Condenstation pooling

[dsal]

Anyone have problems with condensation accumulating and leaving standing water in the cabin?  I have went into the cabin while it is raining outside and the ceiling is wet and dripping - and I am thinking over time, it's enough to make standing water in the bottom.  I had a problem with the hatch guides leaking during rain, but I think I have that solved now.  I installed a golden rod (200 sq ft model) which helps, but still not enough.  I am thinking I need to get a fan to circulate air in/out of the cabin, or get a bigger golden rod.  Any ideas would be welcome.

Thanks.

[Tim Gardner]

What is a golden rod?

[slode]

It's basically a low power heating coil originally designed for gun lockers to prevent condensation and rust on exposed metal parts of firearms.  It doesn't actually remove moisture from the air, it warms the air to lower relative humidity and keep surfaces below the dew point.  I couldn't see one working well in as large of an area as a sailboat cabin.  It would have a hard time keeping surface temperatures up with outside air and water temps having a big impact on that compared to the inside air temp.   

Google "goldenrod dehumidifier" 

[dsal]

Yes - that's right.  So assuming this is a common problem, anybody have a solution that works for them?  Thanks!

[Salty19]

Are you sure there isn't a leak, perhaps at the scuppers, bow U-bolt, deck joint or deck hardware? 

It's also possible that your keel has been saturated for awhile and it's just providing enough evaporation to keep things nice and moist inside when the outside temp and humidity is high.

Or both of these problems may be true.   If the boat is dry and there are no leaks, some condensation is normal but your problem sounds excessive.

Either way, not good, you don't want the wood to rot and mold to form.

The solution is to seal it up as tight as you can in terms of allowing water in, and then "unseal" it by installing ventilation hardware that hopefully will allow air in and keep the water out. My old 16 had a "scoop" vent up front that I could remove and install a water tight cap.   You can put vents in the hatch too. 

If you have access to power at the dock, install a room space heater and dry it out real good as soon as you can.  Also inspect closely for signs of leakage from bow to stern. I bet you have a lot of built up moisture in the keel and a leak or two feeding it. 

The scuppers and bow u bolt are known to eventually leak so check those first.  Also a crack in the keel fiberglass could let water seep in.

[dsal]

Thanks for your thoughts. I was wondering what was going on down in the keel. I am going to pull the boat out of the water this week. I will put a heater in it when I get it out and inspect for a leak. I also have the scoop vent and it does catch some rain. Is that not original hardware and is it known to let in a lot of water over time?

There is a screw cap behind the mast in the cabin. It opens to a little chamber and when I first had standing water, there was about 2 inches of water in it. I removed the water from it using a towel,  But it has returned each time, though not as high. It makes me think that it's not a leak from the bottom, but that's just a guess. I have read that people drill a hole in the keel to drain water from it in this situation. I am wondering if I need to do that.

Thanks for the advice.

[Salty19]

Well, I've had minor leaks in boats but none were caused by hardware, just either old or lack of sealant between the hardware and surface.
I like Butyl Tape as a sealant but there are several good marine sealants that will work great too.  Just DO NOT use anything with silicone in it.

I read about those who drilled in the bottom to relieve built up water, but never needed to look into it further, having dry keels in both our 16 and 19.
Wouldn't drill it unless you know it's saturated.  Maybe line the keel/lower cabin area with painters plastic sheet and tape it well.  Put a humanity meter in there and see if it pegs high and forms a lot of moisture inside the plastic. 

If so, then maybe yes drill the hole aft and raise the trailer torque up to drain. Blasting the cabin with a good space heater cranked on high for several days and perhaps a fan running may speed up the process or perhaps remove the need to drill at all.  I don't know for sure if just the heat would do it, how long it would take, etc.  It could help to dry out the wood which IMO is a necessity to do as quick as you can.

Look very closely for signs of leakage up top and along the rail.  It's not unusual for them to leak around the rail, bow u bolt and scuppers.  Also the mast step bracket. You could have someone spray a garden hose on the boat while you look for leaks too.

I'm not sure what you mean about screw cap behind mast--are you referring to a wood plate access cover to the keel?  Trying to remember what the 16 mast arrangement looks like in the cabin. 

[Tim Gardner]

" Put a humanity meter in there" There is no humanity in your boat, Salty

TG

[Mas]

" Put a humanity meter in there" There is no humanity in your boat, Salty

TG

Ok Tim, I was gunna let it slide! Maybe a compromise such as a humanditty, like an Irish type....though the thing about most an Irish ditty is they bring a wee tear to your eye with somebody drinking and brawlin' or somebody's going to die.

[Salty19]

That's true, all I do onboard is kill bugs, spiders and bees or flick them into the deep. Most of them can't swim and I just don't give a damn.

If that's not inhumanity I don't know what is!

[jayha]

Good morning from Baltimore MD. Ironic that I should come across this post regard condensation in the cabin. Went to my boat, CP16, yesterday to reinstall my outboard and upon opening the hatch I noticed items on the port side cushion, as well as the cushion itself, were wet. Looking around I noticed water droplets hanging from the underside port seats. Also noticed, as I approached the boat that the water had pooled on the port side seat up by the cabin. I checked with Mr. Hutchins regarding the age of the boat, 1989, if it was possible my fiberglass was leaking, his reply was, because of all the rain we've had, the water was finding it's way down the hatch track. So now I could use some additional help with this issue. I've been to the boat a half a dozen times since it's launch and this is the first time I've in countered this issue. Any help?