Absent Owner = Mold!

montenido · #1 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010

Hi all,

I am ashamed to admit that I allowed myself to get too busy to get to the boat lately (about 50 minutes away). Family health issues, new promotion, kids in school, blah, blah,blah...

Anyway, I dropped by yesterday and found a fair amount of mold on all the wood from waist-level to the floor. WTF? I've never had a problem before, and was planning on installing a solar vent already, which I will next week. So I opened up the boat and began the task of wiping down all woodwork with a damp rag sprayed with a cleaner that contains bleach.

As I worked my way around the boat I kept looking for the reason for the mold growth. When I lifted my floorboard covering the bilge, I found my answer. My normally dry bilge was about 2-3 inches full of the most putrid looking water you've ever seen. Yuck! Where did that come from? The best that can figure is that it is from when my family took a trip this summer. The bathroom faucet had been left on and we drained one whole water tank all over the inside of the head. I remember the clean up fairly clearly, but not clearly enough to know if I drained the main bilge or not. D#mn!

Well, everything is cleaned and opened up for now. If the bilge has water when I check it next (in a couple of days) I will look for the source. Some steps that I have begun to combat this in the future are:

A) I have ordered a 12" square hatch (Ebay) which I will install over the head.
B) I have ordered two different rain guards (Defender) that will allow me to keep the ports in the aft cabin open for cross-ventilation.
C) I am awaiting the arrival of a solar vent which will be installed somewhere forward (probably the head).
D) I will bring my plug-in air dryer from home and leave it on.
E) Last but not least, I WILL VISIT MY BELOVED BOAT MORE OFTEN. I WILL MAKE THE TIME, WHICH WILL REMIND ME OF HOW MUCH I LOVE TO BE ON HER.

Thanks for listening. Any input or suggestions will be appreciated as always. You can throw rocks too, if you would like. I think I deserve a few.

Cheers, Bill

smackdaddy · #2 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010

It's amazing how quickly that nasty stuff can grow. I'm currently scrubbing our cabin from a huge rainstorm several weeks ago.

I'd been away from the boat for a few weeks like you - came back, water in the bilge and mold on most FG surfaces.

sailingdog · #3 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010

Some key things to keeping the mold off the boat:

1) Find and seal any leaks. Any constant source of moisture is going to lead to serious mold issues. A dry boat is generally mold-free.

2) Keep the air moving. This helps keep the boat drier and helps keep the mold from growing

3) Wipe down all surfaces and kill off all the mold spores and mold that you can. Lemon oil, vinegar and commercial sprays can help clean, kill and prevent mold from re-ocurring.

edgesoftheearth · #4 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010

I live aboard a wooden boat and mold is everywhere. It is impossible to stop but cleaning with vinegar helps. I work in a boatyard and we use vinegar to clean everywhere. It is non toxic and works awesome.

puddinlegs · #5 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010

One word: dehumidifier.

SailingWebGuy · #6 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010

Montenido,

I feel your pain...

djodenda · #7 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010

Bill.... you have had the new boat for like what, less than a year?

Geez.

I trust that you will care for her better in the future.

So much for the abuse.

Tell us what you think of the 36 after you've had her for a while.

Dadiv

montenido · #8 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010

Thanks for the replies, I will buy the large size vinegar at Costco. D, you're absolutely right, I will pay better attention to her. So far she is a dream. Everything works and she sails beautifully. The kicker is that my wife even loves this boat!!

I will post a pic or two once I install all the ventilation goodies. Nice pic by the way. That is what I call mold!

Thanks, Bill

montenido · #9 (**permalink**) 11-06-2010

Ok, ventilation will no longer be a problem. Yesterday I installed a solar vent over the vee-berth. I will put a folded towel under it while sailing in case some water leaks in. On the aft end I installed a rain guard on one opening port, kind of an eyebrow type, which will allow it to remain open most of time. On the other opening aft port I installed a louvered rain deflector which will allow the port to open all the time, at least at the dock. Just these three things will increase the air movement tremendously.

BTW, got it all from Defender.
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|6880|45749|320600&id=45886
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|6880|296549|47058&id=120087
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|6880|296549|47058&id=47218

Now I just have to put all the items back in their drawers and shelves. It really looks like a bomb went off inside my boat.

Cheers, Bill

svHyLyte · #10 (**permalink**) 11-06-2010

In addition to keeping the bilge dry and air circulating with Solar vents, for those that must be away from their boats for extended periods, look into the Quantum Bilge Buster 200 . While not inexpensive, these do work. We have a somewhat older version linked with a timer so that it only operates for a short while every day but it does eliminate mold and "boat odor" when we must leave the boat for awhile.

FWIW...