a water spout just off the coast of New Port, too.

Can't wait for summer!

We had winds to 56kts last night in addition to buckets of rain, this AM around 6, we had another wave come though with high winds and hail, all is good at the moment, but I see it coming in again.


Plus side ? our 33 yr old Ty37 has but one small leak at a forward port, downside ? our 5yr old Hunter45cc leaks like the Titanic

Gawd I love old boats

[tomperanteau]

Originally Posted by CoralReefer

I used Bio-Clean green, sprayed on and left, kills all mold and mildew. You can watch those black nasties dissolve and the interior bulkhead turn white again. This is an all natural product, non-toxic and made strictly in the USA. I've started using it on all parts of the boat and have yet to find anything this stuff won't remove or clean.

Looks like you can only buy it online. Have you seen it in any of the stores?

[wingNwing]

We use Amazon's "Mildew Stain-Away." (chlorine-free). I haven't found it online, they used to sell it at Boater's World before they went bankrupt; our marina ships store carries it. Nice because it wont bleach fabric the way chlorine will if it drips. We spray surfaces and leave a film of Amazon (don't wipe) and its hugely improved the mold situation - we're fulltime liveaboards including winters in the US mid-Atlantic coast snow and rain.

Also we put a layer of HyperVent from Defender under all cushions to improve air circulation; great product.

[vega1860]

Originally Posted by wingNwing

Also we put a layer of HyperVent from Defender under all cushions to improve air circulation; great product.

Hypervent! That's the stuff we use under our cushions. I can never remember the name. It works great.

[tomperanteau]

Hypervent is duly noted.