Yacht & Vessel Mold Inspection
A boat is a sealed, humid box sitting on water. It grows mold for reasons a house does not, and it has to be inspected differently.
The conditions are the problem
Humidity that never leaves
A vessel sits in a permanently humid environment. Air that is already close to saturation has very little capacity to dry anything out.
Condensation on every cold surface
Hulls, lockers and bulkheads sit at water temperature. Warm cabin air meeting them produces water on surfaces you cannot see.
Closed up for long periods
A boat shut for weeks with no ventilation and no air conditioning is close to an ideal growth environment.
Where we look
The compartments that stay closed and stay damp: bilges and lockers, under berths and settees, behind and beneath cabin lining, in the heads and shower sumps, around hatches, ports and any deck fitting that could be letting water past its bedding.
Air conditioning ducting and drip trays get particular attention, because a system serving a damp interior can distribute what it collects through the whole vessel.
Soft goods too — mattresses, cushions, upholstery, carpet and headliner. On a boat these absorb moisture and hold it, and they are frequently where a smell is coming from even when the surfaces around them look clean.
Moisture mapping, then sampling if it helps
Walk the vessel
Visual assessment of the compartments where moisture and growth collect.
Find the water
Moisture readings on suspect materials, and whether the source is intrusion, condensation or a plumbing fault.
Sample if warranted
Where sampling would add something, samples go to an independent laboratory. It is not automatic.
Written findings
What was inspected, what was found, what could not be reached, and what we suggest.
Access on a vessel is genuinely limited. Voids behind fixed joinery and inside cored structure cannot be inspected without opening them up, and our report says so rather than implying we saw everywhere.
Vessel inspection questions
Do you inspect vessels in the water and ashore?
Yes. Tell us where the vessel is and how it is currently stored, since that changes what we can reach and what conditions we will find.
Can you inspect before a purchase?
Yes. A mold and moisture assessment is a useful companion to a marine survey, which has a different focus. We report on moisture and growth, not on structure, machinery or vessel value.
Will you find the source of the smell?
Usually, though not always without access. Soft furnishings and closed voids are the common culprits. If the source sits behind fixed joinery we will say what would need opening to confirm it.
Do you remediate vessels too?
We hold the remediation license, but not on a vessel we have assessed. That separation is the same as on a building, and for the same reason.
How do I stop it coming back?
Ventilation and dehumidification while the vessel is closed up, and fixing whatever is letting water in. Cleaning alone will not hold if the conditions stay the same.
Concerned about mold aboard?
Tell us the vessel, where it is kept and what you are noticing.
Online requests are temporarily unavailable
We are rebuilding our online request system. Phone and email are the quickest ways to reach us, and both are answered.
- Phone
- (754) 703-8317
- License
- Mold Assessor MRSA3298