Dorade boxes-Phase 1

One of the things I really wanted was more ventilation on the boat.  We have a real problem in some areas with mold and it is gross and unhealthy.  One method is to always have a fan or AC running but that is a real power guzzler and not practical at anchor.  Another way is passive ventilation using dorade boxes.  These ingenious boxes allow air in and keep water out. When it's raining and you can't open your ports or hatches, this matters.  Most higher end sailboats used to come equipped with them and we had them on Sanctuary. They have fallen out of favor as more boaters choose the floating condo lifestyle and spend more of their time tied to a dock or bring along noisy, gas-guzzling generators.  Since neither of those options fit our dream of the cruising lifestyle, we're going with dorades. We have two now but one is for the anchor locker and the other is in the head.  This gives no good airflow for most of the cabin. We found two old boxes in a marine resale shop and fixed them up.  David made new lids as the original ones were ugly beyond repair.  Of course, this involves cutting more holes in our pretty deck but no mold and a cooler interior in the heat will be nice.  We have plugs for them during the winter so cold air doesn't gush in.  This project is currently underway so you'll have to wait a few days to see the end result.

Working on cleaning up the old boxes

8 coats of varnish on the boxes and cockpit table.  Nice work space on the patio at home

More headliner down and checking for spacing

More holes in the deck