Bulkhead finish recommendation

[thinwater]

Halberg Rassey recommends Boracol for teak decks, which is a compound of ethylene glycol and borate. Very good. I have used a DIY formulation a number of times over the past 20 years.

[jen1722terry]

Our old (1984) Cape Dory has oodles of interior teak. While we have yet to varnish the interior (maybe this spring), we've tried just about everything else over the years to remove/retard mold.

Spray9 seems to remove the mold as good as anything else, and also cleans.

The most effective mold preventive we found is a small (Caframo 747) 12 volt fan. We have a small (130 watt) solar panel and this allows us to keep the fan on low all the time. If it's a breezy day, we may turn it off when we're sailing.

The suction cup base allows for moving the fan around.

We still get some mold in the spring after the shrink wrap comes off, as we cannot leave the fan on all winter (batteries disconnected). I suppose it may be possible to leave the batteries disconnected but leave the solar panel connected to run the fan during the winter days but we're not that electrically sophisticated.

Anyhow, best of luck.

[tomtriad]

The interior of my 42' Newick was finished bright. I cruised extensively in the Bahamas, and found that a weak (10% or less) solution of bleach in a spray bottle and a roll of paper towels did the trick to eradicate all mold and keep it off for months. I would work one small section at a time, using a fresh sheet to wipe off the mold and immediately tossing it into a trash bag. I'm sensitive to smell, and this worked great, leaving no residue or odors. You must ventilate the boat well or the mold will grow back.

[s/v Jedi]

You have two issues:

1. Mold/mildew that needs to be cleaned. 3M sells specialized products. There will be much more than visible to you now, like under beds, floors, inside cabinets etc. After cleaning the visible parts you can use an ozone generator to deep-clean the rest.

2. Prevent mold/mildew. This is the important one. After 21 years in the (sub)tropics, I am 100% sure this is the best option for when the boat is in storage: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NRDBBH5
When you are aboard you have much more ventilation but when it’s raining and everything is closed up running a cool/heat reversing air conditioner or the dehumidifier when it’s always cold is a good option to dry things out.

[n5ama]

This is my boats first winter unwrapped. I bought it in Maine and it seems it spent a long time wrapped up. I have it in the Gulf of Mexico now and our last cold front dropped temps into the 40s. Way too cold to go sailing but it’s back in the 60s and 70s now which is a bit cool on the water when the wind is blowing.

I applied some Concromium to a small test area and will work up some of the Pratical Sailor chemistry and put them on other problem areas.

I apparently have a rainwater leak on the port side and showing up in the stowage cabinet. I suspect a leak at the shroud entry point.

Have a great weekend,
Tom