Cabin curtains closed or open over winter (keeping cabin fresh)

[Pleinmont]

I had a thought the other day... Does keeping all the curtains closed over winter make the inside of the boat cooler (and more prone to mildew etc) as the saloon and cabins are in constant darkness and don't seem to really warm up much when the sun occasionally comes out.

I normally keep the curtains closed all year round to avoid fading of the upholstery and wood but in the autumn and winter this is probably not needed.
Half the boats' windows on my pontoon are left see through and half are curtained off. Had a thought that for 6months of the year in Guernsey it's pretty overcast, cool and damp - have noticed a bit more mildew this year (seems to have rained most days since September).

Airflow has usually been ok on my 760 (I leave the engine hatch cover cracked open in the saloon so the hull air inlets vent the cabins) so traditionally I don't leave any heating on or dehumidifiers on board.
It's probably not very scientific but I was thinking opening all the curtains should allow the cabin air to briefly warm up more on winter days and convect but suspect it's not really sunny enough to fade much inside.

Not sure whether UK sun is strong enough to fade the insides even in the summer... on the 8 days a year when it's actually hot

 

[ChromeDome]

The sun fade everything even if not shining from a cloudless sky (even in DK).

We keep curtains closed for this reason, protecting the investment

 

[BruceK]

Keeping the curtains closed is less likely to see mildew on them as they can air out better and the more stable the temp variation the less likely of condensate cycling

 

[Pleinmont]

The sun fade everything even if not shining from a cloudless sky (even in DK).

We keep curtains closed for this reason, protecting the investment

That's a fair point (and the bit about a stable temperature not condensating so much).
I've now closed them again!

 

[ashtead]

We find spots of mildew on open blinds if dehumidifier left off - dropping the blinds seems to make no difference to issue in absence of some dehumidification unless boat is moved to sunnier marina maybe.

 

[Shifty]

Always leave ours open in the winter to let the bit of sun we have warm the boat,however humidify is keeping mildew at bay.

 

[bowler]

Curtains open with several damp traps dotted around. I never have mould issues and I leave cushions etc onboard.

 

[Pleinmont]

Based on the above, I'm going to leave them half open half closed for the winter

 

[Thalassa76]

We close ours more to stop little sh1ts looking in!

 

[Alicatt]

We close ours more to stop little sh1ts looking in!

The curtains on the front of the cabin are open but the sides are closed, more for the fact that the support brackets on the front were failing than anything else.
The dehumidifiers have collected very little water, and the one in the bilge was still dry when I looked at the weekend

 

[Scubadoo]

We close ours more to stop little sh1ts looking in!

And to stop Sun/UV damage to internal fittings.