To cover or not?

[tonyjh63]

Got a question about preventing mold/mildew: The carpet in my boat is wet/damp right now. I have a boat water-repellent cover that "breathes" (also has a couple of vent holes). Should I go ahead and cover the boat up? Seems like all that moisture in the carpet could lead to mold/mildew, both on the carpet and possibly the vinyl seats as well.
Putting it in a garage is not an option, and it's supposed to rain again in the very near future (in other words, letting dry in the sun for a day or two might not work, since we have more rain coming). Thoughts?

 

[GA_Boater]

Don't cover it and it will only get wetter. And mold and mildew can still grow, it's just not as obvious.

Fresh fungus is much easier to clean up, so cover the boat. If you can put a fan inside to move air around.

 

[ahicks]

My vote-
I would let it dry before covering, even if it gets rained on first.

 

[dingbat]

Wet for a couple more days is better than mold

 

[bchaney]

After I use the boat I'll leave the cover off for at least a day as long as it's not gonna rain. If it was gonna rain I'd cover it.

 

[tacx]

Cover it.

 

[kpg7121]

Use a wet/dry vac on the carpet, then cover it. You'll be surprised how much water you can remove with a wet/dry vac.