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curious - I'm in the process of wiping down and cleaning a recently purchased 2004 hull and am wondering where all the black muck and grunge accumulated from.

Boat was not submerged, but every surface as seen from each access hole and interior hull surface is covered with an easily removed muck. a little clorex spray, toothbrush scrub and it wipes right off, but almost has a dead mold appearance. curious if anyone else suffers same.

robb - 2004 conquest 305

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Black mold. Gets everywhere where the surface can accumulate humidity and not have adequate ventilation e.g. the bilge.

Get yourself some Tile-X Mildew "root penetrator". Spray, let sit, wash down.

I've never seen this is the stores and usually order wherever it is cheaper, amazon or eBay.

https://www.amazon.com/Tilex-Mildew-P...penetrator

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you nailed it. will purchase cleaner you suggested. probably took 5 years off my life breathing this stuff....but it does come off easily

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exactly the way i found mine after purchase..muck and grunge describes it perfectly..after cleaning mine to a degree, i always put some tide detergent down there and it continues to clean hidden unreachable areas from constant motion.congrats on your purchase

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so....spray it throughout the hull (or add Tide) and then hose down completely - then lean on the bilge pump to evacuate residue?

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if i can remember correctly, i started with hosing it all down maybe using simple green and scrubbing..let it out the drain..on land..while keeping in the ocean, added some tide ..just a few onuces..the constant motion got it under the fuel tank and areas unreachable, and kept self cleaning over a season or 2..good luck..my lower areas are sparkly clean now..ps also had to clean the bilge float and bilge cuz they were fouled

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The Tide method works in the bilge areas that have water sitting.
Ive always used Dawn and bleach. Keep in mind, if you have an oily bilge you can't pump it overboard.

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Sounds like you've already cleaned your boat but just in case. I've had very good luck with a product called Jomax for my spring cleanups. It gets all the winter dirt, black mold that forms when the boat is under its winter cover off with almost no scrubbing, even the no skid areas of the deck. I wet the boat, mix the solution per instructions (water / Jomax / bleach) in a pump sprayer, spray it on and let it sit a few minutes and then rinse it off. The boat looks like new when I'm done. Most hardware stores will carry it, it's primarily used to clean houses in preparation for paint.

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Duane: your recommended old spray (not available in stores) is awesome! really appreaciate it.


Robb - 2004 Conquest 305

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Thanks for all the suggested cleaners. These hints are very helpful.
I do try to remember to take advantage of wind and use fans if using chemical cleaners.
The fumes mostly stay inside the boat for us to breathe. We only get two lungs and two eyes per go around.

I have had great luck leaving liq. det. In bilge, and allowing time and motion to do the hard work. Also as mentioned, coat the areas and walk away for awhile.
Two cautions: detergent around mechanical, lubricated parts, may dissolve the oil or grease. Bleach, and a few other chemicals will attack metal. One comment was to the effect that bleach attacked everything but the inside of the bottle it came in. So leaving it in the bilge for any length of time might not be a great idea. Flush well!
Begin with the soft cleaners and get more agressive as needed.