Can staying aboard be saved?

[MarkusK]

Originally Posted by hugosalt

Sorry to hear of your situation.
Think you are on right track, systematic cleaning/eliminating possible mold.
Possible help to making boat livable during and after your cleaning is a
product from our own cf member bene505 ...a "hatch dorade" its function
is to allow hatch to remain open in rainy, windy conditions with full ventilation.
Might be what the doctor ordered while removing problem.
Have one on order so have not used yet but looking forward to ventilation/air flow
at anchor while raining.
see hatchdorade.com 516 225 2723 also on you tube.

I like the concept of this Hatch Dorade. Let us know about your experience.

[RaymondR]

I doubt it is the Ttree oil. I bought bed bugs aboard in a second hand hardcover book years ago. I found that one of the things which would kill the little mongrels and not give me the severe headaches the effective insecticides caused.

I used about a pint of Ttree in a gallon and a half of water in my pressure cooker with a length of washing machine hot water hose on the relief valve spigot to carry the Ttree oil in steam into the places behind linings to kill the bugs.

I have allergies which are quiet severe at times and suffered no reaction to the Ttree oil and consequently consider it fairly non allergenic. Other folks may find they are allergic to Ttree oil but my guess would be that mould is the more likely candidate.

[joel383]

Vinegar and borax solution. 100% vinegar if you can stand it. Warm it up to dissolve borax.

Do not wash off residue. Residue is growth prohibiting. Borax has been approved for mold removal/prevention for years in residential construction.

It rains inside of my boat because it's cold here in alaska. Borax works well and lasts too.

[dmksails]

A lot of good - and scary - information provided. Thanks!

I have 2 heat sources - a Dickenson Newport propane heater that is direct-vented and a small portable electric heater. I mostly use the electric, put in the past few days I'm using the propane heater at night as that seems to make things better. I also have a new FirstAlert carbon monoxide alarm.

As far as ventilation goes - I always have at least one hatch open, usually 2 depending on the weather and get a good breeze thru the cabin to the point where I usually where a down vest at night. I also keep the cabin cool - again because the hatches are open. All the cabinets above the waterline have louvers.

I'm working from the top down in the main cabin, cleaning out the cabinets and spraying with a vinegar mix then drying well before restocking. So far I've only found evidence of mold in one cabinet. Going to check the decklight and stantions in that area for leaks.

I pumped 2 gallons of water out of the bilge. Not sure where that water is coming from so will be investigating that also. Looking to get a steamer I can use to clean the bilge.

As for the medical - I've an appointment with my doctor and will be looking into the suggestions made here. Thanks again.

Finally, I've purchased a handvac with a hepa filter. That is going to help keep the interior dust down. I'm also getting an air purifier.

I do know at this point that if I have a mold issue, it's not a large one. Just need to get ahead of it and stay there.

[JPA Cate]

Good on ya, mate.

Ann

[Robert Tilbury]

Mold ..
the number one is headaches ,,,
are you getting them ?

sounds like sudden onset claustrophobia ?

Im no expert for sure but for 2 weeks back last winter i would wake and feel trapped ?

No mold just my head ,,,
One day it stopped <

Cleaning cant hurt ,,
Please let us know how you get on ,,,

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by Robert Tilbury

Mold ..
the number one is headaches ,,,
are you getting them ?

sounds like sudden onset claustrophobia ?

Im no expert for sure but for 2 weeks back last winter i would wake and feel trapped ?

No mold just my head ,,,
One day it stopped <

Cleaning cant hurt ,,
Please let us know how you get on ,,,

The other symptom (at least for me) is severely stuffed sinuses on waking up that weren't a problem before going to bed and clear up shortly afterwards in the morning with fresh air.

[dmksails]

Update: I've moved off the boat in order to get over the breathing issues I was experiencing. As soon as I was away from the boat most everything was back to normal.

In the process of moving off the boat I found the bottom partition board in a cabinet near the galley was covered with mold! Looks like I have a leak somewhere on the port side.

I took the boards out and liberally sprayed the area down with vinegar. I will be going back soon to find/repair the leak and then clean up the boat.

Thanks for all the great feedback!

[hellosailor]

dm-
Vinegar will kill, yes, but once it has dried up it is gone. If you use a "quaternary" agent, those kill and leave behind a film that continues to keep killing for some time. The "yellow" color of Lysol pump surface spray has some of those. Many industrial mold & mildew cleaners do. They don't seem to bother humans, but they help actively keep the crud down, and disinfect too.
And again, a UV-C air cleaner will literally tear apart and mold or mildew that gets into the air, no matter where the source of it is. Even if some guest coughs while they are contagious with something, the UV-C kills whatever is airborne.

[a64pilot]

Trust me, buy the Concorbian or however it’s spelled, it’s cheap, safe and it works.
Vinegar works as long as there is wet vinegar on the surface, it works by being so acidic that it prevents growth and may kill, but it doesn’t prevent cause the acid is pretty quickly neutralized.