Moisture mold problems

[Jan from Humboldt]

Since I live in Eureka (Northern California coast) and my boat gets stored for the winter I've noticed that there is a lot of mold/mildew growing on the inside of the boat.

Heres the situation, the boat (On a trailer)was pressure washed at the end of the season with simple green let dry, the bilges were also well drained and the plugs left out.

The trailer is parked in the back yard and tilted high to facilitate drainage, the boat is covered with a large tarp, the front console hatch is open as are the rear seat hatches to promote air flow.

I've been going out and running the boat every two weeks and have noticed that the mold/mildew is growing all over the inside of the hull and it's getting pretty ugly. I guess it's time to get out the pressure waher and soap again unless someone has a better idea.

I guess the 42 inches of rain we've had so far this year might have something to do with it, the only other recourse would be to just cover the console and let what little sun we get fight the black crud.

I did spray that Yamaha WD-40 type stuff all over the wiring and terminals while winterizing it last fall.

Suggestions?

[MolarBoater]

X-14 works well but rinse it off thoroughly. Bleach products work well but can be ruff on metals and all things that can remove mildew seem to be highly corrosive and can damage some fabrics.

[AstroDiver]

Jan, I'm having the same problem and leaving the same hatches open. I have a round deck plate in my Logic 186 and have been thinking of installing a fan to draw out the mositure while my boat is parked in the yard. I have a fitted boat cover but it is somewhat open back by the motor.
I discussed this with Dick at Merritt Marine yesterday while I was up there havng a nice visit. I guess it's just a problem in high humidity climates.

[fridaysoff]

Jan,Astrodiver,
I live in Southeastern NC and we have "high" humidity here also. I ordered my custom cover for my 170CC, but The Co. I bought it from advised me to buy a certain fabric based on where I lived. There were several choices, but I bought the 100% cotton canvas (old style tent material) which turned out to be the cheapest fabric they had. The only time "you get what you pay for" wasn't a factor. I leave my console open, also the inspection hatch below my livewell and in the summer when it is rainy,I put a cheap wal-mart fan inside the console on low to keep the air circulating. I have yet to see any mold or mildew on the boat. I believe it's the breathable cotton/canvas that really helps. It does allow some rain to penetrate during a heavy downpour, but not enough to cause any problems. Based on what I've seen with using tarps in the past, if you could get an opening in the front and one in the back with a fan in the middle to pull the moisture through and out, that may solve the problem. Hope this helps.
John D.

[Jan from Humboldt]

so I pretty much use Simple Green as the main cleaner, once in a while I need a dilute bleach mix (15% or so) with a hand brush as it will get blood off pretty well. (Salmon are as bloody as tuna)

I pulled off all the cushions except the console seat and stored them in the garage right after I bought the boat so they never see dirt or blood.

The only thing that worries me is the long term effect on stuff like wiring, hardware and making gages fog up.

Ah well, I'll just add another line to my list of preseason fishing "To Do" list...Scrub boat, flush bilges.

It never ends