TOPIC: Boat Needs Moss, Lichen, Mold, Mildew Exorcism

What products are recommended, safe to the hull and finish , etc.
This is BAD !!!

Man I'm stumped on the Lichen removal. I'm not finding much helpful information by searching on the web.

Wet and Forget said:

Hi Reinier,

To remove lichen with Wet & Forget, it’s a little different of an application as it requires a second step. First, apply as you would to any surface — completely saturate the surface and apply heavy. Second, wait fifteen minutes and then re-apply to the lichen. During those fifteen minutes, the lichen is opening up and exposing it’s roots. When you apply wet & forget you want to apply and leave it and let it dry. If you’re looking to speed up the process you can give it a week or so and then hit it with a light pressure washing. The brownish/reddish color is just a temporary sign that you’re getting a good reaction with the wet & forget and the growth on the surface. When you re-wet the surface with water, you’re not removing wet & forget, you’re removing broken down layers of growth. The product needs time to work, especially on lichen which is a tough growth to remove. I would give it a month or two to start working, though I would recommend re-applying if the lichen removal steps weren’t taken at first. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for commenting.

Reinier van Dongen said:

I was impatient and gave it a light powerhose today after 6 days. Wow what a difference, never expected that! I made pictures showing the difference between the part I powerhosed and the part I still had to do. Amazing, whish I could add the picture to this mail!! Will do the 2 step lichen treatment in the rest of the garden tomorrow. Thanks for the great service and fast response!

Used a similar product called "Spray and Forget" . I'll post pics over the next few weeks, and together we'll all discover if it works.

I'd like to see that. I had no idea how to proceed.

Growth like this normally damages the surface of the gelcoat / paint. The organisms actually "root" into the outer surface of the finish, leaving it rough appearing where they were attached. This is because the sheen had left the finish at some point making it porous. The porosity of the finish enabled dirt to collect and for these little buggers to make a living. So because of this, even when fully cleaned off, the finish of the fiberglass will not be completely smooth. The point of all this is to say, use anything you want to clean it it, as long as it doesn't gouge deeply into the finish. A pressure washer is a good place to start. Take it to a car wash & spray it with tire cleaner & let it soak in for half an hour. Then blast it off. Any bleaching cleaner will help to kill the spores that enable growth. You can use comet cleaner and a scotch-brite scouring pad. Start with the least abrasive pad you can find. If the stuff won't budge, get nastier pads or cleaners to do the trick. If it's gelcoat under that stuff, you will probably have to wet sand it (if possible) and then spend many hours buffing it out with compound. Some of these can turn out surprisingly well.

Nice, that's what my boat looked like before I scrubbed her down with dish soap, goof off and a scrub brush. still have a few spots faintly showing some needs a bit more attention, but over all looks great so far.

This is encouraging. I was certain that I wouldn't be able to buff it out once the lecithin is removed. Now I have a glimmer of hope. Thanks guys.

1st pic is from original treatment.



2nd pic is an inspection today to see the effectiveness of this product.

Either you posted the wrong pic or that stuff was wholly ineffective. I'm new to boats but I'm no stranger to molds, mildews and lichens having been a painting contractor for nearly 30 years. I've had to get this crap off of all kinds of surfaces, wood, vinyl, aluminum siding, metal buildings, concrete, even fiberglass hot tubs. Miracle cleaners are almost always a waste of money. We always use plain old bleach, 100% straight from the jug into an old windex bottle, add 5 or 6 drops of liquid laundry soap for "wetting", this will allow the bleach to fully penetrate the lichens. Keep it wet for 15-20 minutes and hit it with a power washer. I wear painters whites so it doesn't matter, but make sure you're wearing old clothes when you're doing this. If you're doing this while parked on your lawn, wet the grass around the boat before you spray the bleach, and then hose it down again after you've washed the boat.

John