I just opened up the stbd side teak sealings (?) because after the first heavy rain this year, the foam cushion was very wet.  (dried in the sun with Febreze applied to both sides).

I had though that the stancion bolts were allowing water into the area.  Looking closer on the newly painted area and with the insulation in place - no sign of running water was found. 

I noticed that the corner of one area was dark and when I drilled a hole through the fiberglass cloth - water poured out from the void behind the verticle "stud".

Link to the album  these photos start about 1/2 through album.

I noticed that the top of the "stud" was away from the inner hull and that a pocket was formed between the wood/fiberglass and the inner hull.

I removed the wood above the top most screen hole and used Life culk to fill the void. 

I also removed and resealed the one screw that lines up with the wood "stud" and secures the rub rail.  I am not sure the screw was the cause as the screw was bright and didn't show signs of water.

I've left the area open in the hopes that the next heavy rain will leak but if it does - I hope to spot the exact area that is leaking.

I also found that the smaller pieces of the foil/insulation was falling away from the inner hull - and the larger pieces was firmly secured for the most part.  I also didn't notice any sign of condensation on the foil - except below the exposed bolts way up high in the bulworks cavity.

I also have noticed that if you can apply a good pressure to the self stick foam that it will stay in place but hard to reach area - tended to fall off.

Pasi Kimpimaki wrote:Hi

Just an observation, I have been removing insulation from my boat because between the insulation and hull there was a lot of mold and mildew. Insulation was 1/2 inch white closed cell foam. Some of the foam was somewhat clued in to the hull but most were just pushed in without the clue. The clued ones had less mold but the pushed in ones had really bad molding behind them. I guess if you are putting in insulation it needs to be clued air tight to hull. 

Just a little off topic, has anyone used dehumidifier in boat? I have been thinking putting one in for the winter. I am worried if it makes the the inside too dry and trim and wood start to crack.

From one deleted user to another deleted user in Olympia, Washington (from Mike to Mike):

The best thing to deal with condensation is to move to the tropics and keep the ventilation at a maximum. Problem: One still has to deal with mold, bu that is manageable. We had to move Polaris (W32) in Olympia Harbor from Fiddlehead Marina to what is now Swantown because Fiddlehead was being dredged and we spent then a winter in the late 1980s. The advantage at Fiddlehead and being in the flow of the drain of the Olympia "water"treatment plant (no, the odor was not noticeable as there are strict regulations as to the quality of the effluent). In the winter the water was warmer there and did not cause the condensation that we experienced then at Swantown Marina. At that time Swantown (managed by Almar who tried to keep from losing money because the difficult competitive neighbors) was providing unlimited electricity for an added $10/mo fee, a real bargain. We ran two heaters in the boat and covered every exposed area to avoid our breath from touching the hull, in Pac NW near freezing temps. It was uncomfortable with the draft from several fans. My former wife wanted a place where she could meditate undisturbed and she put up with this. One of the reasons I hauled Polaris out is the insulation issue (not the ex-wife). I read that the nuclear submarines are insulated with Ensolite closed cell foam. I got a 3/4"sheet and glued it to the overhead in the forepeak after the time the ex was done meditating in the winter. The Ensolite did not stick well (what did the Navy use as a bonding agent?), and then I added a sheet of Formica and bolted that sandwich to the overhead. That helped. I have a difficult time removing the ceiling (for you landlubbers that are the sidewalls) as the brass wood screws strip the Phillips drive indentation. I would like to remove the ceiling strips to add closed cell foam, paint over that stuff to at least have a sort of barrier that excludes the air from the hull and does not build up moisture. The other problem will be osmosis of the moisture into the foam. I hope that the summer heat will undo this to a degree.

I lived aboard in Los Angeles for several years and never had moisture problems. Polaris has been out of the water for two decades now, and since I have some time I can deal with the old problems better since she sits in my front yard and I am actually making good progress with getting her ready.

Mike Zorn.