My solution to mildew while covered up for the winter

In the past, being in East Texas with all the humidity, during the winter months, I have had problems of mildew forming all over the upholstery of the boat. Being covered for several months with no ventilation was very conducive to mildew on all the vinyl area. With the purchase of my 2016 242, I wanted to try to find away to stop this issue.

Before I covered it for the winter I wiped it down with 303 Protectant. Then I put the below listed dehumidifier in the center of the boat, setting it to 50% humidity, and installed the cover. It's bigger than I needed but I wanted something that had a digital readout and had the option for a drain hose rather than a reservoir that would have to be emptied. I just ran the house to the hull drain at the rear by the engine compartment.

I checked it this weekend and not one spot of mildew!



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LBEP7SO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That will definitely reduce humidity - up to 8 gallons per day! Using a drain hose is the only way to go with these units, and if they need to run constantly they can use a fair bit of electricity. I've always been very skeptical about other moisture absorbing devices that could hold very little water and then their done.
Just be aware dehumidifiers are designed for indoor use and I'm not sure what happens to them in freezing temps.
Also, for others with older dehumidifiers, do some internet research because the chinese OEM of nearly every unit made recalled them a few years ago as they can overheat and catch on fire!

I started with a fridgidaire, but it was recalled right after I bought it. No recalls or issues on this one. Your are right about freezing, but not really an issue here. Although it does run quite a bit, it will shut off when the humidity gets to the set level. Before I took the cover off, I peaked under. ..it was not running and the indicator showed 50%. Right after taking the cover off, the humidity began to rise and the unit turned on. So it seems to work as advertised.