Condensation in 25 lazarette

Spike38 · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 6:14 pm Post subject: Condensation in 25 lazarette

In a power boat is it still a lazarette?? Under the motor well, where water tank, batteries, etc. are situated in the 25 I'm seeing a lot of condensation, especially dripping off the overhead. To some degree this is related to the Leaky Hatch topic but I do try to keep the bilges dry. Also this SW Florida climate doesn't help. This looks like an area begging for ventilation but before starting to cut big holes thought I'd check for the experience of others. Comments will be appreciated!

journey on · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:30 pm Post subject:

Well, there's a difference between the swamps of Florida and the deserts of California. Nevertheless, the aft lazerette does encourage dampness, and all we're quibbling about is the degree.

I've noticed the following. First, when I pull out the drain plug, on the trailer, I don't get all the water out of the aft bilge. So the water is there to promote mildew and corrosion. Next, I've got mildew in there, and some corrosion. I clean the mildew out with ammonia. Finally, after I fix the !@# Honda, I'm going to install a couple of small vents to let the moisture out.

If I get that in the desert, I would think that you'd certainly get more of the same.

The Southern Boris

thataway · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:03 pm Post subject:

Ventallation may help. But if you leave the boat on a trailer, with the bow raised enough to let the bilge completely drain, there should be minimal condensation.
The area under the motor well (which I believe you are refering to) is open to the bilge aft, and any bilge water will keep this area high humidity.

I have another boat, I keep in the water in FL--and its area under the motor well is very similar to the new 25--it always has condensation. The leaky hatch in this case is in the cockpit floor, rather than in a more true lazarette as in the 22. The access hatches to the area under the motor well don't leak as much, if any, as in the floor, or the top of the deck hatches in the 22.

If you put in ventilation, you might consider a solar powered fan, with baffle so that water will not be allowed into the boat, and humid air expelled. The area can be ventilated, but if there is bilge water, there will still be high humidity. With the boat in the water, the bilge will not drain completely with the bilge pump, since it is in the center, just aft of the fuel pump.

Spike38 · Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 5:42 am Post subject:

Thanks! I should have mentioned that our boat stays in the water. From what has been said here I guess my efforts to dry things out under the water tank are still leaving water back there. A solar powered fan would be ideal but I can't see that the NicroFico solar vents I'm planning to install elsewhere would fit - except maybe in the slanting bottom of the motor well (?) itself, where I think it might be kind of vulnerable. Maybe there are other such fans I'm not aware of; I'd been thinking of the round passive vents placed in one of the vertical surfaces, port and starboard. The hatches referred to are indeed those in the cockpit sole, which I try to leave open as much as possible just to dry things out.