Question:
I need to find a method that I can use to protect a 18-ft fiberglass
boat from UV and mildew through out the year. The boat is on a
trailer. Currently, I use a vinyl boat cover to protect the boat.
This method works fine in fall and winter. The vinyl boat cover
protects the boat from snow and UV in the cold winter. That boat cover
doesn't wrap very tight around the boat and the outside temperature is
dry and cold, and the boat has a T-top that creates a large air space
under the boat cover; therefore, I don't worry about mildew growing
inside the boat in the winter. But I am wondering what will happen in
spring and summer.
The vinyl boat cover is not breathable. In spring when the weather is
warm and the humidity level goes up, I think moisture will start
condensing in the underside of the boat cover, and I am afraid that
mildew will start growing under the boat cover and inside the boat.
One way that I hope will minimize the problem is by putting some
fenders along the gunwale of the boat to create channels for air to
circulate in and out under the boat cover. But I am not sure if this
is good enough to prevent mildew from growing. Any idea?
The other option is not to cover the boat at all, and let it exposed to
sun and rain. But I don't like this because the boat is not
"rain-water tight" and I am afraid that rain water will find its way
inside the boat, and create mildew problem in the interior of the boat.
Therefore, I prefer to put the boat cover over the boat all year
round.
By the way, I live in Northern New Jersey where the humidity level can
be high during the spring and early summer.
Answer:
Put some vents on the cover.
Here is one that might work:
http://tinyurl.com/chp6h
You could also fabricate a vent similar to this:
http://tinyurl.com/ayn38
I would invest a little bit of money and buy a cover made out of Sunbrella.
-Before you put the boat under it's cover, be sure to wipe the interior
surfaces with a Lysol type spray. Just spray and wipe the interior so
that the mildew will not grow. As others have pointed out, a breathable
cover is best and be sure to put in vents.
-It is sold in supermarkets and mass merchandisers such as Target, Wal-Mart
and Kmart. It is not popular, so it is on the top shelf and takes up one
row, so you have to look for it.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?id=prod1190&CATID=100468&s...
The only thing I use it for to clean up my boat, so I don't get mildew. I
hate the smell, it smells like a hospital, but it only lasts a few hours.
