There is no doubt about it, keeping a boat moisture-free is next to impossible. But keeping a boat’s moisture levels under control is super important unless you like breathing in mold. Here are a few simple tips on how to control humidity on a boat and keep your vessel mold and mildew free.
Doors, windows, and hatches: A dry breeze can do wonders on drying out a boat and it is completely free. When you are hanging around the boat and the radar is clear open up the doors, windows, and hatches as much as possible to let the fresh breeze air everything out.
Control humidity by keeping doors and hatches open
Passive vents: Let the breeze do all the work while keeping water out. When wind moves over the top of passive vents a vacuum is created to remove damp air from the boat. These are simple to install and do not use any electricity.
Passive vents let airflow and light in while keeping water out
Fans: Fans are another way to keep the air moving and preventing the smell and mold that stagnant, warm, wet air can leave. We always have multiple Camframo marine cabin fans on the boat. They are 12 volt and draw practically nothing.
Fans for when there is no breeze!
Solar powered vents: We also have solar-powered vents in our galley that help circulate fresh air. The vents we have are Nicro Stainless Day/Night Plus and they move over 1000 cubic feet of air in an hour. When the air is constantly moving it has no time to get musty!
Solar powered vent fan
Moisture absorbing products: Closets are generally dark and do not have any direct ways to get an outside breeze. Moisture absorbing bags and tubs are great for these kinds of places. You will be surprised how much water you can trap. These products have calcium chloride crystals which naturally absorb excess moisture and baking soda which then neutralizes any unpleasant leftover odors. Win, win.
Moisture absorbing bags
Dehumidifier: Dehumidifiers have powerful circulating abilities and collect a lot of water. They can be great if you have the energy means to run them. They also now make mini rechargeable dehumidifiers which have pretty high reviews however we have not tried them yet.
Air conditioner: A.C. units work very similarly to dehumidifiers but they also do a great job at lowering temperatures while collecting water. They are highly effective but use a lot of energy that some cruisers may not have the power for.
Moisture absorbing plants: Plants are another great add-on to the methods mentioned above. There are plants that absorb moisture from the air through their leaves reducing the humidity indoors. Some moisture absorbing plants include Mosses, ferns, cacti, orchids, air plants, Peace Lily, Boston Fern, English Ivy, and Reed Palm.
Using a combination of these products can dramatically help lower the humidity on your boat leaving it feeling dry, clean, and most importantly mold free 🙂
Thanks for reading!
Sierra
Bananas?? On a boat??
Never!
Amazing!!!! Thank you so much for share Sierra!!!
Thanks for the article. We have been using the bags and tubs of damp rid; do you make your own mixture for moisture absorbing bags? Going to install the solar vents for when we are away from the boat. Love the plant idea.
Great thoughts . . .. I never considered plants.
Extraordinary designation focuses in here. Thank you so much for sharing a great article.
Had an interesting time reading this. Very informative article. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Keep up the great work! Thank you so much for sharing a great posts.