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Old     (mallenger)      Join Date: Jun 2006       04-11-2012, 5:45 AM Reply   
I just purchased a lot with a dock and a lift. Due to restrictions we can not have any sort of canopy over the boat. I'll be covering my boat with the factory mooring cover. I'm thinking about purchasing a small air dryer dehumidifier just to keep everything dry...
http://www.amazon.com/Davis-Instrume...4147715&sr=8-4
Has anyone used one of these and would you deem it to be safe if I left it plugged in for days at a time? Is a timer needed? Any input is appreciated. Thanks,
Old     (wdr)      Join Date: Dec 2011       04-11-2012, 6:02 AM Reply   
Mall, I use one in my basement with auto shut off, timer, % of humidity etc.. and it is very safe however, if you don't have a dedicated drain line for it, it will shut off when the tank becomes full. Another issue is it gravity drains into the drain line which mean the unit will have to sit higher than the gunwales or a drain port to drain over the side. Lastly IMHO you will mostly be paying to dehumidify the lake because unless the cover is a near air tight seal you could never keep new wet air from entering. Alot of people are using the desicant packs/ buckets, but once again the boat is on the water. IIWM, I think I would go more towards a fan to continually move the air but I have never had a slip either so I can't say how effectivew it would be.
Old     (mallenger)      Join Date: Jun 2006       04-11-2012, 6:15 AM Reply   
Thanks for the input Bill. The boat will be on the lift a few feet off of the water when in the slip, so i can just put the drain line into the bilge and leave the center plug out. I currently use 5 damp-rid buckets when the boat is on the trailer at my house. The dock has power, so I was hoping to eliminate the buckets.
Old     (wdr)      Join Date: Dec 2011       04-11-2012, 7:11 AM Reply   
Mall, just make sure your compartments are all open a bit to get to all the spaces and it should work fine. The DH generates some heat as well but barely felt by the naked hand which may help to dry some but not much.
Old     (jroyal)      Join Date: Jan 2003       04-11-2012, 7:38 AM Reply   
I have a similar dehumidifier and it worked great over the winter. However, I have a covered boat house. Biggest problem for you that I see is water catching on the cover. I saw these and they seem like a great idea.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modper...ID=GSHOP_92121
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       04-11-2012, 7:46 AM Reply   
That's not really a dehumidifier (I know they call it one) but it still is likely the best option for what you're trying to do. There will be no drain line as it's really just a heating element and a fan. The idea isn't to remove humidity from the air but more to raise the temperature under the cover a few degrees above the dewpoint to prevent the moisture that's in the air from condensing on your surfaces.

A real dehumidifier that actually condenses water from the air and drains it off would have little to no chance of actually reducing the relative humidity in an open hull boat with a fabric cover over it out on open water. Humid air will constantly be exchanging with the outside air.
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       04-11-2012, 8:00 AM Reply   
Oh, and I'm no physicist/meteorologist but I think putting a timer on it would likely defeat the purpose since when it turned off it would just be a matter of a few minutes before the temp would equalize with the surrounding air. At that point it would depend on the dew point, temperature and relative humidity, but if the conditions were right everything would start getting condensation on it. If you had some sort of humidity sensor, an ambient temp sensor and some sort of logic controller that would turn it on when conditions were likely to create condensation and turn it off when not needed that would be useful but likely overkill and too complicated.

