Window defogger

link is broken
 
You might try Rainx Anti Fog. www.rainx.com Once on the website go to Select category and hit he drop down select glass Treatment and cleaners. There you will see the anti fog listed. I have used it does seem to work for us anyway. I also use have used the Rainex original Treatment on the outside of the windows of my vehicles including the boat. It usually means less wiper time and seems to improve visibility. I have no stock in this product.
D.D.
 
Like Dave has suggested, I have used the rainex or similar products on the boat windshield for years - both outside and inside. My current boat does not have wipers so this is a must.

On previous boats I have tried the portable windshield defrosters that you get at auto supply stores. They use a lot of power, produce very little heat, make a lot of noise and basically do very little towards clearing the windshield. If the humidity inside of a closed pilot house boat is high then it is tough to keep moisture off the inside, especially if there is a temperature difference.

Regards, Rob
 
We apply the antifog rainex product a couple of times per year on the inside and it really does help. We also use rainex on the outside more frequently just to limit our wiper use.

I found a couple of USB powered fans like this for a few bucks each and mounted one above the helm window. Only needed it once so far and it worked well to limit fogging on a pretty sloppy day in BC.

http://www.sears.com/o2-cool-o2-cool-11 ... 9746460813

We use the other one as a portable fan around the boat.

Greg
 
I second the Rain-X Anti-fog for the inside. Works very well. I use the Rain-X on my car and truck windows, outside. have not tried it on the boat.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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We use the Caframo 757 Ultimate Marine Fan which only takes 1/2 amp on high. Worked well for years. Gotten more expensive over the years, too, I see. We're still on the first on after at least 20 years, so they're dependable. Used them in the So. Pacific, Alaska and around the lower 48.

Boris
 
I've found it very effective to simply smear a little dishwashing liquid over the inside of the windows. It sounds too simple, but it really does work.
 
A desiccant will help lower the humidity in the cabin but realistically I don't think a sock full will clear the windows. Especially in the morning after you've just fired up the coffee perk!
 
The dish detergent thing sounds messy. Do bugs stick to it. I wondered how you apply it. Can you water it down and spray it on?
D.D.
 
There are certain conditions in which there is very little that can be done to keep the windows clear short of regularly wiping them with a towel. Late this summer, we had such a day in which we went out fishing in a complete and absolute downpour. We had 5 people in the Tomcat cabin and the Wallas stove was not working. The two high speed 12V Camfro fans I have wired in could not come close to keeping the windows clear (even though they were treated with RainX). We wound up wiping them down every minute or two on the way out (going out of Westport over a moderately rough bar). Visibility was important as we definitely wanted to avoid getting the prop wrapped in a crab pot and there are many pots in the area. I'm convinced that in the worst conditions, the only solution that will work is dry heat in the cabin and heat directed at the window. The diesel heaters with ductwork and vents below the window are the ideal solution and these will work in all conditions. Small USB fans and those inexpensive 12V heaters that plug into a 12V outlet are marginally useful in some conditions but entirely useless in the worst conditions.

This winter I'm planning on installing some electrical heating elements directly to the two non-opening front windows (similar to the elements on the rear window of a car). This is one potential supplier.
 
I'll be really interested in hearing how the stick-on defroster works, looks, and stays on. If it works it will be a lot better than an added heater/blower defroster in boats that don't have built in heating systems.

I remember when the first thermo-electric defrosters started being available in cars you could get after market ones that you could apply yourself. However, on the after market ones the heating strips were much wider than the OEM ones (probably to make application easier and the thing stick better). The after market defrosters did not look very good when they were applied. I don't know how well they lasted.
 
D.D. asked, "The dish detergent thing sounds messy. Do bugs stick to it. I wondered how you apply it. Can you water it down and spray it on?"

No it's not messy, I simply put a few drops on a small sponge, or a wash cloth, or even a bit of paper towel. Then I wipe it over the inside of the windows, using only enough to dampen the glass; it's so thin you don't even know it's there, but for the fact you can then see through the window because it's not fogged up. You don't use enough to make bugs stick to it, and when it warms up enough in the cabin, you can wipe the windows with a cloth containing only clear water, but you really don't have to because the windows dry clear.
 
I only posted the cat litter method as tongue in cheek. A couple of years ago a vendor at the Puyallup Sportsman Show was selling a product called "Kleer Vu". It works better than dish soap or fans.

http://www.kleervuproducts.com/

His booth was on the second floor of the pavilion.
 
oops, double post. Finger must have quivered.
 
++ on the dish detergent. We use it regularly, especially when driving back from skiing all wet.

As a sidebar, in the desert (maybe you Powell-Mead folks), it's common to slather dishwashing liquid on the front of your truck and lights to keep them from getting sand pitted.
 
The dish detergent thing is what NASA uses on the visors of EVA suits. Good enough for them is good enough for me.
 
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