Algae during storage

[zedpassway]

Its now time to take the boat out of the water up here near the Canadian border. I put her in storage and over with a tarp and in the spring the clean deck and cockpit is covered with green algae, adding a good two days to getting her back into the water.

Is there anything I can put on the fiberglas deck and cockpit before the tarp goes on that will prevent the algae from developing and keep my nice white deck pristine?

[rognvald]

Zed,
You need to have air vents in your tarp or leave a small opening at the bow and the stern for circulation. When you're up North, this is difficult to prevent and mold/algae are always a problem when you tarp a boat for storage. I hope this helps.

[Cheechako]

I've found algae grows readily with just a simple A frame tarp with open ends. I really dont have an answer to avoid that. A low pressure washer is good in the spring for initial cleanup.

[Suijin]

Clean the boat and wax it before storage. If it's clean less stuff will grow on it and the wax will make getting off what does grow much easier.

[thinwater]

The comments regarding ventilation help. But in climates with snow, condensation under the tarp is absolutist unavoidable (the snow remains cold after the air warms).

Subscribe to Practical Sailor and you would know this trick:
https://www.practical-sailor.com/iss...n_11798-1.html

The algae killers sold to pool owners are based on benzalkonium chloride and are very effective as preventer. Simply dilute (a few ounces to the gallon) and spray the boat. It's cheap and has been tested to be harmless to all boat materials. Wet-and-Forget is basically the same thing at a much higher price.

Also good on the roof of your house. Lowes or Walmart.

[hellosailor]

"benzalkonium chloride"
IIRC that's a quatenary (?) cleaner and discourages future growth too, which is what the OP needs. Waxing a hull actually would put wax, aka organic mold food, on the hull before storage, so a less digestible synthetic polish might be a better start. Followed by a lasting mold/mildecide, perhaps renewed at least once over the winter.

[zedpassway]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Yes, with the howling winds of winter, the tarp is quite ventilated. So the Pool and the Wet-and- be expensive look like a good option.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by thinwater

The comments regarding ventilation help. But in climates with snow, condensation under the tarp is absolutist unavoidable (the snow remains cold after the air warms).

Subscribe to Practical Sailor and you would know this trick:
https://www.practical-sailor.com/iss...n_11798-1.html

The algae killers sold to pool owners are based on benzalkonium chloride and are very effective as preventer. Simply dilute (a few ounces to the gallon) and spray the boat. It's cheap and has been tested to be harmless to all boat materials. Wet-and-Forget is basically the same thing at a much higher price.

Also good on the roof of your house. Lowes or Walmart.

Thinwater,
Have you found the above product to be effective against black mold on nonskid--a by-product of even the most meticulous Winter layup in the Midwest? Thanks