Treadmaster protection
Richard Hare visits the camping shop to stop mould on his Treadmaster
In PBO January 2018 I reviewed Fenwick’s Tent and Awning Cleaner – a product chiefly marketed to caravan owners – to see how well it would perform at removing stubborn mould growth that had accumulated on my yacht’s Treadmasterclad side decks. It did an excellent job, and at £5.70 for a one-litre bottle it did so at an excellent price too.
Job done? Well, not exactly. It's one thing to find an inexpensive and easy-touse solvent-free product that shifts the gunk, but quite another to stop the problem recurring. And what chance finding something at such an attractive price again?
But it got me thinking... I returned to the local caravan shop where I chanced upon another interesting product – Fenwick’s ‘Over Wintering’. Described as: ‘a coating for the winter months that retards algae growth, black streaks and makes spring cleaning easier’.
This was something I had to look into. Might it mean one less job come fitting out? I particularly liked the bit about making spring cleaning easier. More often than not, what’s good for the caravan is just as good for the boat.
The litre bottle of the water-based solution cost £10 and I applied it as directed: I washed the deck with warm, slightly soapy water then allowed it to dry. Mixing one part ‘Over Wintering’ with four of water, I applied the solution with a paint brush and then left it to dry, and that was it. I could just as easily have used a garden sprayer or a sponge. Once dry, the protection was invisible. A little alarming yes, but hey, reserve judgement.
Come spring, there’s no need to remove it, so I didn’t. There’s nothing there to see. The quantity I used is less than a quarter of the litre purchased, so it should be good for at least another three winters.