Drying inside of boat while I am away

raubvogel

New Member
Being in Florida i have to deal with the rain season right now. I would like to drain any water that is sitting inside the hull (I took the coaming off but have not done the repairs I wanted to yet. So, there is probably water getting through those screw holes). What I had in mind was:

1) Remove the cover from the 5" inspection hole I have
2) Adjust the pitch of the trailer so the lowest point is just below the inspection hole.
3) Put a bucket upside down over the hole and hold it in place somehow.

The idea is the water would evaporate off the hull and condense on the bucket, eventually dripping out through its walls... away from the inspection hole. And, if it rains, water will not find its way through that hole. Plan is to leave the boat like that until the weekend.

Thoughts?
 
Being in Florida i have to deal with the rain season right now. I would like to drain any water that is sitting inside the hull (I took the coaming off but have not done the repairs I wanted to yet. So, there is probably water getting through those screw holes).

If you have standing water in the hull I think you are best off to open the deck drainplug (dime-size screw near the outer tip of the starboard side coaming) and simply roll the boat up on its side and pour the water out.

Drying while you are away, during the rainy season, one thought...

4721325677_5242ff9aae.jpg


OK. maybe something more reliable and wind resistant...

How about a stick proped up in the port opening, draped with cheese cloth ( or a rag ), and covered by your bucket with a brick holding it down so the edges of the cloth stick out from under the bucket.

Any moisture evaporating from inside the hull will be captured by the rag and wick to the outside. Any rain on the outer edges of the rag won't wick in too far and will wick right back out once the outside air is again dryer.

If your port is where this one is, the deck is crowned so water runs off to the sides, no need to tip the trailer.

4721333835_04cd8b081f_b.jpg


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I would use a Shop Vac to suck out the water and then do something like this (http://www.windline.net/project1.htm) to get it really bone-dry. Then, cover the hole with a trash bag or something to keep the water from getting back in.
OK, I see..., you have standing water and you believe over the years the flotation blocks have also taken up water.

Have you checked out this article too?

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How about a stick proped up in the port opening, draped with cheese cloth ( or a rag ), and covered by your bucket with a brick holding it down so the edges of the cloth stick out from under the bucket.

Any moisture evaporating from inside the hull will be captured by the rag and wick to the outside. Any rain on the outer edges of the rag won't wick in too far and will wick right back out once the outside air is again dryer.

If your port is where this one is, the deck is crowned so water runs off to the sides, no need to tip the trailer.

4721333835_04cd8b081f_b.jpg


That looks like the port I have.

The reason I wanted to tilt it is that there is not that much water, so I was hoping to give any opportunity possible for it to collect under the port. Maybe I am just paranoid...

Of course, after looking at http://www.windline.net/project1.htm I see the wisdom to have 2+ ports: airflow. i.e. the one with the black plastic is heating the air out of the hull while the other(s) let air in.

OK, I see..., you have standing water and you believe over the years the flotation blocks have also taken up water.

Well, if i tilt the boat just right I might see some water flowing, but that is enough to maybe wet a small paper towel. That said, I do not know the boat history; for all that I know it might have been up to its deck with water at one time or another... :)
 
Apologies for any confusion my jumping to conclusions could have caused. Glad I dug up that link again though, I know of a certain red and white '71 that could use a little drying...
 
The reason I wanted to tilt it is that there is not that much water, so I was hoping to give any opportunity possible for it to collect under the port. Maybe I am just paranoid...
I'd call it being prudent.


Of course, after looking at http://www.windline.net/project1.htm I see the wisdom to have 2+ ports: airflow. i.e. the one with the black plastic is heating the air out of the hull while the other(s) let air in.
Dual ports are only necessary when weighing the boat shows the emergency flotation has taken up water and the goal is to dry the Styrofoam and get the boat back into service as soon as possible.


Well, if i tilt the boat just right I might see some water flowing, but that is enough to maybe wet a small paper towel. That said, I do not know the boat history; for all that I know it might have been up to its deck with water at one time or another... :)
Weighing the hull will let you know instantly if you are dealing with only residual moisture loose in the hull or the more complex issue of coaxing moisture back out of the flotation.

4723169585_15a35ede2d_m.jpg

Short term, a little residual loose water isn't such a big deal. With ventilation it will dry in a matter hours. Problems arise when the hull is closed up and that moisture begins to steep the flotation in a steam bath environment. Left like that for weeks, months, and years the moisture vapor works its way across the membrane of the closed-cells in the flotation where it condenses and collects, turning the air cells into micro-water balloons.


Apologies for any confusion my jumping to conclusions could have caused. Glad I dug up that link again though, I know of a certain red and white '71 that could use a little drying...
It's a confusing issue. We want to keep the inner hull dry too, if for no other reason, it's better for the fiberglass laminate..., which can also be penetrated by water vapor over time.

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Hi All. This is my first post in this forum.

Anyway, I am about to start a restoration project on a pre-72 sunfish (my boat from when I was a kid).

I haven't weighed it yet, but it took four men and a boy to move it last time, so drying it out is my first priority.

My plan it to block it up so that it is upright and steady, and install two 5” inspection ports, one in front of the cockpit, one in the back by the transom. Then I was planning to wrap the whole boat in black plastic. I was thinking of putting a simple plastic tent cover over the back hole so that air could get in while keeping rain water out. For the other port, I thought that I could place a simple 6’ length of cheap 4" vent/flue pipe with a simple vent cap to keep the rain out. I can use a sawhorse straddling the top of the boat to support the pipe.

The stack effect in the vent pipe would provide air circulation as the heated (and hopefluuly moisture laden) air is drawn through the boat.

What do you think?
 
I am about to start a restoration project on a pre-72 sunfish (my boat from when I was a kid).

I haven't weighed it yet, but it took four men and a boy to move it last time, so drying it out is my first priority.
Your proposed setup should work, of course you'll lose the flu effect at night which will slow the dryout process.

If you want to get the boat down to a manageable weight as quick as possible, I suggest adding a fan ... $5 Walmart desk fan, computer fan, something in that size.

The moisture crosses out of the foam's cells when there's a difference in humidity level from outside to inside the foam block. The greater the difference the more rapid the transfer.

Warming the boat and subsequently the foam blocks helps to re-vaporize the water condensed within the cells. So, between keeping a regular supply of dryer air passing by the outside of the blocks and coaxing the trapped water inside the block's cells to vaporize more quickly you can get dried down to two and a half man carry weight fairly soon.

At that point you could probably go sailing a little, just remember you've likely got a leak too so at the end of the day, before you put the boat back up on the ventilator, dump out any free water that's snuck into the hull's open space.

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Thanks Wayne. Reading this forum makes me wish I had started this a couple of months ago. It's been too long since I've been out on the water.

I can't wait to teach my son how to sail.
 

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