Boracol Application

[pandroid]

We've finally decided to try cleaning our 10-year old teak deck with Boracol. The boat was kept outside in the uk for the first few years and we had to bash it every year to get the mould off. For the last 5-6 years its been kept inside in a shed in the winter so we havnt seriously cleaned it since - just washed it.

The deck aint bad but there are a few places where you can see mould spots - predictably mostly places like behind the genoa track where we dont walk.

Now - we tried some Boracol on this as a test piece. We put on two coats and left it for a couple of weeks. When we came back the deck had whitened, the mossy bits had obviously been killed off, but they hadnt disappeared (they just changed colour) so the deck still appears blotchy. It appears to get rid of these bits, washing it isnt enough - we now have to do the scrubbing thing

Is this right? I thought Boracol was magic. If it aint, is it better to get the mould off BEFORE applying Boracol, or after? As Captain Rum of Blackadder fame would say, 'opinion is divided'....

 

[VicS]

See http://www.deck-treatment.co.uk/decktreatment.htm

However Boracol 10RH is now only available for professional use!

Boracol 5RH for amateur use.

Dont know the difference ... cheaper so presumably more dilute and therefore less effective ??? Needs 4 coats instead of 2 so works out more expensive

 

[Chris_Robb]

See http://www.deck-treatment.co.uk/decktreatment.htm

However Boracol 10RH is now only available for professional use!

Boracol 5RH for amateur use.

Dont know the difference ... cheaper so presumably more dilute and therefore less effective ??? Needs 4 coats instead of 2 so works out more expensive

Or try Brintons MMC plus(Moss and Mould cleaner) Brilliant, but DO NOT USE it if you are afloat as its is highly toxic when deposited straight into water - fish don't like it either. This removes all the green very quickly and also the ingrained mildew to leave a white deck.

 

[kyleview]

The 10RH is readily available for boat owners. Also one coat is more than enough if properly applies - roll on with a small anti-fouling roller. I usually do overall once a year in mid season, then touch up the "shaded" areas/side at the start of the season. Its also super for keeping the "green stuff" off sprayhood seams, etc. I have full teak decks and do not cover over the winter and keep the boat in Largs.

 

[Daedelus]

I find that a bucket and sponge and diluted fairy liquid to give the deck a good wash first to get the dirt off, let it dry, then a coat of Boracol 10 Rh, let that dry then a further coat and that's it for another year.

Don't use a brush or anything like a scouring pad - doesn't do the sponge much good, but you only a need a cheap one - ooh and heavy duty rubber gloves, the fairy will dry out your hands something wicked and there's more dirt than you'ld think on the average deck, and Boracol isn't too nice to get on your hands either although it will keep the moss off you.

 

[jbweston]

I use Boracol, but we've applied it once or twice a season since the boat was new and it works well, exactly as claimed.

It ain't magic, it's a fungicide. So it kills the fungus but leaves 'the dead bodies' behind, and usually these get washed off at sea, in the rain or by freshwater hose.

Your problem might be that the fungus has got established in the grain and opened it up, so after applying the Boracol you still have the dead fungus and other dirt that's worked its way into the grain. This happened on my old boat where the teak toerail went like that. Possibly you are going to have to use some sort of bleach-type teak cleaner or even sand the teak back to smooth it if you have enough thickness to do that without getting anywhere near down to the level of any screwheads. Obviously you can't sand more than once or twice in the teak's lifetime. And pressure washing and scrubbing are complete no-nos as they will destroy the teak - the former in an afternoon and the latter in easy instalments.

 

[pandroid]

It ain't magic, it's a fungicide. Your problem might be that the fungus has got established in the grain and opened it up, so after applying the Boracol you still have the dead fungus and other dirt that's worked its way into the grain.

Yeah, you may be right. We've found the dead stuff comes off ok with judicious use of a washing up brush, but obviously you have to be careful or you can make dips in the teak. In the past I've used a scotchpad, but you have to be careful.

I guess we'll just have to take our time and work round the boat. I just wondered whether to get the deck clean BEFORE or AFTER the Boracol or whether it matters. Its a HR, so there's plenty of teak before we go through it...

 

[jbweston]

. . . Its a HR, so there's plenty of teak before we go through it...

Penguin's a Malo, so also good thickness, but we mustn't let it lull us into a false sense that it will never wear out. I'm jolly sure I don't want to be around when someone says 'I've got some bad news for you, Julian. Your teak's worn out and needs replacing and it will cost you £X', so I'm strict to the point of being paranoid about no scrubbing not even sponging. They say you can get 30 years out of teak if you look after it.

A couple of years back I went aboard a Rustler 36 that was for sale. Lovely condition below, didn't seem to have done a lot of work, and well equipped but the screw heads were showing through the teak deck. The owners didn't seem to realise that the boat was worth at least £30,000 less than a similar boat with the deck in good condition. I wonder if they ever sold it, and if so how much it cost to relay the decks and how long the boat was out of commission while the work was done?

 

[Carolwildbird]

I usually use boracol after a clean with soapy water as described above. It does not return my decks to a pristine state but does get rid of any greenness.

I recently found the ultimate cleaner/restorer, and am thinking of marketing it if I can recruit enough dogs...

I had a new pup in the spring and taught him to pee on the deck. After a couple of weeks I noticed that in that area, the teak has changed back to gleaming, clean goldy white. Unfortunately I lost him to some illegal greek poisoner, so my first trial of my new product has had to be suspended. Anyone willing to collect dog pee and continue my initial experiment?. Come to think of it, I wonder if human pee would work? Might have to have some dead of night trials...

 

[RichardS]

Come to think of it, I wonder if human pee would work? Might have to have some dead of night trials...

So that's what those crafty French are up to (refer to thread about "foreigners" if you can be bothered!)

Richard

 

[bluedragon]

We clean first, then Boracol as the last treatment to act as a preservative. It didn't do a good job of getting rid of the mould spots that were well ingrained. I felt Patio Magic was better, but both can take a few weeks to work properly.

I know this is sacrilege, but in the end we had to use a pressure washer on a low setting and controlled height to recover the deck appearance. I can't see it did any harm at all, but it is one of the dinky ones sold for cleaning mountain bikes, etc. I think it was better than loads of chemicals, scrubbing, etc, but I doubt anyone else will agree with me.

 

[Bandit]

Boracol is a fungicide not a cleaner, it works by killing any fungus and algae.

You still need to clean the deck of dirt.

My deck was cleaned and had 2 coats of Boracol 10% applied in March, it is a good good white colour, no mould, algae or slime in sight. It could do with a light wash to clean it of dirt.

My aim is to stop the slime, mould and algae damaging the deck and "eating it" to preserve the life of the deck and secondly to reduce the number of "washes" the deck has per year to lengthen the life of the deck as each wash especially if a brush is used wears away a bit more.

The results I have seen on other boats that use it is good.

Have you seen the replacement price of a teak deck!!!!!! Anything that can extend the life of my existing teak deck by a few years is good.

 

[bluedragon]

Completely agree. We want to get our deck back to pristine condition this year with minimum damage, and then (fingers crossed) nothing but light washes and Boracol for the rest of its long life.