.

Wetlocker on a small boat

<< First  < Prev   1   2   Next >  Last >> 
  • 07 Jan 2026 23:22
    Reply # 13582452 on 13576279

    Good luck !

  • 07 Jan 2026 21:15
    Reply # 13582392 on 13576279

    Hi Jan,

    Ilvy's marina is located in the outlet of a river, leading into the baltic sea, so there is enough water movement to stay ice free down to -5°C. Normally it doesn't get much colder in Kiel for prolonged times.

    However, it was a new experience for me to first shovel 10cm of snow from deck, before heading out. It was more ice skating in the slippery cockpit than sailing... 

    I thought about an Eberspächer or cheaper alternatives like Alpha, too. But as by now I'm only doing daysailing in winter, that's too high of an investment for me. 

    Let's see when I can find the time to sew that flexible wetlocker with forces air flow. Right now, my personal circumstances are a bit too unsteady for further projects.

    Best

    Paul


    1 file
  • 07 Jan 2026 12:36
    Reply # 13582166 on 13577380
    Anonymous wrote:

    Jan

    But - it seems to me that if it is to be some kind of electrical device - it would be better if it had its own battery. 

    Why? Because of risk to drain the main batterie?

    Maybe a powerbank could do. Or something more sophisticated: I am thinking about using a small microcontroller to drive the fan, with a humidity sensor installed in the "exhaust" line. This one could switch off automatically when humidity drops below a certain threshold - or after a timeout of maybe 3h.


    Hi Paul !

    I saw on the webcam that the lake where I used to sail and swim in the summer had just frozen over, and I wondered if you still manage to sail out of the marina, or do you have to wait for an icebreaker?

    The solutions you mentioned could certainly be interesting; they could improve the entire drying process of your oilskin, but I think the most important thing is probably blowing the moisture out of the inside of the oilskin.

    That's why the hanger with the fan seemed like an interesting solution to me.

    Of course, the problem of humidity in the cabin remains, and the only thing I can think of is some kind of "pipeline" to vent it outside. Alternatively, a separate fan near the companionway.

    If the oilskin is dry inside and wet only on the outside - maybe the "elephant trunk" will be enough???

    A couple of years ago, I used a cheap Webasto "clone," but on land, not at sea. But Webasto also needs a battery.

     I suspect that on a yacht during a storm (because then the oilskin gets wet), such devices could cause additional problems.

    Greetings from my armchair and I wish you fair winds in the new year!


    1 file
    Last modified: 07 Jan 2026 16:03 | Anonymous member
  • 01 Jan 2026 16:35
    Reply # 13578314 on 13576799
    Anonymous wrote:

    Hi Frank,

    I admit I am really jealous for you having a stove onboard! I miss my self-built pellet rocket stove onboard my former Scarlett... There's not much that beats the comfy heat and atmosphere of a stove, either diesel or wood! However, I won't fit one in Ilvy in the near future.

    d

    Last modified: 01 Jan 2026 16:36 | Anonymous member
  • 31 Dec 2025 13:22
    Reply # 13577564 on 13576279

    Something like this maybe ?


    Last modified: 31 Dec 2025 17:13 | Anonymous member
  • 31 Dec 2025 09:16
    Reply # 13577518 on 13576946
    Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Paul S. wrote:

    Arne,


    Where do you keep your wet cloth? 

    Paul

    Frankly, I didn’t go travelling in cold weather, and these days I only do fair-weather day sailing. However, when owning Johanna, I frequently visited her during winter, and then heated her up. I really recommend that 6W fan with a trunk on it to anyone who plan to sail or visit their boat when temps are below +10deg. In my present Ingeborg, I have a little gas-driven heater which radiates the heat directly on me during my short visits, so feel no need for that fan.

    Arne


  • 30 Dec 2025 22:35
    Reply # 13577380 on 13577129

    Jan

    But - it seems to me that if it is to be some kind of electrical device - it would be better if it had its own battery. 

    Why? Because of risk to drain the main batterie?

    Maybe a powerbank could do. Or something more sophisticated: I am thinking about using a small microcontroller to drive the fan, with a humidity sensor installed in the "exhaust" line. This one could switch off automatically when humidity drops below a certain threshold - or after a timeout of maybe 3h.


  • 30 Dec 2025 22:27
    Reply # 13577374 on 13576279

    Hi David,

    Very nice, I like your idea of not putting the fan at the lowest position but some centimeters higher. And the kind of water trap at the very bottom.

    Initially I preferred sucking to pushing, too. However, sucking would deflate the sewn wet locker, so that the "wall" might stick to the oilskin. On the other hand, these fans don't built up such a high pressure... Let's see!

    Cheers

    Paul

  • 30 Dec 2025 21:04
    Reply # 13577345 on 13576279

    Your idea of using a fan to move air through the sewn wet "locker" is a good one, but I think that sucking the air out from the locker rather than trying to push it through would be more effective. 


    You could seal the bottom of the locker and have the fan a few centimetres up from bottom to allow drops to gather in bottom of bag and keep the fan above any droplets that might build up.


    Maybe an easy to open rolltop style bottom for draining any water out? 


    Or even just a couple of folds held by clothes pegs.

  • 30 Dec 2025 11:16
    Reply # 13577129 on 13576279

    i.e.: Got a problem? Check Arne's files.

    But - it seems to me that if it is to be some kind of electrical device - it would be better if it had its own battery.


    Last modified: 30 Dec 2025 17:42 | Anonymous member
<< First  < Prev   1   2   Next >  Last >> 
       " ...there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in junk-rigged boats" 
                                                               - the Chinese Water Rat

                                                              Site contents © the Junk Rig Association and/or individual authors

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software