I've mentioned this in the Problems' thread, but this is a big enough problem, it deserves its own thread. Summarizing the Problems' thread, I was growing mold on the underside of the cockpit lockers starting in the first season and could not wash it off. This was because the mold was embedded in Catalina's oil based paint (see Problems' post nos. 2, 21 & 28). Obviously, I do not want mold spores in the boat because it will just continue to travel to a new location and perpetuate the problem.
I've been dreading the removal of the oil based paint, especially in the tight spaced stern, but things were starting to get out of hand, but certainly not as bad as the water tank compartment (see Problems' post no. 2). Here is a picture of the starboard side (the port side was worse, but I forgot to bring my camera to document before stripping):
And this is after removing the most stern portion:
As you can see, the mold is spreading to the ceilings (cockpit underside) and this was becoming a big concern. I thought after I removed the mold embedded paint from the hull, I could just steam-clean the ceilings. But unfortunately, I discovered yesterday that the cockpit/deck underside has been painted with oil based paint. What a pain in the ass. You can see the oil base paint has yellowed, which is accelerated in non-lit areas, as compared to the speckled gelcoat used for texture:
And this is after I spot tested with the stripper:
The two pictures are not perfectly aligned, but you can see that the stripper removed the yellowed oil based paint as well as the embedded mold. Really, really not looking forward to stripping the cockpit/deck underside, especially by the rudder, but if I want to stop having a mold farm, I don't have much of a choice. Here's to hoping the cabin ceiling has not been painted with oil base paint. As I have no mold there, maybe Catalina didn't completely screw me. I forgot to bring elbow pads for stripping the port stern and now both elbows are sensitive to pressure. Thanks Catalina.
And as for my paint experiment in the water tank compartment, two seasons later, still looking good and very white, including the clear coated water tank:
And even the stripped and unpainted hatch covers are holding up well. They had very minor mold specks after two seasons, which easily cleaned up with vinegar. I'm hoping even that will stop after I get all of the adjacent mold removed from the deck underside.
Is anyone else seeing this problem? You can see the water tank compartment from under the sink in the head and do not need to remove the cover under the saloon seat.
I've been dreading the removal of the oil based paint, especially in the tight spaced stern, but things were starting to get out of hand, but certainly not as bad as the water tank compartment (see Problems' post no. 2). Here is a picture of the starboard side (the port side was worse, but I forgot to bring my camera to document before stripping):
And this is after removing the most stern portion:
As you can see, the mold is spreading to the ceilings (cockpit underside) and this was becoming a big concern. I thought after I removed the mold embedded paint from the hull, I could just steam-clean the ceilings. But unfortunately, I discovered yesterday that the cockpit/deck underside has been painted with oil based paint. What a pain in the ass. You can see the oil base paint has yellowed, which is accelerated in non-lit areas, as compared to the speckled gelcoat used for texture:
And this is after I spot tested with the stripper:
The two pictures are not perfectly aligned, but you can see that the stripper removed the yellowed oil based paint as well as the embedded mold. Really, really not looking forward to stripping the cockpit/deck underside, especially by the rudder, but if I want to stop having a mold farm, I don't have much of a choice. Here's to hoping the cabin ceiling has not been painted with oil base paint. As I have no mold there, maybe Catalina didn't completely screw me. I forgot to bring elbow pads for stripping the port stern and now both elbows are sensitive to pressure. Thanks Catalina.
And as for my paint experiment in the water tank compartment, two seasons later, still looking good and very white, including the clear coated water tank:
And even the stripped and unpainted hatch covers are holding up well. They had very minor mold specks after two seasons, which easily cleaned up with vinegar. I'm hoping even that will stop after I get all of the adjacent mold removed from the deck underside.
Is anyone else seeing this problem? You can see the water tank compartment from under the sink in the head and do not need to remove the cover under the saloon seat.