• Teak deck care • Prevent condensation • Dead reckoning
A problem I soon discovered when spending time aboard a deck saloon I sailed a few years back was how the cooker misted up the windows. It was obviously worse when several pots were boiling away but even making a cuppa caused a haze.
I tried several mist-repellent products bought at my local auto-accessories shop but none did what was needed. What about double glazing I wondered ? I made templates of the worst affected windows and asked a company specialising in plastic signs to cut two panels for me in light perspex, which I planned to attach to the windows as a form of elementary DIY double glazing. Even mounting them in the driest possible conditions I reckoned they would trap whatever moisture was in the air and in due course mist up from the inside. That meant they would have to be removed from time to time, cleaned, then re-attached.
For that purpose I used double-sided tape which, although airtight, would allow me to get a blade in between the panel and the window frame and gently separate them.
As an additional measure, I spread some moisture-absorbing gel along the bottom of the window frame. None of this was rocket science but it worked surprisingly well. Buoyed up by this DIY success, my next experiment in double glazing will be something to do with the opening hatches in the forecabin. The cabin itself is well insulated but when warm air meets a cold spot there is bound to be condensation and a drip onto my bunk is one drip too many – something needs to be done.