My former neighbor has a similar one from West Marine and he swears by it. We live in Southern Louisiana so humidity and mildew is a problem. He leaves it running around the clock, year round. Supposedly it's the equivalent of less than a 100 watt light bulb. He said he had bad mildew problems (stored outside under a sharkskin cover) and this "dehumidifier" cured that. I've had bad mildew problems too lately but I just switched to a Sunbrella cover (Under carport) which I hope helps. If not I will be picking up one of these little heaters too.
Old     (mallenger)      Join Date: Jun 2006       04-11-2012, 9:58 AM Reply   
Cool, I think you nailed it jeff. I actually realized that there was no drain line on the 'air dryer' but I got carried away. Is this the west marine version?
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...7518&langId=-1
I'll probably pick up the amazon one just because I have some amazon gift cards. I can't really see that there is much difference between the two.
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       04-11-2012, 10:14 AM Reply   
Yeah, that's what he has. The Amazon one looks plastic (West Marine one is aluminum IIRC) but likely would work just as well since it's got positive reviews.
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       04-11-2012, 10:20 AM Reply   
I might just go ahead and get one too. I've had a hard time swallowing the $73+tax for the West Marine one. $48+ free shipping is a lot easier for something that's not really fun (Other than the possibility of having more fun instead of cleaning up mildew).
Old     (mallenger)      Join Date: Jun 2006       04-12-2012, 5:16 AM Reply   
well in that case i'm glad i pointed you in the direction of what looks to be a good deal. Let me know how it works out. I just ordered one as well.
Old     (wakescene)      Join Date: Feb 2001       04-12-2012, 9:53 AM Reply   
Not really sure how wet all your boats get daily, but I wash my boat after everyday on the water. On Sundays I immediately cover it up and head home for the week from the beach house. Other than adjusting all the cushions so that I get maximum air-flow, I don't do anything more than pump as my water out of the bilge as I can before going home. My boat has spent the last 11 summers in the the water and I have never had an issue with wetness, mildew or etc. The cover breathes enough that everything dries in 1-2 days from Mr Sun!
Old     (lavinder)      Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Gig Harbor, WA       04-12-2012, 10:59 AM Reply   
I run this same air dryer in my boat 24/7 during the winter months. Like mentioned before, it dries the air by putting a little heat out to keep the dew point in check. It doesn't put out a lot of heat, but it does do a good job of keeping moisture out.

If you are keeping your boat under the mooring cover, I would recommend scotch guarding the cover every year (at least once). It will begin to allow water to seap the more it's exposed to the sun/elements. Or get a more durable cover.
Old     (hatepain)      Join Date: Aug 2006       04-12-2012, 12:33 PM Reply   
These work great and burn very little energy. Its a low wattage light bulb and a small slowish moving fan. I've had one the last couple years.
Old     (diamonddad)      Join Date: Mar 2010       04-12-2012, 12:51 PM Reply   
I use the western marine heater/fan powered dusk-to-dawn under my boat cover -- zero mold all winter -- its working perfectly.
Attached Images
  
Old     (mallenger)      Join Date: Jun 2006       04-16-2012, 9:33 AM Reply   
thanks everyone, should have it in my mail by tomorrow.
Old     (mallenger)      Join Date: Jun 2006       04-16-2012, 9:33 AM Reply   
GD, is that a custom cover? It looks good.
Old     (Raf1985)      Join Date: Mar 2012       04-16-2012, 10:18 AM Reply   
This is why I love living in extremely dry AZ....... I dont even know what mold is........
Old     (diamonddad)      Join Date: Mar 2010       04-16-2012, 12:38 PM Reply   
Mallenger, yes, its a custom cover. It cost me $1000. I had a deep cover made to cover the sides. I also had it made to cover the boat with the tower down which makes it really clean with everything covered. Luckily, the tower goes up/down with ease. Under the cover, its show room quality. And, the heater has stopped any mold growth.
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       04-21-2012, 8:29 PM Reply   
Got mine in a couple of days ago. Unexpectedly it doesn't have a fan like the West Marine one. Just a heating element. I may have been able to figure this out but it didn't occurr to me to look. Anyway, it's got positive reviews and it is actually larger than the west marine one. I'm going to use it all year round but won't be able to get a good feel for how it works until the winter. That's when I get most of my mold/mildew growth.
Old     (mallenger)      Join Date: Jun 2006       04-25-2012, 10:52 AM Reply   
Jeff, I also just got mine with the exact same opinion. I thought it was broken until i plugged it in and then felt of it 30 minutes later. Also bigger than I expected.

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