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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Help! Black mold is taking over my boat!

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tmhansen
Captain

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USA
397 Posts

Initially Posted - 01/21/2004 : 01:52:01

Last year when we brought Fior Gra' home she was completely moldy and smelly inside. We stripped her out, I pressure washed the inside where I dared, in the bilges, under the v berth, etc. My wife spent a weekend with bleach and a brush. I installed a solar fan. It all worked the boat smells fine now and now more mold on the inside.

The outside is another story. I first noticed it in the cockpit. I tried to scrub it away - that cut it down some but not completely. Now this winter it is growing. Here on California's central coast we get a lot of condensation each night when the moist air cools on the surfaces of things at night. It drips off our eaves each morning. I think the boat is not really drying out each day in the shaded side of the cockpit. We have had so many other projects that we have not gotten to the cosmetics of the topsides yet. The fiberglass is weathered. I plan on trying a coating of the acrylic stuff I bought at the boat show last year, but first the hull has to be clean. Do I just attack with bleach water like we did inside. Is there a trick to keeping it off? Despite my efforts at washing the boat on a regular basis I am losing the battle.

Todd Hansen
Fiorghra'
San Luis Obispo, CA

Edited by - on

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 01/21/2004 : 07:26:32

Mold is normally killed by a chlorine or heat. The concentration doesn't seem IMHO to be as important as the time element. My observation is that a small concentration needs to be given time to work as observed on my old Hobie cat that sat up up a few years and had very heavy mold on the non skid areas, it took 20-30 minutes for the chlorine to do its thing.

I tested a small patch with bleach straight from the bottle to compare with that which was well diluted. Time and hot water were the elements, not bleach strength. Two cups of bleach in a pail of hot water should do the job. Don't let the solution dry, keep going over it.

Starbright and others make non skid cleaners which work well and provide some protection to renewed growth. Good wax on the other sections should cure most of the problems.

Your right about the cause... the unsealed chalked surface is holding the moisture and feeding the mildew.

This raises an interesting ecology issue... For many years in the south, white roof shingles were dominant. They made sense in that they reflective the suns rays and provided a cooler home. White shingles for many more humid areas have all but been abandoned however in more recent years because of the mold. Dark shingles will normally keep the mold burnt off but of course add heat to the attic.

What has changed in our ecology? Is it acid rain?

Edited by - Arlyn Stewart on 01/21/2004 07:33:12

PZell
Admiral

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USA
548 Posts

Response Posted - 01/21/2004 : 12:36:48

I have found that periodically scrubbing the entire deck with a brush after spraying it with Tilex mildew remover does an excellent job. The whole deck is done with Tilex and then gone over again with a bucket of water with some Joy dishwater soap and then a good rinse. It seems that it's just during the cool/damp winter months on SFBay
that the mold conditions are right. The above seems to do the job,
especially on the non-skid areas. I wax the hull and 'plain' areas
of deck about 3 times a year.

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cch
Navigator

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202 Posts

Response Posted - 01/22/2004 : 01:04:05

Hi Todd,

We have had great luck with a product named Mean Green. It is biodegradeable and works well. As Arlyn suggests spray the product on and let it sit for a while but DO NOT let it dry. Scrub vigorously with a brush and rinse really well with fresh water.

Even in our hot humid Florida summers Mean Green keeps the boat clean and free of mildew for nearly a month at a time. In the winter I only clean about every 6 to 8 weeks.

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tmhansen
Captain

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USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 01/22/2004 : 16:10:04

Thanks for the ideas and experience. I'll give it a go this weekend before it gets out of hand and my boat starts to look like one of those boats in the marina that looks like it has not gone anywhere in years.

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