Boat Smell

[mregan]

Does everyone have what our family calls..."Smells like the boat". Anything left on the boat for an extended period of time seems to acquire it. Clothes/fabric seems to get it the worst. We store the bedding in waterproof duffel bags when not in use with the tops rolled shut. Still get the smell. Clothes left in drawers with blocks of aromatic cedar get the smell. Books pick it up. Pretty much everything.
When we go to the boat most weekends and first open her up, there isn't any noticeable odor at all.
Every couple of weeks we wipe down all woodwork and wood sole with a wood cleaner. Countertops/head always cleaned with Fantastic/Lysol spray cleaner.
I can't place the smell. It's not really a musty/moldy smell. I always wonder if it's a fiberglass smell? Had it on our first boat and now on our second and it smells kind of the same. That's what's leads me to think it's maybe fiberglass odor?  Or maybe it's the salt air from the ocean.  Do those of you on fresh water have this problem?

[mtullier]

Yes. Fresh and Salt. It seems to be embedded in all the teak. We have pulled EVERYTHING out and cleaned, but the boat smell always returns.

[Stu Jackson]

Never had boat smell unless the bilge has something in it.  We leave the aft cabin portlights open (we're lucky because the winter prevailing winds and our dodger preclude any rainwater getting in), and leave the head and aft cabin and V berth doors open all the time.

[Indian Falls]

Our boat was musty smelling when we got it.  It also smelled like diesel.  On top of that the hoses in the sanitary system were permeated and the settee where the holding tank is had a funny not quite sewer smell that was relentless.   

Here are some of the things we did to clean her up:

We wiped sprayed soaked all surfaces with white vinegar after washing them with ordinary floor cleaner like Top Job, spic and span or Mr Clean.  Pull all the drawers, wipe all the doors, get the vinegar to thoroughly soak the surface, anything that is wood especially.
The boat smelled like vinegar fora few weeks, but the removal of the mildew has been permanent. 

I eliminated the leaks in the keel where harbor water was coming in through the keel bolt holes (another story)

I hunted down and eliminated any and all fresh water leaks, leaks at through hulls, leaks from deck hardware.

I replaced all the sanitary hoses.

I removed and painted the holding tank with plastic primer then Rustoleum Oil alkyd paint.  I painted the entire area under the port settee, because nothing else, and I mean nothing else was eliminating the smell in that compartment.

I leave the head hatch open all the time and have a solar ventilator opposite it on the starboard side for ventilation.  My "Air only" ventilators are open all the time, they replaced the std dorades that came with it.

I changed all the fuel lines and made 100% certain all fittings and connections are dry.

I put the engine breather into the air intake strainer.

I pulled and sealed the backside of the flooring and both Teak panels in the aft cabin with a quality non water born polyurethane.  The smell of the plywood flooring backside was very offensive, especially the Galley area.

I keep an eye on my ports.  Leaks onto the cushions make stinky cushions in a hurry.

I don't think I missed anything, if remember more I'll add it in.

Upon arrival to the boat after 5 days there is no off odors, it just smells like a boat, almost the way new boats smell inside at the boat shows.

Additional info:  I made and will install a stainless tray under the mast step fitting.  Rainwater and condensate coming down the mast will get directed into a jug in the bilge just behind the mast step.  Other than interior condensation on the hull when the dew-point is rarely just right, I should have a nice dry boat.

[Footloose]

My votes are for the septic hoses, cushions and bilge.  We clean our cushions with a Rug Doctor every year.  When we first got the boat I removed al kinds of black stuff from the cushions when cleaning.  It took several cleanings before it was gone.  Probably mold.  Also sprayed them with Fabreeze. Huge difference.  New sanitation hoses were also a big blessing.  We also keep the dorades open all the time and have a solar vent in the aft cabin.  We are on a mooring so the boat sails into any wind and makes the dorades very efficient.

[cmainprize]

Every boat I have ever been on has "boat smell" not a bad smell, just a boat smell.  I don't mean diesel, standing water, head or mold smell, just been closed up for a while smell.  We notice it most when we bring things home or leave them in the car.  We put bounce sheets inside all our cushions in the fall and spring, makes the boat smell fresh all the time.  Add two or three inside each cushion cover.

