Leaving Boat In Hot Climate For 4-5 Months

[Midnight Son]

For mildew/mold cleanup, 1/12 ratio chlorine bleach to water. Spray on, wash down the next day. One shot usually gets it all.


Cheers

[Locquatious]

If you have wet cell batteries, set the solar panel voltage output to 13.2V. This will prevent gassing of the batteries and you will come back to "wet" cell batteries.

We have used the SunPac paraformaldehyde for that period of time. It breaks down to formaldehyde slowly and will be gone after 4-5 months in that heat. The formaldehyde will kill most anything. But you cannot have anyone going on the boat to check on it. We had a gas mask and formaldehyde filters accessible from the outside in the event we returned early.

Put ratwire or bronze screen in your dorades to prevent wildlife from entering. We also block off the hospipe for the windlass.

Put the hole in the bilge with the screw-in plug removed. You will still need the auto-bilge pump on in the event the hole gets plugged. We put a ratwire witch's hat screen in the hole to prevent rat entry. The bilge pump may never come on, which is a good thing if you get a week of heavy rain and no sun.

Consider putting aluminum foil in your port lights. It will save curtains and upholstery as well as reduce heat inside.

[DenisHeinrichs]

I found this article from a couple on this exact topic.


Long term haul out in the tropics - MySailing.com.au

[Mike Banks]

I used solar powered fans to assist ventilation. Failing that, use buckets of calcium chloride anhydrous--and I also filled the bilges with dry swimming pool salt. vermin HATE it as does mould. I sprayed all of the inside with benzalkonium chloride solution--the best mold killer and preventer there is. I do not use chlorine bleach any longer. I also used plenty of those encapsulated cockroach and ant baits. Leave all cupboards open. Fill all fuel tanks containers with fuel to which preservative has been added. I empty all water tanks if the boat is on the hard simply to remove some of the weight. If one really wished to do so one could completely drain the diesel tanks, but that does incur a risk of condensation because day-night temperature differences means the empty tanks pump in moisture. That does not matter with water tanks, Not so good is water in the diesel tanks.

Your outboard engine needs to be emptied of fuel completely, and the best way to do this is to empty the tank then run the carburettor dry. If you leave fuel in the tanks or carby it will deteriorate, and perhaps gum up your reed valves. The same goes for any generator set aboard.

Put all solar panels, outboards, expensive lithium batteries and anything portable of high value into separate secure storage if it is available. Even propellers get stolen from vessels in some places. Hard to imagine other boaties would do this--but there ya go.

[Quadrille in JB]

All good ideas, but no one mentioned zippers. Lube all zippers with chapstick and leave them in an open position.
Also, we used aluminum foil on the port lights but it adered to the windows. It was a real PITA to remove.

[Vasco]

As posted earlier this is the best stuff going.

[CapnBazza]

The very best mildew preventative on surfaces is a light spray of Oil of Cloves on all hard surfaces. Today in Bowen we just bought 10ml for $12 and we use about 1/4 teaspoon/litre of water. The internet has it at $60/100ml, free delivery. (oilofcloves.com.au).

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by DMCantor

...
The various dessicants (damp rid, etc.) work well. If you use them, close your boat up tight or else they will need to be changed very often. Even with the boat closed up, plan to have someone change them once a month.

...

Key point here: if you are using desicant packs or a dehumidifier then close the boat up tight...otherwise you are trying to dehumidify the great outdoors. If not, then ventitation and regular cleaning are key.

Desicant/fumigation packs wont last the entire storage period...someone will need to change them periodically.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Vasco

As posted earlier this is the best stuff going.

Ive been using these this off season for the 1st time and so far so good.

Heed the warning labels though...it is poison...ventilate boat well BEFORE entering.

[flyingfin]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

2: Change oil and fuel filters before or after? Change Fuel filters after. Change oil before is best but you should be fine either way.

3: Does the 2stoke outboard need anything done? I would douse it with lubricant spray and spray the cylinder thru the plug hole. My Yamaha froze up solid in 1 year in Florida.

[/B]

Never change the oil and filter before a layup. All the oil mist before shutdown helps protect internal bearings. And ALWAYS fog any gasoline engine and outboard motor before storage for more than 90 days. There are special spray fogs available for both four and two stroke motors - follow the directions exactly, including running motor out of fuel while you smother the air intake with fogging spray. For diesels, go to the manufacturers website for directions on layup.

