Mildew

[Despy]

Had to head away for a while and hastily covered up boat with large tarp. Came back to a fairly major condensation problem and telltale black spots of mildew has formed. What is the best product for removing without harming vinyl components?
Thanks in advance for any helpful suggestion !!

 

[Little Hawk]

Howdy,

You have mildew because your boat needs to breath while in storage.
Try a mild bleach/water solution to get rid of it. Do a tester first to make sure the fabric is color-fast.

Cheers,
Terry

 

[Sitkaspruce]

I have used Simple Green or Spray Nine in the concentrated formula and it has worked wonders, as long as the block spots have not been there for a while. That stuff is nasty it it starts to stain.

SS

 

[captct]

I have this issue every fall.All Boats are different I guess... I get the mold behind the head and in the point of the fo'c'sle and right over the companionway hatch in the cockpit.Bleach and water are the ticket.To prevent it from even starting try and keep the air moving and flowing through the boat.This year I went after the stuff I put in a Stor-dry air circulator/warmer and it really seems to do the job.Although any where where the air space deadens the stuff can grow.Lots of light aparently prevents the growth of a lot of it too.
Cover smaller boats with the clear thick poly or the white woven tarp material that lets light in.I know a guy who puts a long length of pvc pipe with holes drilled in it.Then covers the pipe and the boat leaving the pipe ends exposed to allow air to flow through and into his boat while covered.He then has a little stor-dry/calframo air circulator sitting on a wooden board running all winter.It burns less than a light bulb.
Never even a spec of mold in that hull