Buying a moldy/smelly boat--nuts?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Can it be done? yes!

Does it make sense? no!

I would be less worried about the mould cleaning than the damage caused by the standing water - odds are that the bulkheads are all ply, and will have delamed and / or rotted.

Likely outcome is that you will give up doing a proper job halfway through - because you are not insane! and either get stuck living in mould and a boat you are less than 100% sure of.....or selling at a big loss.

For the money and time involved would even be better off buying something that needed an engine replaced.

[rognvald]

Simplify,
It would be helpful to know what kind of boat and what price. Then, one could determine if the effort/cost to clean the vessel is justified. A 2002 Hallberg Rassy 34 for $50K would be certainly worth the effort. But, a mass produced production boat 30 years old could never be considered a great deal.

[carstenb]

getting rid of mold is a lot of work. smells etc can be cured by pouring vinegar into a an open bowl. closing up the boat and leaving it for a couple of days.

smells will be gone. even if the previous owner was a smoker - smoke smell will be gone.

mold requires tearing everything down and cleaning, cleaning cleaning

[Normanby]

Bleach doesn't kill mould, it only removes its colour.
Vinegar doesn't kill mould, it only masks the smell. Same with ammonia.

99% of mould removal is mechanical - scrubbing.
Then to kill it and prevent its return - Clove Oil. It's the only way.
Use a spray bottle, about 100ml of water, and a teaspoon of clove oil, and spray the entire interior. The water will evaporate, leaving a microscopic film of the oil, which kills any mould that is there and prevents its return.

I followed this advice from Shannon Lush, a chemist and cleaning expert, and it worked a treat on my boat, which had plenty of mould, but no rot.

As far as the decision to buy or not, it's simple economics. If you factor in about one day's work for every ten feet of boat length, scrubbing and treating the mould, then multiplying that by whatever your hourly rate at work is, then there's your opportunity cost. Is the discount greater than that?
Yes = bargain.
No = bad deal.

Rot, on the other hand, is a whole separate disaster. You'll have to go poking holes in every bit of wood on the boat to find out how extensive that is.
Then again, make a guess at how long it will take you to replace the rotten bulkheads, triple it, and make the same calculation as above.

Boolean algebra at its simplest!

[Opie91]

Originally Posted by Teknav

If the mold has been there longer than 36 hours, don't even bother buying this boat.

I think this may rule out every used boat on the market.

[Sam Plan B]

My boat had been on the hardstand for years. It had about a foot of rainwater in the bilge. Mold was everywhere. It took a lot of bleach and soapy water to put right but things turned out okay. Because of the bilge water issue I replaced the rusted keel studs and nuts with stainless. There was also a little corosion at the heel of the mast. I would advise buying a Solus dehumidifier if you are living aboard in cold weather. That more than anything keeps mold in check.

[tropicalescape]

I have recently dealt with a boat that had taken on some water and after I got everything offloaded (mattresses,upholstry,books etc)I begin to smell a musky/moldy smell ,so I got myself some of those things you see at the rest stops along the hwy in the rest rooms(the cleaner rest rooms)...I dont know the name but it is a pouch of some sort of powder that you place into a rectangular shaped box with holes on all sides,it works great! They have them at west marine and they dont cost very much and they will remove the moldy smell,the diesel smell however is a different story...good luck and Merry Christmas!

[Teknav]

The MOST EFFECTIVE way to get rid of mold, is by cleaning the affected areas with FORMALDEHYDE (formalin) and BLEACH solution mixture. You will get rid of the mold, but eventually you'll need a new liver; due to formaldehyde toxicity. Anything with mold = wrecking ball/set it ablaze. Save your money! Cheap advice...take it!

Mauritz
Goat Glands Specialist!

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Teknav

The MOST EFFECTIVE way to get rid of mold, is by cleaning the affected areas with FORMALDEHYDE (formalin) and BLEACH solution mixture. You will get rid of the mold, but eventually you'll need a new liver; due to formaldehyde toxicity. Anything with mold = wrecking ball/set it ablaze. Save your money! Cheap advice...take it!

Mauritz
Goat Glands Specialist!

I didnt see any mold in my case ,just that moldy smell,I wouldnt think the product I meantioned will kill any slim or aspergillus type of premordeal(sp?)(fruiting) fungal growth..I wouldnt think that just because mold is present that the boat should be demolished either,course i aint no expert...

[cheoah]

Meh. Skip it. There's some pretty fresh smellin boats out there. My last one was a little funky, current one is dry, fresh, and clean. No comparison, and worth a lot to me.

No doubt that german lady would put me to shame, can't even watch it right now - feeling delicate

I work in mud, manure, blood, and other unmentionable stuff, but vacation is a fresh berth on a sweet ride. To each their own.

[FlyingCloud1937]

BORA-CARE®



OR SEARCH WOODEN BOAT FORUMS FOR THE SAME IN HOMEMADE MIXTURE.


Three-part ingredient Polypropylene Glycol, Boraic Acid, and Borax.


It kills all mold and mildew on contact, it will, given time kill the same, by oxidization. Just leave the boat shut up, with fans.


Make sure you don't allow it, to the bilge pump and over board.


Liberal saturate all solid surfaces, if used on fabric, launder fabric with in 24 hrs, don't allow fabric to dry after application.


A one gallon pump/bug sprayer is ideal.


Nothing will return after treated... once dried it has no VOC's



Lloyd

[Kenomac]

If you decide to take on the project, a 1:10 bleach to water solution will kill mold and the spores. You'll just need to make sure that you get all of it. If you're looking to purchase a commercial ozone machine, I have one I'd like to sell.

[FlyingCloud1937]

Originally Posted by FlyingCloud1937

BORA-CARE®



OR SEARCH WOODEN BOAT FORUMS FOR THE SAME IN HOMEMADE MIXTURE.


Three-part ingredient Polypropylene Glycol, Boraic Acid, and Borax.


It kills all mold and mildew on contact, it will, given time kill the same, by oxidization. Just leave the boat shut up, with fans.


Make sure you don't allow it, to the bilge pump and over board.


Liberal saturate all solid surfaces, if used on fabric, launder fabric with in 24 hrs, don't allow fabric to dry after application.


A one gallon pump/bug sprayer is ideal.


Nothing will return after treated... once dried it has no VOC's



Lloyd

Whoops...

meant to type Ethylene Glycol not Polypropylene Glycol


Lloyd

[zboss]

You can also use sporicidin.

Mold Remediation Products & Mold Removal Products by Sporicidin

We used it in the bilges and hard to reach areas and our boat doesn't smell at all. We will be applying it regularly in the tropics.

But yes.. if the mold or mildew is in the plywood then you can only get it clean by replacing the ply.

[Normanby]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

If you decide to take on the project, a 1:10 bleach to water solution will kill mold and the spores.

No, it won't.
It will just make the mould a lighter colour.

This is a myth put about cleaning companies, who make nice smelling bleach-based products.

When I'm next at the 'puter I'll quote some reputable sources.