Mold - I've given up

jaywoodz

jaywoodz

Member
Nov 12, 2012
522
Richmond, Virginia
Boat Info
1999 Sea Ray 310 Sundancer
Engines
Twin 350 MAG MPI Horizon w/V-Drives
I've owned my '99 310DA for about 5 years now, and when I got this boat, it was immaculate. Came from Florida, great condition, well-kept out of the water on a lift. Over the past couple of years, the mold and mildew on my boat has grown expediently. What I mean.. is it's the worst I've ever seen it. I'm savvy enough to know that it's caused by moisture, lack of ventilation, and other variables. It's so bad, that even after a week, I have it on my ceiling, bed, mirrors.. literally everywhere.

After doing some tedious time on the boat, I found some leaks around my port holes (most of them). I pulled them out, cleaned, and re-sealed them. Well, they don't leak anymore, because my ceiling is dry now, and not wrinkled up, and I can tell a noticeable difference (yay).. but guess what? still have mold. Mold so bad, it's on the carpet.. and in the corners that are impossible to get to.

I noticed that water is collecting, consistently in the storage compartment under the main walkway through the cabin (not sure what this is called). It houses a box that stores the water drained from the shower/head and the overflow drainage from the AC. They empty into this box, and the pump, when filled up to a certain level, pumps it out. It never overflows, and is covered with a clear top, and 4 screws. That works great, and seems to empty without issue. However, there is still water in this compartment. I have NO idea where it's coming from. I've even poured water into the AC drain pipe, and watch it flow, without leaks into the drain box.. same with the shower/head. I've checked the galley sink, and no leaks there. The only thing I can think of.. would be *somehow*, there is water draining from the rain straight down into that compartment in some weird crack that is impossible to discover.

Let's pretend that the compartment is full of water.. and yet the wood piece (carpeted) is covering it like it normally should. Essentially, should that be causing all my mold issues? Since it's covered, and covered well.. how can that be the cause of all of my cabin mold? It's just not in a couple spots - it's the whole cabin. There's no other water anywhere in the boat. I now run the dehumidifier constantly.

With all this mold, I'm sure you can imagine how bad it smells. After not coming for even a week or two, it smells horrible when I walk in the cabin. I have to immediately open all the windows, leave the door open and light a candle.

I'm hoping that someone has experienced some freak, common leak that I can check that wouldn't be immediately obvious. I've even considered putting a tarp over the front part of the boat to test and see if there's a leak that I'm missing.

A few things to add in case there are immediate questions:

- My water tank is empty. I only use water from the dock via hose. If I go out, I fill the water tank, but drain when I return.
- I have not hit anything in the water recently, and if I had, I feel as if I would have a lot more water in the boat.
- I sometimes go weeks without visiting the boat, or opening the door/portholes.
- I don't usually run the AC/heat/dehumidifier constantly.
- I don't leave open drinks, cups, water bottles in the cabin.
 
I always have my AC set to about 80 deg. so the cabin doesn't get too hot and it dehumidifies.
 
I recommend a separate 110v dehumidifier. We have one always running in the cabin when the boat is docked and on shore power. We have it drain into the shower drain. We don't care how hot the interior gets, just so it's dry. We're in Florida, and it's common for folks to have dehumidifiers in their boats. Some run the AC with the dehumidifier, some just the dehumidifier. Around a 30 to 35 quart per day unit is sufficient for our 360 Sundancer, and it fits nicely under the companionway steps when it's not in use. Back in June, when we were living on the boat in Bradenton, it must have rained several inches each day. Those days we ran the dehumidifier and the AC. It rained so much Lake Okeechobee went up over 2 feet in a couple of weeks.
 
Same here, I always have the system on the Dehumidifier setting.

I'ts possible that the prior leak was worse than you thought and much of your interior around the portholes is still damp behind the material or up in your headliner. I'd place some Damp Rid containers as soon as possible throughout the cabin to absorb this latent water.

If the containers of damp rid continue to absorb the water after a few weeks you might still have an additional leak that needs attention. Mold is dangerous to the respiratory system. You definitely want to get it taken care of quick.
 
Do you have any idea what the RH% is in the cabin? Our cabin tended to get very humid and I don't like leaving the AC on when I'm not there, so I bought one of these and it runs 24/7 when I'm not on the boat. Keeps RH around 45% during the summer and pillows and blankets no longer feel damp when we arrive

https://www.amazon.com/KEDSUM-Appro...1508271075&sr=8-3&keywords=small+dehumidifier

That being said, regular humidity isn't your problem if you're getting water collecting. Our era of boats unfortunately leak and need some TLC to stop it. This year I went on a tear to track down all sources of moisture and leaks and seal them up. I rebed all 4 portlight window frames, all the bow rail stanchions, resealed all seams in the deck and rub rail, resealed the "valence" on the radar arch that the canvas attaches to (water was leaking INSIDE the arch and into the bilge), sewed a new canvas cover to keep water out of the lazarette because it drains into the bilge, relbed all canvas snaps that screw into the fiberglass, and replaced the windshield frame rubber molding.

