Mold and mildew

I have a chance to buy a boat that has a fair amount of mold and mildew in the interior. How difficult is it to remove, or am I wasting my time and find another boat?

 

what kind of boat? wood or fiberglass,,and whats "fair amount"?,,besides the health concerns (which are VERY real) the integrity of the boat might be compromised < big werd fer me heh

 

Its a glass hull. The interior woodwork is not stuctural, just cosmetic.

 

im one of those idiots that dont wear a resperator,i smoke,breathe all the bad things to do with boat building,painting, and jus nasty stuff. but that said, i dont mess with mold!, specially in the north, too much humidity which grows that stuff like rabbits on ******. and cosmetic on the outside might mean lots under, them spores love the dark and damp. then if that much dampness is present, what about your electronics, even wiring and connections. i'd look on the web about mold removal,add the cost of that to the cost of your boat, add the price of replacing everything that needs, your time,your wifes time spent saying, i cant believe you bought a boat that we have to spend money on before its even safe to get on. on the fiberglass side of things, if the mold is on that it'll be hard to get it all gone, the unfinished side of glass is usually porus to say, and just 4 or 5 microscopic spores are left behind, it wont take a week of non-use to start all over again

 

all boats suffer more or less from mildew, keep damp out and the boat ventilated
good boats use marine grade interior texiles that can be cleaned
use the search button above or check the i-net

 

Have a look at this thread on ethylene glycol. Could be useful - I'm using it on a 12 meter ply proa build.

Best

 

Eagle,
A lot would depend on where the mold is coming from. Are there top side leaks like through the toe rail bolts or hatches that is seeping into the the back of the vinyl covering and turning into mold or is it just a matter of a closed up boat without ventilation. If the mold has had a good chance to take root I would have a professional give you a price for removal. I would not attempt it myself. Once it has been removed all the topside leaks need to be found and the boat aired out. I installed a small A/C that I keep running 24-7. Of course my boat was holed and sunk and I am trying to stop mold from getting started. I removed all the vinyl head liner and any fabric left in the boat for precaution.

 

Thanks for the responses. After much thought from reading these responses, I decided that too much work was involved to eradicate the mold. Also, there would be no guarantee that it would all be gone, and there was no way I was going to jeapordize the health of my family. As such, I passed on the boat.

 

Good move, (I have a house for sale)