Moss covered fenders

[Mike Adams]

Anyone any good suggestions for cleaning off moss covered bow and stern fenders and keeping them clean. I think they are synthetic rope but not sure about the core. Everything seems to go green on the Basingstoke Canal quite quickly if there is any sign of damp?

[Ray T]

I use weed killer, a good scrub with a bristle brush, then when dry soak well in a bath of creocote. Before putting the fenders back on the boat make sure they no longer drip so as not to polute the canal.

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, Mike Adams said:

Anyone any good suggestions for cleaning off moss covered bow and stern fenders and keeping them clean. I think they are synthetic rope but not sure about the core. Everything seems to go green on the Basingstoke Canal quite quickly if there is any sign of damp?

High pressure washer gets it off.

[zenataomm]

I know somebody is going to scream at me .......

But every four to six years I take mine off when the boat comes out in November.  I then stick them each in a bucket of creosote for a month and then in water until the boat is due to go back in the following April.  It seems to stop the recurrence of greenery for a few years and a don't leave a trail of duck and fish corpses behind me.

I see Ray T has beaten me to it.

[philjw]

If the fenders are man made fibre rope, is the creosote going to do anything?  Could it actually damage the rope?

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

20 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

High pressure washer gets it off.

Yes, works a treat. Last time the boat came out for blacking I took them off and had them power washed along with the  hull. Easy. 

[john6767]

26 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

High pressure washer gets it off.

I agree that works.

[Stilllearning]

My attitude was that the fenders are made of man made fibre with old tyres as the core, so don’t rot, and the moss and lichen looked good, so the fenders got left alone.

[Mac of Cygnet]

Proper old-fashioned creosote hasn't been available to the general public since 2003.  That's not to say that you can't get it by some means (it's available for professional use only) or that (less effective) substitutes are not available.

[Bunny]

Thats what we have planned for tomorrow  , with a power hose . Bunny 

[Murflynn]

the best moss killer on the market is BAC50. ...... used by professionals for cleaning patios and roofs.

 

use it with care.

[koukouvagia]

17 minutes ago, Bunny said:

Thats what we have planned for tomorrow  , with a power hose . Bunny 

Go easy with the power hose - you can cause them to go all furry.  Basically I follow the regime in #2 and #4.

 

Edited March 5, 2018 by koukouvagia

[ditchcrawler]

Didn't they use to be white cotton and scrubbed

[Ray T]

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Didn't they use to be white cotton and scrubbed

Usually on the butty, less so on a motor.

[Ray T]

57 minutes ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

Proper old-fashioned creosote hasn't been available to the general public since 2003.  That's not to say that you can't get it by some means (it's available for professional use only) or that (less effective) substitutes are not available.

Creocote a substitute can be obtained from B & Q.

 https://www.diy.com/search?Ntt=creocote

( I mix a little used engine oil in with the creocote when I treat my fenders)

ETA. If you use Creocote don't use it any where near the house, it will stink the place out. We have a integral garage, I did soak the fenders in an old baby bath in the garage. Mrs T is a very understanding lady but stinking the house out was a step too far. I am now banished to the shed at the bottom of the garden for this exercise. 

Edited March 5, 2018 by Ray T

[Movin' on]

1 hour ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

Proper old-fashioned creosote hasn't been available to the general public since 2003.  That's not to say that you can't get it by some means (it's available for professional use only) or that (less effective) substitutes are not available.

relatively easy to get the real stuff on the net just bought some £40 for 20 litres delivered - Creosote Sales Ltd Loughborough - only problem is you can't buy less than 20l but a fender will take app 2l each

 

[David Mack]

4 hours ago, Ray T said:

Creocote a substitute can be obtained from B & Q.

 https://www.diy.com/search?Ntt=creocote

( I mix a little used engine oil in with the creocote when I treat my fenders)

ETA. If you use Creocote don't use it any where near the house, it will stink the place out. We have a integral garage, I did soak the fenders in an old baby bath in the garage. Mrs T is a very understanding lady but stinking the house out was a step too far. I am now banished to the shed at the bottom of the garden for this exercise. 

But does Creocote have the protective properties of creosote, or is it just a cosmetic stain for pretreated sheds and fences?

[Ray T]

8 minutes ago, David Mack said:

But does Creocote have the protective properties of creosote, or is it just a cosmetic stain for pretreated sheds and fences?

Sorry I wouldn't know as I have always mixed it with used engine oil. Also I soak my fenders every other year as a matter of course. My mixture does soak into the fenders well.

[Momac]

Try Patio Magic.

[blackrose]

On 05/03/2018 at 16:04, philjw said:

If the fenders are man made fibre rope, is the creosote going to do anything?  Could it actually damage the rope?

Yes I think it could.  Most fenders are made from polypropylene these days and so if treated with chemicals are subject to embrittlement through Environmental Stress Cracking. Seems like a classic case of some people misunderstanding what their fenders are made of and treating them like traditional hemp materials which most are not. 

http://read.nxtbook.com/wiley/plasticsengineering/novemberdecember2015/consultantscorner.html

[Movin' on]

3 hours ago, blackrose said:

Yes I think it could.  Most fenders are made from polypropylene these days and so if treated with chemicals are subject to embrittlement through Environmental Stress Cracking. Seems like a classic case of some people misunderstanding what their fenders are made of and treating them like traditional hemp materials which most are not. 

http://read.nxtbook.com/wiley/plasticsengineering/novemberdecember2015/consultantscorner.html

Joe Hollingshead - who uses poly as the core for all his fenders, whether the wrapping is poly or sisal, still advises a full soaking in the real thing.

On ‎05‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 21:41, David Mack said:

But does Creocote have the protective properties of creosote, or is it just a cosmetic stain for pretreated sheds and fences?

NO - that's why they are different - can you think of anything that has been downgraded (by health and safety or the EU) that is as good as it was and fulfills its original purpose??

I have used creocote mixed with old oil in the past or even old oil diluted with white spirit both do the job.

[Sea Dog]

My black synthetic ones came up a treat with a hand sprayer of proprietary "mould and mildew" cleaner. Sprayed them, left them overnight, rinsed them off.  Dunno if that helps Mr Creosote or the Hysterical Boat Society, but it might help others who don't do hemp.

[Movin' on]

52 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

My black synthetic ones came up a treat with a hand sprayer of proprietary "mould and mildew" cleaner. Sprayed them, left them overnight, rinsed them off.  Dunno if that helps Mr Creosote or the Hysterical Boat Society, but it might help others who don't do hemp.

IMHO Creosote is essential on sisal otherwise its overkill

other brands are available..........................!

"Mr Creosote! 

[Murflynn]

1 hour ago, Halsey said:

 

NO - that's why they are different - can you think of anything that has been downgraded (by health and safety or the EU) that is as good as it was and fulfills its original purpose??

 

correct - for example I used to use Trustan40 on rusty steel in the 70's and it worked a treat.  I can only guess that it had much higher phosphoric acid content than current products.   I can't find it these days but on a farming forum I found:  father used trustan 40 before 2 coats of red oxide and then 2 coats of tractor paint when doing up vintage tractors. Seems to work well as some has been on 30 odd years.

[philjw]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

My black synthetic ones came up a treat with a hand sprayer of proprietary "mould and mildew" cleaner.

Has anyone tried mould & mildew cleaner on side decks? Mine grow algae which takes a lot of scrubbing or occasional pressure washing to remove.  Would the cleaner be injurious to the paint on the side decks?