A few days ago, a partial bucket of water spilled on the floor and Dave noticed that quite a bit of it just disappeared into the seam between the fiberglass floor and the teak and holly overlay.
So he unscrewed the wood and lifted it up to wipe up the water.
YIKES!
I was embarrassed by what we found.
Sixteen years of accumulated dirt, grime, mold and mildew. The back side of the wood was the worst
While we have never noticed any particular “funky boat” smell on Barefoot Gal, it had to be there. And that incubator for mold and mildew can’t be good for putting the boat into storage for the (hot and humid) summer.
We got two of the floor sections cleaned before we left Marathon, using lots of bleach to kill the mold and mildew and letting the wood dry thoroughly before putting it back down. Where there was just dirt, we vacuumed it up and then washed the fiberglass. Four more sections to go.
I am not looking forward to the ones by the table and in front of the refrigerator. What food and drink must have spilled and collected there?
A friend on another Gemini told us that after spilling a Coke one day and watching it disappear under the floorboards, he (of course) began with the same lifting the floorboard and cleaning under it. But when he rescrewed the wood, he set each screw in silicone and ran a thin bead of silicone around the edge where it meets with the fiberglass in order to seal it off.
That seems like a good idea, although I wonder if minute cracks would develop in the silicone that would still let liquids through. John has never lifted his floorboards since doing it, so can’t say for certain that nothing has collected.
Got any similar places on your boat where you’ve found more gunk than you imagined could be there?
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Ralph Lewis says
Cheap white vinegar works better than bleach – about 1 cup/gal of water.
Patricia Leat says
How on earth do you lift the floorboards that are built in under cabinets?
The Boat Galley says
Ours are overlays screwed onto fiberglass.
Patricia Leat says
Ours are glued..
Skylar Walker says
Good advice. Also, this is easy to clean up if you find it soon after it happens. Sometimes all it takes is a Magic Eraser. If not 50/50 water & hydrogen peroxide sprayed on, soak awhile and wipe clean. Also helps to have the area well painted.
Gimme Shelter says
We know this story all too well.
Jennifer Dean Neumann says
I have so many nooks and crannies! And a 30 year old boat I’ve been planning to thoroughly clean since I bought it 4 1/2 years ago. Some day.
Jennifer says
Our floor boards com up easy and I wipe them regularly… can’t get u see the fuel tank though, it’s in an enclosed space… it smells bad, will need to look into this during the winter.
What I have questions about is the mildew that grows during storage on the hard for the winter. How do I slow that growth or stop it all together?
Carolyn Shearlock says
Best thing I’ve found is Concrobium. See it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2OjmPjx. Next best is plain white vinegar.