 Mmm, I never thought that I would see a sail that had been eaten by Rats on the boat! Usually I'd give advice to prevent the issues I see with sails, but this time all I can come up with are not practical. Get a cat, set a rat trap, spread rat poison, or even a one of those circular rat discs over the mooring lines. Or just call him Stuart Little and keep as a pet.
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Wow, hasn't glamping taken off! Belle tents are being made at great prices and are being used by rental companies for everything from, weddings, festivals, getaways or just general glamping. Do a quick internet search and it has to be the most popular new business in the past couple of years. Glamping is just a mash word of glamor and camping, but there is not much glamor if the tent has not been maintained. Yep, just like a yacht, these canvas tents need a lot of work. Don't put away wet, don't leave up for extended periods, clean off any bird droppings or tree matter, clean off dirt and dust, etc Considering the number of phone calls I receive from tent owners, I know that not all the rules of tent ownership are being followed, and the tents are going mouldy. I would love to show/tell how to clean a glamping tent so owners can do it themselves, but unless you have a Vacuwash machine yourself, then we are your only option. The mould in the tent canvas will quickly spread everywhere and no amount of scrubbing/soaking will clean it, there is just too much fabric and all in a 3D shape. Even if there was a manual way to remove it, the shear effort to do such a large area is tiring just thinking about it. We have cleaned hundreds of all brands of glamping tents, I even bought one myself to glamp in, then cleaned it and resold it. They do look like new again after we have cleaned them, and your customers will be happy to sleep in them. The question of waterproofing always comes up though. Firstly they cant be waterproof otherwise they will go mouldy as you watch, they need to be water resistant so the fabric can breath. Every manufacturer says to reproof after cleaning and all canvas is different. We recommend talking to the tent manufacturer and reproof with the product whatever they recommend. Apart from the odd polar vortex, Australian winters are getting warmer, thus extending the mould growing season. Cold dewy nights, warm days combined with seasonal westerly winds blowing organic material from inland Australia, mould is having a party all over your boat as you sip rose in France, or slide down ski slopes at Thredbo. Winter is actually a great time to go sailing, not only are you having fun sailing on empty waterways, but you are also using your boat and helping to prevent mould from taking hold by drying your sails.  |
