Boat cleaning - mold and mildew - awful! Need winter storage advice!

[rauch0812]

Oh my goodness. We've had our boat for almost a year so this was our first winter. It's a bow rider with awesome seats... lots of them... for eleven to be exact. We put the snap on cover on the boat and then threw on one of those covers that goes over the boat and ties to the trailer. We opened it up this morning and wow! Mold and mildew everywhere. We've been scrubbing it all day (there are way to many seats in the damn boat) with soft scrub and it's as good as it's gonna get. Most of the junk came off but there are areas with black mildew that just won't come clean. We also tried some mold and mildew remover - no luck. Is this normal for a boat that is stored outside and what can I do next year... at this rate the seats will be trash in no time!

 

[Sixmark]

Re: Boat cleaning - mold and mildew - awful! Need winter storage advice!

Use a cover with vents, and put some dessicant moisture absorbing packs in the boat as well. If you have vinyl snap on covers, DO NOT store the boat with them on as they are designed to keep water out, therefore they will also trap moisture in.

Use a high concentration of Simple Green cleaner on the seats, or you can even try Odoban , Odoban is designed as an odor killer however being that it kills bacteria and fungus, it kills mold. I have used it on mildew with great results.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Boat cleaning - mold and mildew - awful! Need winter storage advice!

Did you leave it sitting outside all winter with just a regular cover on it? Next time either store it inside or have it shrink wrapped.

 

[seedlings]

Re: Boat cleaning - mold and mildew - awful! Need winter storage advice!

When we first got our boat out of 20 years of storage, I used some spick-n-span cleaner, gentle scrub with a soft bristle car-washing brush, then power washer. Mostly power washer. Disconnect the battery, soap her down inside, scrub and spray. Of course you'll be careful not to power wash anything that shouldn't get directly wet, like a CD player. Take the top out to the driveway, spread it out, dump cleaner, scrub + power wash. I then took an oar and 'scraped' the water soaked in the carpet to the back drain, let it sit in the driveway in the sun for a few hours, then cover back on. Inside I put a portable dehumidifier overnight.

Now it's in the garage and the second vehicle is in the driveway.

CHAD

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Boat cleaning - mold and mildew - awful! Need winter storage advice!

When you put it away this fall buy a big bag of charcoal briquets...not the match light kind. Tear it open and leave it in the boat. Absorbs all the moisture.

 

[etracer68]

Re: Boat cleaning - mold and mildew - awful! Need winter storage advice!

2X on the charcoal, it works great, and you can reuse it in your grill in the summer. When I stored my boat in a barn for winter, I covered it with a plastic tarp, tied to the trailer, so air could get in and out. Put charcoal in plastic coffee(3) cans with 1 inch holes in the covers. It worked good, no mildew. Also dont use anything that has bleach to clean your seats, it will rot the threads. Simple Green is a good choice, I use it on almost everthing, and it cuts through oil too.

 

[GMIslander]

Re: Boat cleaning - mold and mildew - awful! Need winter storage advice!

I've been told to set a plate of mothballs inside a stored boat to prevent mildew etc. Never tried it, just sayin. Anyone?

 

[etracer68]

Re: Boat cleaning - mold and mildew - awful! Need winter storage advice!

Mothballs are generally used to keep unwanted critters out. I never heard of them being used to control moister. Forgive my spelling.

 

[waqast]

Re: Boat cleaning - mold and mildew - awful! Need winter storage advice!

Oh my goodness. We've had our boat for almost a year so this was our first winter. It's a bow rider with awesome seats... lots of them... for eleven to be exact. We put the snap on cover on the boat and then threw on one of those covers that goes over the boat and ties to the trailer. We opened it up this morning and wow! Mold and mildew everywhere. We've been scrubbing it all day (there are way to many seats in the damn boat) with soft scrub and it's as good as it's gonna get. Most of the junk came off but there are areas with black mildew that just won't come clean. We also tried some mold and mildew remover - no luck. Is this normal for a boat that is stored outside and what can I do next year... at this rate the seats will be trash in no time!

Cleaning to pack your self will be back breaking work, what I will say is get professional boat detailing service done, dry, shrink-wrap and then store.