How to keep mold out and the hull smelling good

[George DuBose]

Every spring Skylark gets a interior wash. I fill a bucket with water and some Lysol soap. Then I put a hose connected to a pressure washer and spray into all the areas that can't be reached without dismantling the furniture.

I also use a little Dometic air cleaner and leave it running while not onboard. These two procedures keep Skylark odor free.

Now if I could only keep the algae off the teak trim and toerails on deck.

[dadster3]

You can also try Kanberra Gel if you have a musty smell inside. It's not cheap, but will absorb odors in areas have been closed off w/o benefit of ventilation like the storage areas under setees. Works also just as a general odor neutralizer in the salon.

[sailingchiro]

Dehumidifier!

[MJH]

Originally Posted by pallantejm

Looking for tips on how to prevent mold from forming in the hull/walls and any advice to keep the interior smelling good.

I keep my boat on a buoy mooring 24/7/365 (no electric power) and use three Dry-Z-Air pots (stateroom, salon, galley) to minimize the problem. They use calcium chloride granules that I refill 1-2 times a month here in Puget Sound...buy the granules in bulk at the commissary/grocery store. I wipe the walls down with a cleaner in the spring, which doesn't take long, when the weather improves.

Baking muffins always improves the smell.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[pallantejm]

With all this advice I reckon our boat will be the best smelling one in all of NZ! Cheers guys and gals!

[Lepke]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

One word answer, VENTILATE!

Exactly!
I have a wood boat and power vent my bilge areas 24/7. I use bilge blowers with a motor controller (or rheostat) to reduce the speed. Just fast enough to maintain an air flow, no boat smell, bilges are dry, no wet rot.

[Scaramanga F25]

CLEANLINESS

[NorthernMac]

I heard one could run a duct hose down the bildge hooked to a inline blower (solar?), have some holes in the duct hose to make draw air in and blow it out of the boat at the other end of the duct, if that makes sense?


Anyone have any experience with anything like this?

Thought between they, especially while on the hook, and a heat pump on the dock, that would be a good mix, plus lattice work under mats and stuff like that.

[Mike Banks]

Fit solar-powered ventilators, fit ducts if necessary to all enclosed spaces and axial impellers, scrub down all insides hull and bulkheads, lockers etc with benzalkonium mould killer--it is an antiseptic useful on wounds and a component in anti-mould paints. Re-spray and wipe down walls every six months or so.

As a bonus, cockroaches and other insects dislike it--although it is not in itself toxic.

You can buy it under many proprietary names such as Wet and Forget.
Worked for me.
--

[Banu Oney]

Minimize creating extra moisture.
Open a hatch when cooking, shower with the hatch open or off the boat
Use anti-mold padding under beds
Use a dehumidifier
Clean with vinegar
Spray Concrobium MoldControl every 3 months.

[Greg K]

Surprised nobody has mentioned Lemon Oil. We use it on all interior wood surfaces except the cabin sole. Leaves a very pleasant aroma and is known to prevent mold. Apply it a couple times a year.

[pallantejm]

I had read that lemon, or any citrus-like substance used to curb mold growth only causes it to grow back more.

[Greg K]

Originally Posted by pallantejm

I had read that lemon, or any citrus-like substance used to curb mold growth only causes it to grow back more.

Not true from our experience. Used West Marine lemon oil for over ten years on our CD36 and never had any mold. Now we use Parker and Bailey natural lemon oil on our Shannon 28 and no mold.

And the interior teak absolutely loves it.

To be fair, both boats came with dorades, so pretty good ventilation as well.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

This is true, but cold air is always dry.

It really helps to understand the physics.

Our bodies fool us into believing cold air is damp. It is actually dry. Cold air even if it has 100% relative humidity does not contain much moisture. The physics is quite simple, but it defies our common perception and belief. So a little like discovering the earth is round not flat it can be difficult to understand. Our eyes tell us the earth is flat and our skin tells us cold air is damp, but these are both wrong.

Please explain to me where the frost comes from on my windshield if cold air has no moisture?
Where do you experience 100% humidity with no moisture ?
I m in Alabama and I have to disagree with you.

[CarlF]

As said earlier, Borax will greatly retard the growth of mildew. This recipe originally in Practical Sailor is just about perfect - cheap, no odor, non-staining, safe ingredients (much safer than bleach or Lysol), and effective.

Just spray it on, wipe with a damp rag, then let the remainder dry on the surface to keep mildew from coming back.

The TSP is optional if you have no visible mildew. Besides mildew, TSP does a great job getting grime and grease off. TSP is much safer than cleaners like SimpleGreen or 409 and is even used in many food products such as Fruit Loops cereal. But like any strong cleaner, keep it out of your eyes. This very low concentration of TSP won't harm surfaces or hurt the environment.

Wipe surfaces down a couple of times a year with this and your boat won't smell of mildew.

You can buy the ingredients by the pound from Amazon.

Mix in a spray bottle:
1 quart hot water
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons Borax
1 tablespoon TSP