My third week of ownership mold and mildew out of know where 1977 Ericson 31 Cruising

[Alan Gomes]

All of the above is fine, but really should be regarded as a band aid. I have the same boat as you and had numerous deck leaks. The 30 year old foam backing the vinyl had degraded and black mold had
started around the leaks. My first boat project was complete headliner replacement with wood panels that can be easily removed for access. This allowed for rebedding of every deck fitting except the toe rail.
Regarding rebedding fittings, it's important to put a chamfer on each hole with a countersink bit-something that should have been done at the factory, but wasn't. Here's a really good thread about
bedding in deck fittings. http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...ck-Hardware-With-Butyl-Tape&highlight=bedding

Martin

Martin,
Do you have pictures of those wooden headliner panels you created? This is a project I may want to do down the line (on my E26-2) and I'd be interested in seeing your approach to it. I'm thinking of cutting the panels out of door skins and covering them with fabric.

 

[Martin King]

Hi Alan,

Here's a pic of what I did. V-grooved ply with teak battens.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Hi Alan,

Here's a pic of what I did. V-grooved ply with teak battens.

Wow! That's gorgeous! How thick is the ply?

 

[Martin King]

I don't want to hi jack this thread, but it's 1/4 inch ply.

 

[Mark F]

Here's the thread Martins photos came from;
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?4500-Interior-rehab

 

[mkollerjr]

Having lived aboard during a pacific northwest winter, I can relate to your issue(s).

First, find deck leaks and fix them. This will fix your moisture coming from the exterior problem. However, persistent indoor mold/mildew problems are likely from poor ventilation.

For the cushions, if you are replacing them, don't go with the vinyl backing they likely came with. Get something that breathes. We replaced the vinyl backing on our v-berth cushions with a breathable fabric we found on Sailrite.

Get a rain-screen type material for the cushions to rest on. You can buy a "marine grade" version, but it's actually just a common building product that you can get for a third of the price, such as this: http://www.stucoflex.com/rainscreen_drainage_mats.html. We ended up getting the Froli system (http://www.frolisleepsystems.com/) for our v-berth which completely solved all the condensation issues (though not inexpensive).

Make sure all your wood has some sort of protectant on it, such as tung oil, varnish, or whatever. Bare wood breeds fungus.

We leave all our hatches cracked open all the time.

Drill ventilation holes in all your enclosed lockers, cabinets, etc, and consider adding small ventilation fan(s) as previously mentioned.

Ventilate, ventilate, ventilate!

Mark

PS: VENTILATE!