Easy Care Maintenance Helpful pontooning hints from the staff of the Pontoon Boat Guide.

Preventing Mildew

Mildew is an unpleasant fact of life that can spoil a boating holiday and do permanent damage to carpet, upholstery and canvas. With a little knowledge of what mildew is and how it forms, it can, for the most part be prevented.

Mildew is one of several types of mold propagated by spores present in the air. It will grow in any damp, warm place with sufficient food and a lack of ventilation. The "dry" storage areas of the typical pontoon boat provide a perfect breeding ground for mold.

Food for mildew can be any natural fiber such as cotton, untreated wood, paper as well as the remains of a picnic lunch or fishing trip.

Boat manufacturers are aware of this and specify components such as carpet, upholstery, plywood and canvass that are either resistant to mold formation or are chemically treated to inhibit its growth.

After a long day on the water you may be sorely tempted to tie the boat up, put the cover on and leave the mess for later. But, by the next day you will already begin to detect a faint odor of decay caused by mildew forming on all of those wet towels left in the storage areas, spilled soft drinks and lunch ground into the carpet. It is a lot easier to prevent a mildew problem than to clean one up.

Here is what needs to be done at the end of the day:

1. Remove anything wet from storage areas; tow ropes, lines, towels and life jackets.
2. Drain and flush the live well if you have a fishing pontoon boat. Some lemon juice or bleach will eliminate the fishy odor. Rinse well.
3. Hose off decks with fresh water and scrub dirt from carpet.
4. Wipe down furniture and storage lockers with mild soapy water. Some boat soaps claims to kill mold spores.
5. Prop storage lids open and allow boat to dry in the sun before installing cover.
6. Dispose of accumulated trash.

This is not so bad and, if all crew members have a job it will go quickly.

Tip
In order to provide ventilation when you aren't using your pontoon boat, make certain that your cover is made of material that can breathe and install vents to replace the support pole reinforcements. (Google: "boat cover ventilation".)

Further reading

Print Article