How to Get Rid of Mold & Mildew from Boat Canvas

I'm going to tell you the number one best way to remove mold and mildew from your boat canvas, or any canvas material for that matter. It will not use any harsh chemicals, toxic smelling products, or highly labour intensive proceedures. You will only be using fresh water and a little bit of arm movement.

I have the type of canvas on my boat that does not breath all that well, it has some sort of coating underneath that makes it extremely waterproof, but when the canvas is closed up, it traps moisture, and therefore mold can grow. I have spent many labor intensive hours trying many products to remove mold and mildew, from expensive made for boat products, to bleach, ajax, vinegar, and pine-sol. Some of those solutions worked to a degree, but I was never completely satisfied.

So while putting on my canvas one spring getting ready for launch, I noticed that my canvas once again was not its cleanest. Later that day, a good friend was walking into the boat yard with a sale item they bought at a local hardware store. It was actually a small handheld Shark Steamer.

I can't remember how I got the new steamer out of her hands and onto my flybridge trying out different attachments, but I did, and after 5 minutes of use, I left the boat yard to go and purchase my own steamer.

The process was as follows. Use a small bristle brush attachment where the steam still comes out with some force, and you are able to lightly brush the fibres of the canvas as the steam is doing its work on the mold. When an area of about 3'x3' is done, take a clean cotton rag and wipe down the area. Repeat if necessary. That's it.  Just take a look at the before an after pictures.

Before

After

I have never had as good a result with any other product or solution. It isn't like new in my case because my canvas is older, and the mold has discolored the canvas backing just a little, but it is 99.9% better than it was. Every boat owner with canvas, needs a small steamer like this one. I wonder what else this little steamer will come in handy for?

Feel This Moment, A 2012 Boating Recap Video

C-Shel's splash date is set for May 10th, so here's to a great 2013 boating season! May you have lots of those special boating moments this summer.

The Anchorage Channel Launch

With inspiration from the likes of the Sunset Channel and the Aquarium Channel on cable, comes the Anchorage Channel... not really a channel but series of anchorage videos put in a YouTube playlist. :)

Last year we started mounting the HD camera and taking video of the sights and sounds of sunset anchorages. We have a few from around the Rideau and St. Lawrence to upload, but first in line is of course one of our favorite anchorages on the Rideau, Nobels Bay.  This is a peaceful 10 minute video of the sunset as we are swinging on the hook to enjoy on a big screen in HD, for times when you are not boating but wish you were. For best results, hopefully you have some way to sling YouTube video to your TV, like an Apple TV, a WDTV, or similar.

If you have a video of an anchorage at sunset from anywhere in the world, let us know about it, I'd love to consider adding it to our YouTube Playlist.