[Andrew Harvey]

We take our cushions home for the winter.
Every once and a while i go into the storage closet to breathe in some boat smell.
Reminds me of being on the boat

[Jim Hardesty]

I think Stu has the right fix.  Ventilation.  Then track down and fix, or at least identify, each odor.  Then if a new odor (ie problem) appears, often a simple fix then will stop a larger problem from developing.
Jim

[Clay Greene]

Particularly this time of the year when it gets colder outside and the water dips down in temperature, we get a lot of condensation in the interior of the hull below the waterline.  I think that is the cause of much of our musty odor.  The only way around it is vigilant cleaning and ventilation.  It stops when the boat comes out of the water, we remove the items from the storage compartments, and give her a good cleaning with bleach spray. 

[mregan]

Every boat I have ever been on has "boat smell" not a bad smell, just a boat smell.  I don't mean diesel, standing water, head or mold smell, just been closed up for a while smell.  We notice it most when we bring things home or leave them in the car.  We put bounce sheets inside all our cushions in the fall and spring, makes the boat smell fresh all the time.  Add two or three inside each cushion cover.

This is exactly what I'm talking about.   Glad others have it also.  Like the idea on the Bounce sheets. 

[Ron Hill]

Mre : To get rid of boat smell -- ventilation, ventilation, ventilation!! 

After stopping the leaks and having a dry bilge!!  A few thoughts

[sundancer]

I tried different styles of moisture collectors and finally purchased a dehumidifier for about $200.  It has about a one gallon collection tank that was full after about the first 36 hours of use.  I then connected an external hose to it so that it now drains directly into the galley sink and out to sea.  When you use this dehumidifier you are told to close up the boat completely, no hatches left open.  I also leave all doors open, ie head and rear stateroom so that they are included in the circulation.  The machine runs any time I am away from the boat.  I believe it is the best investment I have made.  

The other advise given about the holding tank hoses was good!  If you still have the black hose they are most likely permeated with waste and need to be change with the newer white hose.  

http://www.compactappliance.com/dehumidifiers/?

Hope this helps,
Sundancer

[Fuzzy]

Roger:  Which model did you purchase?  The 30 pint or the 50 pint or ????
Thanks for the report.
Larry

[RobertSchuldenfrei]

Hi Everyone,

I would echo everything that Stu said and add a few tips.  Esprit du Vent spends the whole year in the water.  Florida heat and humidity are issues, but we do not keep the A/C on when we are ashore nor do we have a dehumidifier.  Clean, clean, clean is the biggest tip.  I am retired so I can get to the boat a couple of times during the week and we sail most weekends.  Vinegar works well, but I can't stand the smell of the stuff.  I use Lysol spray on most surfaces except the head where I use CP (stands for clean potty).  Nothing goes down the head into the tank that "did not come out of you."  Thus, no toilet paper.  That goes into a zip-lock bag.  We flush with ship's fresh water.  Note we have yet to take a long blue-water cruise, so fresh water is not an issue for us.

Since you are in Rhode Island (I lived in Wickford during the 1970s) you will have your boat up for the winter.  I would begin with a complete cleaning with a sweet smelling cleaner like the aforementioned Lysol spray.  While the days are still warm keep coming back to see if you can identify from where the boat smell comes.  Take your cabin cushions home and use fabric cleaner.  Fabrics can hold smells for a long time.  After cleaning do they still smell like they were still on board?  Books were mentioned.  Keep only the paper that needs to be on board actually on board.  I have actually reprinted some of the manuals when the paper became thick with mildew. 

When we got the boat there was smells in and around the plumbing.  A product called PureAyre (http://www.pureayre.com/) works wonders.  Get the one for marine use.  Like mechanical and/or electrical issues try to get to a base level of everything clean and then sniff out the offending item.

Cheers,

Bob

[Brent Evans]

I'm with you Sundancer- if you've got shore power, a dehumidifier is the way to go!  Open everything up inside and let it drain into the sink.  Everything stays on the boat and bone dry.  No dampness, no mold, no smell.