HELP! Minor Hurricane damage

[jumpjets]

I live at ground zero for Hurricane Florence, so my boat and I evacuated to western NC. Boat didnt' see hurricane conditions, but it did see tropical storm conditions and 2 feet of rain.

I just brought it home and opened it up. The cabin and cockpit looks like an episode if DISCOVERY CHANNEL's "LIFE AFTER PEOPLE". There is only minor cosmetic damage. The entire boat is filthy and mildew filled from all the rain, temperatures, and being stored on a farm.



Can I powerwash all this mildew, mold and poop off, or will it damage the gelcoat??


Is there any special chemical or product to get rid of purple bird crap stains? Some birds took shelter from the storm in the boat. I'm glad they survived, but they could have been more polite squatters!




Is there a special chemical to get rid of these rust stains on the vinyl?



How do get all this mildew of the pleather cabin interior? This boat looked BRAND NEW before the hurricane, and now it looks neglected.

 

[SkiGuy1980]

I don't think I'd use a power washer to attack the hull (I don't know that it'd hurt, but probably won't remove the set in stains). There are a lot of different cleaners on the market for the interior and I used a lot of them on the old boat with limited success getting crud out of the grain of the interior vinyl. I used EasyOff oven cleaner and it did an amazing job cleaning and brightening the colors and whites. No stains remained (although I don't recall seeing any rust on mine before I started). Just don't use this in direct sunlight because it will stain if if dries out before you wipe it off and be careful about getting any on you (it will burn your skin!). You might be able to use this on the purple poo stain, but check it out on an inconspicuous area first (you don't want to mar the finish).

I'd clean the cabin cushions with some 303 then get them into the sun to dry. That mildew is pervasive once it starts. Good luck! Dave

 

[alldodge]

Power washing will not hurt the gelcoat, but also don't use the pencil point to try and remove. The nozzle to use depends on how much pressure your washer puts out, but no more then you would use on your car.

3M vinyl or 303 for cleaning, and simple green does a decent job. Get her dried out quick, use some bleach for mold but not on vinyl

 

[capecodtodd]

Soap, water and elbow grease on the hull should work and use the power washer to rinse not to force the dirt off.
For the seats start gentle and work your way up to the harsher means.

 

[southkogs]

Mind any vinyl graphics on the hull with the pressure washer ... that mug will peel 'em right off.

 

[dingbat]

Wash hull as usual. Spray Clorox cleanup on any stains and let sit. Usually removes the stain w/o further intervention.

If that doesn’t work, biodegradable hull cleaner diluted 4 parts water to 1 part cleaner works wonders. Put it in a spray bottle for ease of use

 

[Lou C]

Starbright mildew stain remover works great on seats, here in the damp climate of Long Island its a constant battle!

 

[jumpjets]

Thanks for the recommendations so far. 303 all purpose cleaner worked pretty good on the mildew. It worked much better than the single-purpose mildew remover.

I think i'll try the easy-off over cleaner next. The mildew is mostly coming off, but it's not 100% clean. There is still trace amounts of mildew on the vinyl.

A shop vac and electric leaf blower did wonders drying out the wet cabin carpet. I left them running in the cabin in different areas for several hours.

I'll attack the exterior tomorrow or the next day.

 

[SkiGuy1980]

Glad you were able to make some progress. Just a reminder about the oven cleaner - test a spot first (even on the vinyl) and work in small patches that you can rinse off fairly quickly.