RedRascal
Senior Member
I've been looking at CHB and Grand Banks flavor of Taiwanese boats and have questions about moisture meter readings. I decided to invest in a $40 Klein moisture meter to help me find potential spots where moisture damage would be likely. The boats I am looking at are in the rainy Pacific Northwest so any of these older trawlers that have been stored outside usually have issues with the deck core being wet. I figure it's a given that anything I get will most likely need the deck ripped off, core repaired and re-glassed. What I would like to avoid are rot issues in the house structure since I view that as more fiddly to remediate especially on top of doing deck work.
So when I get 35% or 50%+ moisture readings around the interior windows or aft cabin bulkheads those are the areas where I have some questions. If I am not seeing water stains on the inside and the wood seems solid(no delamination) is it realistic that this wood can could dry out once leaks are stopped? Wood at this level would have been like this for many months if not years unless it got baked dry in the summer.
I am curious if someone else has had any luck "drying out" a boat with a combination of heat, dehumidifiers and lots of airflow. Also I am not pro with a moisture meter, I've just checked my buddy's CHB that is stored undercover as a baseline. I have to imagine I am making some mistakes with it but generally I believe it's helping find some wet spots.
So when I get 35% or 50%+ moisture readings around the interior windows or aft cabin bulkheads those are the areas where I have some questions. If I am not seeing water stains on the inside and the wood seems solid(no delamination) is it realistic that this wood can could dry out once leaks are stopped? Wood at this level would have been like this for many months if not years unless it got baked dry in the summer.
I am curious if someone else has had any luck "drying out" a boat with a combination of heat, dehumidifiers and lots of airflow. Also I am not pro with a moisture meter, I've just checked my buddy's CHB that is stored undercover as a baseline. I have to imagine I am making some mistakes with it but generally I believe it's helping find some wet spots.