The water in your sump could be coming from one of the porthole window frames. It will often leak in behind the glued down vinyl with foam backing and chase down the hullside until it finds that compartment. If its the head window you often wont see it because it runs under the one piece fiberglass compartment that makes up the head/shower. Have someone spray each window while you're watching that compartment.
 
I had a mystery leak on a 1997 Regal 240..... drove me batty as I couldn't source it for the longest time. It soaked the whole v-birth (which is the majority of the cabin on that boat).

Turns out it was the rub rail. Leaked like a sieve in multiple places.
 
I hate water.

I was walking the dock this past weekend and even with boats under covered slips there's a few forgotten boats that have so much exterior mold I would hate to see the interior.

When you talked about the sump box..... have you given that box a good cleaning just to make sure it's working properly?

Clean the screens of slime and ensure the pump is working properly..... fill the box a few times with water just to make sure it's not leaking.
 
Jay - I don't know where your A/C unit is, but on my 410, I had a pan drain tube from one of the A/C units clog and it ran into the shower sump bilge - so even though my shower sump wasn't overflowing, I was getting water in that area of the bilge...
 
This flooding of that specific bilge area is something I’ve dealt with twice this summer and as recently as last week.

First it was a huge and mysterious split in the aluminum water tank. Not near a weld. It looked like it was hit with a hatchet. Fixed that by studying under a Chinese contortionist for a while and was good for a few months.

Last weekend I ran out of water while taking a shower. I just filled up, so something was funky. The “dry” bilge area where the tank and shower sump is had about 50 gallons of water in it again and I was pissed.

Lots of diagnostic swearing later I surmised that the tank was leaking again, but not from a place I could see or repair, so a new tank is going in at the crack of spring.

If you only use shore water, I’d look for a leak in the plumbing, not that it’s going to be easy.

There’s more pressure there than the diaphragm pump produces and without pump cycles alerting you to pressure drops, you’re at a disadvantage.

As far as your mold, standing water under the cabin floor will saturate everything over time and get things growing.

I run my AC pretty much all summer and have a hygrometer in the cabin.

I also chase leaks like they’re coeds in hot pants all season long. It sucks.
 
Had this problem with my sump drain. Turns out Sea Ray screwed the sump drain from the inside to the floor in the sump compartment. These screws had to be removed and resealed and re screwed with 3m 4000. The water was leaking from under the drain through the screws. Caused quite an odor and grey water. Hope this helps. My problem solved.
 
1999 310 was the bow rail bolted from the bottom or screwed from the top .If its bolted from the bottom they do come loose and are a major job to fix those likes
 
dvx216 said:
1999 310 was the bow rail bolted from the bottom or screwed from the top .If its bolted from the bottom they do come loose and are a major job to fix those likes
Click to expand...

Probably just like ours, large Phillips head machine screws with the heads above deck, a backing plate underneath, and 3 lock nuts in the cabin. I redid all mine alone but another hand would be helpful, I wedged a ratchet on the nut then went topsides and hit the screw with the impact. I bedded them all in 3m 4000UV
 

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In all likelyhood you have water under floor of the mid cabin storage compartment. This compartment contains the shower sump. I spent hours chasing the mildew smell and finally drilled holes in the plywood to get the water out.

The water in my case came from the port hole windows leaking. The water ran down the hull to the low point of the keel which is below the compartment floor. From there it had no where to go. It just filled up and seeped into the compartment and soaked whatever was in there.

Here is the link to the original story.

http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/water-leak-in-forward-bilge-1994-370-ec.70064/
 
While hunting down the source of moisture you need to try to control the humidity. Running a 120V de-humidifier should work. I'd also put a good size fan inside the boat to circulate the air at the same time.

You need to kill the mold, wiping down with a bleach solution might make it look better but doesn't kill it. The reason your boat can look so bad in a weeks time is because you haven't gotten rid of it to start with...use a fungicide, maybe a bomb on the boat, then wash it down, shampoo the carpets, everything clean, clean, clean.

A very common source of water inside cabins is the rub rail screws, there are a gazillion of them. You can't see them all unless you take it apart. There's a set that holds the insert in place, under that is a set that holds the base on the boat, under that is a set that screws the top of the boat to the bottom of the boat, some call it a shoe box joint.

