I have a 1983 30' Catalina and I have had some problems keeping the deck clean and bright. This is the first boat that I have had to leave in the water all year and I am not used to this deck dirt. I keep having a problem with a mildew type buildup on my deck. I assume it is mildew because it seems to be worse on the areas that have shade. Many boats in our club have this to one extent or another, but some don't show much at all. What is it? What is the best way to remove it without harming the gelcoat ( I have power-spayed it off, but I hate to take a chance with my seals )? And what is the best way to prevent it from coming back. Please let me know what you have had success with on your dull decks- Thanks Tony Greenwood
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Don't think it can be prevented.
Anthony: We have this problem on our Hunter each year. 1. Get some Deck Wash for non-skid (usually get it from West Marine). Splash this all over the deck area and use a good brush to scrub down the decks. Let it sit for 5-10 mins. If the decks have dryed out spray some water and scrub again. This usually takes care of the majority of the stuff. 2. The get some Island Girl Pink and apply to any stubborn spots. I like to use a stiff hand brush. Spray the spots and scrub with the brush. Let this sit in the sun for a while and then rescrub. This will also help remove the oxidation from the decks too. 3. Once every thing is clean, you may want to use a cup of bleach in a gallon of water and kill any spores that are still in the gelcoat. 4. Once you are satisfied with the deck and all the spots have been removed you can try the Island Girl non-skid sealant. I have not tried this part yet, but Island Girl products seem to work and work well. The non-skid sealant should help prevent this mold/mildew from getting a hold in the deck again. From this point on you should be able to keep it up with either the non-skid cleaner or just some boat soap.
Anthony: We have this problem on our Hunter each year. 1. Get some Deck Wash for non-skid (usually get it from West Marine). Splash this all over the deck area and use a good brush to scrub down the decks. Let it sit for 5-10 mins. If the decks have dryed out spray some water and scrub again. This usually takes care of the majority of the stuff. 2. The get some Island Girl Pink and apply to any stubborn spots. I like to use a stiff hand brush. Spray the spots and scrub with the brush. Let this sit in the sun for a while and then rescrub. This will also help remove the oxidation from the decks too. 3. Once every thing is clean, you may want to use a cup of bleach in a gallon of water and kill any spores that are still in the gelcoat. 4. Once you are satisfied with the deck and all the spots have been removed you can try the Island Girl non-skid sealant. I have not tried this part yet, but Island Girl products seem to work and work well. The non-skid sealant should help prevent this mold/mildew from getting a hold in the deck again. From this point on you should be able to keep it up with either the non-skid cleaner or just some boat soap.
Use a Pressure Washer
Your area is not unique in supporting mold and mildew growth on the deck, lines, etc., the Puget Sound is great for that. Several years ago I bought a Karcher 1250 psi pressure washer and it's absolutely the greatest thing for cleaning the deck and no chemicals are needed, just plain water. Cleaning the non-skid is really easy, the high pressure blasts all the dirt out of even the smallest and deepest holes. Any joints, such as between the aluminum toe rail and the deck - piece of cake. Dock lines, especially where they wrap around the cleats, lines that go from the base of the mast to the sheet stoppers, the stain on the coachroof under these lines; easy! The lines do have to be tight otherwise the pressure will blow them around. Pressure wash the synthetic carpet runners and they'll come out like new. Word of caution: Don't use it on graphics which are held on with adhesive or it'll take them off. Also, don't use it on teak or it will remove all the fine wood.
Your area is not unique in supporting mold and mildew growth on the deck, lines, etc., the Puget Sound is great for that. Several years ago I bought a Karcher 1250 psi pressure washer and it's absolutely the greatest thing for cleaning the deck and no chemicals are needed, just plain water. Cleaning the non-skid is really easy, the high pressure blasts all the dirt out of even the smallest and deepest holes. Any joints, such as between the aluminum toe rail and the deck - piece of cake. Dock lines, especially where they wrap around the cleats, lines that go from the base of the mast to the sheet stoppers, the stain on the coachroof under these lines; easy! The lines do have to be tight otherwise the pressure will blow them around. Pressure wash the synthetic carpet runners and they'll come out like new. Word of caution: Don't use it on graphics which are held on with adhesive or it'll take them off. Also, don't use it on teak or it will remove all the fine wood.
Pressure washers cut lines
That is about all that need be said. Butr I migh also add that is blast holes through all crevices.. ports,etc. Don't give it to a well meaning fried to assist you with the cleaning. I bought one three years ago. Have given it up and gone to using a soapy mixture with Clorox.
