Preserving upholstery over winter storage

[KQ]

Hello, My husband and a

re completely new to boating/pontoons. R​

ecently we purchased a 2004 Playbouy Kingfisher 16ft pontoon boat. The previous owner had all new cream colored upholstery installed last year. It's beautiful. We have cleaned and protected it with 303 but are concerned about keeping it nice over winter storage. We're in Vermont with 6-7 months of cold, wet, snowy weather ahead of us. The previous owner included an older cover and a wooden bracing system to keep the snow from piling up on it. It will be stored outside. We're concerned is after seeing pictures of friends pontoons with the upholstery all marked with what appears to be mold? How to we properly care for ours so this doesn't happen? We have multiple questions... should we cover it as much as possible during the boating season, does quality of cover matter? We heard that if the cover comes in contact with the seats the marking will occur. That seems odd to us. Thank you in advance!

 

[legalfee]

We rarely have snow down here but sun and rain can do a lot of damage to your seats and helm. I got someone to make custom seat and helm covers that snap on. I have vinyl floor so I don't worry about it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard

keep air circulating such as having a box fan keeping air moving.

 

[BRICH1260]

Do your best to keep moisture accumulating under the tarp. Vents or damp rid should help.

 

[mr 88]

Besides ,as mentioned air flow , I remove everything that can be taken out that may hold moisture and that includes all my seat cushions . With the furnace in the basement that gives me a high and dry location, If you have no storage space and must leave them on the boat stand them on end so a minimal part of the cushion is resting on something that will not allow air to circulate. With the change in temps over the fall and spring you have a green house going on under your tarp. Great for mold to start up along with trapping water all over the interior.

 

[Blind Date]

My advice is to find indoor storage if you can afford it. I got lucky and found indoor storage for $30 a month in rural WI to store my 'toon......pretty much a no brainer.

 

[JimS123]

The cost difference between indoor and outdoor storage is negligible. People that truly care about their personal property will spend whatever is necessary. If its not affordable, then maybe the boat is not affordable, or you just have to live with the consequences.

In the olden days Grandpa said a breathable canvas cover (duck, cotton twill, etc.) was mandatory. Our boat was stored outdoors for years with never a problem. When cheep HF plastic tarps became available they were scorned by boaters. When shrink wrap first started even the boating gurus warned against them. Obviously, we have become a cheep society and the teachings of the old timers have been long forgotten.

To answer the OP's question, build a strong PVC structure and then cover it with canvas. Install vents to allow moisture to escape. Don't provide electric heaters or fans because of the fire hazard (that's not my recommendation, but coincidentally it was just published today in the BoatUS magazine).

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Banned, I would hope so, what are people thinking? It's not like this person was a newbie, 158 posts as blackburb. Me thinks someone got into dad's PC. Mod's I would contact them and get their side of the new name.

303 is a great product. To me it beats Armor All by a thin hairl. I can't get 303 up here so Armor All is my 2nd choice. Moving the air under any tarp or shrinkwrap is key to fend off mold. Get the tarp off as early as you can in late winter or early spring. I am more concerned with critters making the boat home over the winter than interior materials. I have seen little foot prints on the seat backs in spring, cats maybe small Racoons. I have snow white interior seats on my StarCraft. After 28 years the seats are still white with 1 little split in the helm seat. I use Spray 9 to clean them then a coat of Armor All more than a few times a year. On the split I slather it with petroleum jelly until I can figure out how to stop it from getting worse. So far so good. If I can't get indoor storage I pay to shrinkwrap it. Indoor storage brings other problems into the mix, like mice living in nice warm boats stored indoors. If you can get as many removable interior seats, cushions etc. indoors.