Problem with defrosting windows

[rs1721]

Has anyone had any problems with defrosting windows? We have a 31, I've turned on fans above helm and turned on both heaters even opened windows. We bought ours in October and have been using it this winter between Bainbridge and Elliot Bay, gets a little difficult wiping windows and watching for dead heads in rough water.
Any solutions or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks,

 

[walldog]

We find with the fans running, that opening the side window and the door just a bit, about one inch helps to clear things up and keep them clear.

 

[The Masons]

We use Rain-X anti-fogging solution and it does pretty well for us. When it's cold out we have a lot of condensation.

 

[NorthernFocus]

If there is enough moisture in the cabin for the windows to fog then you pretty much need to get some air exchange to lower the inside humidity. It is not intuitively obvious but in cool climates like where you are even when it's raining outside bringing fresh air into the cabin helps dry things out inside the boat. Assuming you have a heater running. Warming air up lowers the relative humidity(IOW raises the dew point) High humidity and glass colder than the air is what causes fogging. So cracking a couple of windows and/or the door to get some air movement through the cabin is necessary.

As far as the problem of specifically the windshield fogging while running, regardless of what you do from time to time it will fog at the most inopportune moment. And we all know the problem with using towels to wipe the windshield. The best thing I've found in a lifetime of boating is to keep a small squeegee on the dash board. It is quick, handy, doesn't have to be dried out, etc. Treating the glass with one of the popular anti fogging products in combination with using the squeegee works pretty well. The one I use is about six inches long. I've had it so long that I can't remember where I bought it.

 

[pleeson]

I concur with the need to use a soft silicon blade style squeegee to deal with thicker films of condensation and cracking some skylights/windows. Our boats do not have a true defroster set-up and that has been my defence on the wet coast in winter. I use a cloth to mop up the water that inevitably pools at the bottom of the window to dry things further. Seems like after an hour or so you get the upper hand. If you have power at the dock, I also find leaving an electric heater with fan running with cracked skylights gives you the upper hand, when you do decide to start er up and head out.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Rain-X makes more than just the outside window stuff - the formula for reducing inside window condensation works well, too. We buy squeegees at Dollar Tree - cheap, and they work fine. Keep one at the helm and one in the head (for wiping down the shower - that also reduces condensation in the cabin). Use that same squeegee on the outside of the windows, with a little water/vinegar in a spray bottle to clean the salt spray off the windows.