Some info here:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...oil-fogged-up/

[boom23]

A great and inexpensive dehumidifier is Cat Litter... Buy bags of it and spread it in containers (I used aluminum baking pans) all over inside the boat. It worked perfectly when I left my boat in New Zealand off season.

Also, leave open all cabinets and drawers.

[DefinitelyMe]

1) completely fill. Easier and better. An empty tank still gets condensation on the inside surfaces.
2) Before. One of the main reasons to change oil is because sulphur in the diesel over time turns the oil acidic. I’d rather have fresh oil sitting in the engine than acidic oil. The fresh oil shouldn’t degrade at all at rest because it isn’t being put to work. Diesel in Indonesia is the dirtiest we have seen. All the more reason not to have old stuff sitting in the engine.
3) I usually run fresh water through the cooling system (stick it in a bucket). I also drain the fuel and run the motor until the fuel system is completely evacuated (can be done in the bucket at the same time as the flush). Then remove the spark plug and put a few drops of two-stroke oil in the cylinder. Pull the starter rope gently to distribute the oil around the inside of the cylinder. Then I spray lube on anything that looks like it might go rusty. Seems to have done the trick so far. Engine 10 years old and no issues.
4) connected. You want them to be getting a charge from the solar system and to be available to provide power to the bilge pump. Or maybe I’ve misunderstood your setup?

Remember to close sea cocks.

I would physically unplug electronics and maybe even stick the expensive ones in the oven due to possibility of lightning strikes in rainy season.

Chafe is the enemy with mooring. Having worked as a mooring contractor in Bermuda for a few years we found found that a single big line is better than several small ones. With good hose for chafe protection and no sharp turns.

Haven’t found a solution for the mould........

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by flyingfin

Never change the oil and filter before a layup. All the oil mist before shutdown helps protect internal bearings. And ALWAYS fog any gasoline engine and outboard motor before storage for more than 90 days. There are special spray fogs available for both four and two stroke motors - follow the directions exactly, including running motor out of fuel while you smother the air intake with fogging spray. For diesels, go to the manufacturers website for directions on layup.

Some info here:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...oil-fogged-up/

Im curious, how does changing the oil before a lay up prevent the surfaces from getting their needed mist of oil. You run the engine after changing the oil, right? Fresh oil mist is surely better than old oil mist?

Doubt he’ll be able to get ‘fog spray’ in Indonesia. I’ve sometimes sprayed silicone spray up the water intake to try to coat the impeller and stuff. Don’t know if it was a good idea but made sense to me..........

[nhschneider]

We have left our boat in tropical climates for extended periods of time on several occasions. We have never had a problem but we spend a significant amount of time preparing our boat for the layup.

Our Number One recommendation is to install an air conditioner. We purchased an inexpensive window type and fit it in the companionway (we cut a piece of plywood to act as a drop board that fits around the a/c unit). We lift all the floor boards and open all lockers. Cushions are stored on edge with room around them for air circulation. Refrigerator and freezer are left open. Water tanks empty, diesel tanks full and fuel stabilizers added. Oil and filters in the engine and genset are changed and run briefly. Fresh water flush for heat exchangers. Exhaust gooseneck and air filter removed and openings taped over with duct tape. Outboards (we have two) are flushed with fresh water, fogged, carburetors drained and stowed below. All sails and canvas removed and stowed below. Halyards replaced with sacrificial messengers and stowed below (and we have a ketch!). Any canned food left on board is put in plastic garbage bags (we had some cans explode once while we were gone and it created a mess we never want to see again). We put roach bait out and instruct the person watching the boat to replace it monthly or sooner if it appears dried out. We leave our battery charger on, bilge pump in the ‘Auto’ position and all seacocks closed. We do not wrap our winches (or anything else) with aluminum foil nor do we cover our portlights or hatches. Other than that, it’s pretty simple.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[DefinitelyMe]

Oh, another thing regarding fuel. If you can get your hands on a biocide then add lots of it to that nasty Indo diesel. If not, gasoline is a very effective biocide but you must be very careful to add only the tiniest amount because every bit added increases the risk of explosion. Around 5% gasoline is the most dangerous.

I do this and it works but I’m not recommending it. Just putting it out there.

Oh, my engine is 40 years old. The newer ones are less tolerant of screwing with the fuel............ but also less tolerant of crappy diesel in the first place.