Using tape and plastic you can seal off individual things like port holes, deck fittings, and even the rub rail. Sooner or later you'll find the leak.
 
jaywoodz said:
I've owned my '99 310DA for about 5 years now, and when I got this boat, it was immaculate. Came from Florida, great condition, well-kept out of the water on a lift. Over the past couple of years, the mold and mildew on my boat has grown expediently. What I mean.. is it's the worst I've ever seen it. I'm savvy enough to know that it's caused by moisture, lack of ventilation, and other variables. It's so bad, that even after a week, I have it on my ceiling, bed, mirrors.. literally everywhere.

After doing some tedious time on the boat, I found some leaks around my port holes (most of them). I pulled them out, cleaned, and re-sealed them. Well, they don't leak anymore, because my ceiling is dry now, and not wrinkled up, and I can tell a noticeable difference (yay).. but guess what? still have mold. Mold so bad, it's on the carpet.. and in the corners that are impossible to get to.

I noticed that water is collecting, consistently in the storage compartment under the main walkway through the cabin (not sure what this is called). It houses a box that stores the water drained from the shower/head and the overflow drainage from the AC. They empty into this box, and the pump, when filled up to a certain level, pumps it out. It never overflows, and is covered with a clear top, and 4 screws. That works great, and seems to empty without issue. However, there is still water in this compartment. I have NO idea where it's coming from. I've even poured water into the AC drain pipe, and watch it flow, without leaks into the drain box.. same with the shower/head. I've checked the galley sink, and no leaks there. The only thing I can think of.. would be *somehow*, there is water draining from the rain straight down into that compartment in some weird crack that is impossible to discover.

Let's pretend that the compartment is full of water.. and yet the wood piece (carpeted) is covering it like it normally should. Essentially, should that be causing all my mold issues? Since it's covered, and covered well.. how can that be the cause of all of my cabin mold? It's just not in a couple spots - it's the whole cabin. There's no other water anywhere in the boat. I now run the dehumidifier constantly.

With all this mold, I'm sure you can imagine how bad it smells. After not coming for even a week or two, it smells horrible when I walk in the cabin. I have to immediately open all the windows, leave the door open and light a candle.

I'm hoping that someone has experienced some freak, common leak that I can check that wouldn't be immediately obvious. I've even considered putting a tarp over the front part of the boat to test and see if there's a leak that I'm missing.

A few things to add in case there are immediate questions:

- My water tank is empty. I only use water from the dock via hose. If I go out, I fill the water tank, but drain when I return.
- I have not hit anything in the water recently, and if I had, I feel as if I would have a lot more water in the boat.
- I sometimes go weeks without visiting the boat, or opening the door/portholes.
- I don't usually run the AC/heat/dehumidifier constantly.
- I don't leave open drinks, cups, water bottles in the cabin.
Click to expand...

I have a 1996 370DA and am experiencing the same problem, the previous owner drilled a 5' hole in the landing of the aft berth and I've shop vac'd the water out completely and the next day there is water back in there! he also drilled a 1' hole in the bulkhead that leads from there to drain in the midship bilge, thats when i noticed the problem when the bilge alarm came on while underway. I've searched high and low to find out where the water is entering from but no luck. if you find the problem please do share...thank you
 
There are only so many ways water can get there. Start with bow railings, just caulk around them for now, then nav lights , remove and caulk. If you have a windlass, caulk round it, and foot pedals if you have them. Some people have found the opening port windows need adjusting to make them close tighter. Also check AC drain, go into your sump pump and use a wet dry vac to suck the drain lines, you will be amazed of the crap that comes out of that. One other place to check is the anchor locker, make sure its drain is clear, that one goes overboard, but if it cant drain, it could eventually find it way under the floor.
 
I understand you have a leak and need to find the source, but m concern is you not running the AC. I think you need to run the AC and dehumidifier or in dehumidify mode 24/7. We always run ours and fairly sure my dock mates do as well.
 
I know this is an old thread but it occurred to me that nobody ever addressed how to attack the mold, only how to attack the source of the water leak. You really need to address both. One of the best pieces of advice that we ever got was to make sure to always run a dehumidifier on the boat, regardless of the time of year. We did that on our previous boat and never had issues with mold for over 15 years.

On our 450 DA we still have the same practice of running the dehumidifier in the salon and cockpit but we also use Kanberra Gel. It smells great and has eliminated the mold problem we had on our slant-back canvas even when running the dehumidifier.

http://kanberragel.com/

  • "Air movement takes Tea Tree Oil (TTO) airborne to attack and degrade mold spores, bacteria, etc. and remove odors"
 
Once you get the water issue under control, you may try pouring Pine Sol, scent of your choice, into the a/c, shower, sink drains. Cleans them, fights/kills any mold-mildew and leaves pleasant scent. Learned this from my surveyor. Been putting bout a cup in the above drains once a month. Leaves a continuous pleasant scent and there is no mold / mildew or musty smell. We also leave the windows open (covered slip) and a fan blowing to keep air circulating. Been doing this for well over 20 years in 3 different boats and has worked well.
 
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