That is about all that need be said. Butr I migh also add that is blast holes through all crevices.. ports,etc. Don't give it to a well meaning fried to assist you with the cleaning. I bought one three years ago. Have given it up and gone to using a soapy mixture with Clorox.
Mildew etc. Prevention better than cure.
With regard to pressure washers. I did not know how good they could be until a someone in the house next door used one to clean the concrete driveway. They concrete stains with our famous "red dirt". The concrete looks new!. As far as killing mildew goes, nothing works as good as bleach. This is what we always used in tissue culture labs to clean everything. Otherwise the spores get everywhere. This is what I would use on non-skid deck. Use undiluted on the badk areas and with water on the less bad areas. It will also soak down into the pores and kill what is down there. Be careful however with all fabrics, ropes etc and do no allow to soak longer than necessary. They use Boat soap (or our water-diluted pink) to scurb the deck clean. I would then advise sealing the non-skid. Aurora make a sort of wax for this, you can use an acrylic (but probably too shiny looking and difficulat to remove) or you can try our non-skid sealant that is oxidation and mildew resistant. If you want a sample we will sen a small amount if you pay the postage. I briefly became an expert in mildew about year ago when two old convertible cars of mine got water on the carpet and some mildew on the soft top. I used a wet/dry vac to get up most of the water then midrofiber cloths to suck up most of the remaiing water. In spite of this and much airing, I still got mildew starting up all over the top lining carpet etc. I knew that bleach would probably discolor the fabric, so I used Lysol Spray. This uses anti-bacterial ingredients that are organic molecules- not chlorine containing. This worked on the black carpet and top lining and got rid of some of the smell. On the outer part of the top I used some or our "CLEAR" (that has anti-mildew ingredients) mixes with warm water and put the car in the sun. A year later there are no mildew spots. But I also moved them indoors and did one other thing. I got some Calcium Chloride drying pouches (form hardware store) and had them hanging in the cars. ANother thing is sunlight. Nothing kills mildew like good old UV! Mildew stains on upholstery are completely preventable by use of CLEAR OR SEA GLOW (depending upon color) then sealing the surface (SIlkenseal). THis is documented on our webstite: www.IslandGirlProducts.com (Uses, Vinyl). Sorry for delay in replying but urgent matters kept me from the the computer! Jim Willis
With regard to pressure washers. I did not know how good they could be until a someone in the house next door used one to clean the concrete driveway. They concrete stains with our famous "red dirt". The concrete looks new!. As far as killing mildew goes, nothing works as good as bleach. This is what we always used in tissue culture labs to clean everything. Otherwise the spores get everywhere. This is what I would use on non-skid deck. Use undiluted on the badk areas and with water on the less bad areas. It will also soak down into the pores and kill what is down there. Be careful however with all fabrics, ropes etc and do no allow to soak longer than necessary. They use Boat soap (or our water-diluted pink) to scurb the deck clean. I would then advise sealing the non-skid. Aurora make a sort of wax for this, you can use an acrylic (but probably too shiny looking and difficulat to remove) or you can try our non-skid sealant that is oxidation and mildew resistant. If you want a sample we will sen a small amount if you pay the postage. I briefly became an expert in mildew about year ago when two old convertible cars of mine got water on the carpet and some mildew on the soft top. I used a wet/dry vac to get up most of the water then midrofiber cloths to suck up most of the remaiing water. In spite of this and much airing, I still got mildew starting up all over the top lining carpet etc. I knew that bleach would probably discolor the fabric, so I used Lysol Spray. This uses anti-bacterial ingredients that are organic molecules- not chlorine containing. This worked on the black carpet and top lining and got rid of some of the smell. On the outer part of the top I used some or our "CLEAR" (that has anti-mildew ingredients) mixes with warm water and put the car in the sun. A year later there are no mildew spots. But I also moved them indoors and did one other thing. I got some Calcium Chloride drying pouches (form hardware store) and had them hanging in the cars. ANother thing is sunlight. Nothing kills mildew like good old UV! Mildew stains on upholstery are completely preventable by use of CLEAR OR SEA GLOW (depending upon color) then sealing the surface (SIlkenseal). THis is documented on our webstite: www.IslandGirlProducts.com (Uses, Vinyl). Sorry for delay in replying but urgent matters kept me from the the computer! Jim Willis
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