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Boat odor

6K views 39 replies 21 participants last post by  Minnewaska 
#1 ·
What we all know to be "boat odor", even if very slight, is usually a function of a wet bilge that grows molds and bacteria, mixed with dirt and oil. Boat odor.

With a keel stepped mast, our bilge is impossible to keep bone dry. Everyone considers our boat to be essentially odor free. It's often mentioned. Truthfully, it's slightly there, we know it. Very subtle, but sure.

The issue is, we have water that comes down the mast and it's too much to keep up with every time. Further, we are typically home Tue-Thu and water will sit if it rains during that period. It's that first opening of the companionway that reveals the fact that we aren't odor free, even if it's subtle.

So my latest discovery. I was servicing our air conditioners, which have pans that collect condensation to divert it to a hose to be sent to the bilge or overboard. There is a product called a Pan Tablet, that you put in the pan to control odor from that pan. It is some sort of disinfectant that says it is non-corrosive.

So I decided to toss one in the spot that would collect water in the bilge, while we're away. We come back the next week and both my wife and I were amazed that there was no odor.

I will report back if this becomes a single occurrence, but so far, pretty pleased.

A bottle of 30 tablets (probably an entire seasons supply) is about 10 to 12 bucks.
 
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#2 ·
Can you point to a supplier?

Is this the stuff?


$14 at Home Creepo
 
#3 ·
The odor from AC condensate pans is usually bacteria, sometimes very pathogenic bacteria such as Legionella. These bacteria are, and multiply, principally on the COILS of the AC unit, not just in the condensate collection 'pan'. Clean the AC COILS (fin-tubes) on a routine basis. Cleaners for AC coils are available in most HVAC supply shops. Do the same for your HOME AC unit.
 
#7 ·
Most of the 'stink' that develops inside boats (and houses, etc.) is probably from putrefying human exfoliated (skin, etc.) cells; this includes the airborne dead and decaying cells that get stuck on/in AC coils and condensate pans, shower sumps ... and bilge, etc. etc. surfaces. These 'putrenes' also supply microorganisms with their 'nutrients' and the microorganisms also eventually putrefy at the end of their lifecycle.

Hygiene - an occasional cleaning/soaking with mildly caustic detergents will remedy and control the problem instead of using compounds that only temporarily 'mask' and 'perfume' the underlying problem.
 
#14 ·
Hygiene - an occasional cleaning/soaking with mildly caustic detergents will remedy and control the problem instead of using compounds that only temporarily 'mask' and 'perfume' the underlying problem.
I've tried many bilge cleaners, some with tremendous results. I personally like TufEnuf bilge cleaner. However, they all emulsify and have been gunking up the hinge in a float switch. I have no objection to occasional bilge cleaning, I do it routinely. Most cleaners also foam, making it harder to vacuum out or for the bilge to work properly.

In the end, my problem is not a dirty bilge. It's mast ingress water that sits and grows stuff, while stagnant. The tablets are not masking the issue, the are disinfectant tablets that prevent the smelly bacteria from growing. No perfume at all.

So far so good.
 
#8 · (Edited)
i throw some stinky fresh scent antibacterial liquid soap into my bilges. fixes odors with whatever smell of the day i desire and cleans bilges as the water sloshes a tad in wakage and winds. cheap and easy.
so far, i like the roses and the lavendar scents best.
plentiful in mexico, where bilge cleaner is prohibitively priced.
bathing also helps, btw, as much of our boat smell is from our own hygiene preferences.
it also helps to occasionally scrub the bilges and use running water and pumps to remove the old stink. never fails.
 
#10 ·
Antibacterial soap contains triclofan, which is an emerging environmental contaminant - it is showing up in shellfish in SF bay now. It really should be banned as an additive to soap - it will be eventually, but only when lots of damage has been done.

What I do to clean the bilge is put a bucket of water in there, with a little added deck cleaner. That stuff is formulated to be relatively harmless to the marine environment. Turn off the bilge pump, go for a sail to get it all agitated. Turn on the bilge pump again.
 
#11 ·
All great ideas... I personally keep the bilge as dry as it can be. I go into the cavities between the liner and hull and dry up any water from condensation that accumulates there. I wipe down with vinegar/chlorox diluted mix on the surfaces in the bilge, I buy the largest box of clothes dryer freshener pads and place them on the inside backs of all cushions, place them in areas like cabinets, etc. I leave all the cabinet doors open during the time we're not in the sailboat. We keep dehumidifier jars in every compartment and always keep our large box fan 24/7 running to keep air moving and out of the cabin.

Even so we still have a slight smell of diesel when we first go into the boat but after couple of minutes the smell is gone and all that's left are the smells of the fresheners/candles.
 
#15 ·
Even so we still have a slight smell of diesel when we first go into the boat but after couple of minutes the smell is gone and all that's left are the smells of the fresheners/candles.
It's still there it's just that when you have been in an odor a couple of minutes you stop smelling it.
 
#13 · (Edited)
biodegradable must also mean something else in usa.
google calibri jardin de rosas and then tell me i am poisoning your waterways. i think you will be apologizing.
if boat smells even slightly of diesel you have a leak . i repair those before my engine loses prime or my bilge fills too full of diesel. removes odor immediately. surprisingly effective.
odors are symptoms of what needs to be addressed so as to remove said odors. funny how that works.
never add anything to boat that will screw up your pump innards.
my bilges were designed to be wet, and it will be loong time before modification is made. it wont kill me.
yet.
 
#17 ·
my keel stepped masts donot provide waterways to keel, as i have nicely bedded mast boots in place. waterproof. functional. not even ugly. easily removable and replaceable for servicing mast.
if your mast has a groove in it, we found respite from mast wetness in a storm (opb) by use of caulk in the groove to prevent the running river from being. it worked.
oh, btw--mine are not premade mast boots, but made by me ones, as this is more effective and cheaper than the ones sold in chandleries.
 
#18 ·
We have a keel stepped in-mast furler, so it's essentially impossible to keep rain water out of the 1"x70ft slot that runs the length of it. In theory, I could block it off near the bottom and drill a drain hole out the side. This would still need to be done near the base, as interior wiring and lines are running from the deck and up. I'm considering it.

Here's my idea. Drill a hole about 1" up from the base. Inject slow cure epoxy until the bottom is full and begins to pour out the hole. This should seal the bottom of the mast and provide a path of least resistance for water. I could also put a fitting and hose and direct that water to the sump.

One concern is mast step strength, with a new hole that close to the base. The other is epoxy leaking out the bottom and gluing the mast to the step.
 
#20 ·
mine are a ,kind of sunbrella rubberized looking tropical water on deck prevention material. works great now for 4 years. love it. will get more of that stuff... and a sewing machine, as my sails donot want to live much longer, the bastids.
mebbe i will make a visor out of it for weathery days......
oh yeah... i will receive any and all old sails y´all wanna ditch whenye replace your soon to be blown out beauties. thankyou in advance.....
 
#22 · (Edited)
Seems to me that the real reasons for the bilge smell is the 800 lb. gorilla in the room. Most modern boats just don't have any appreciable amounts of bilge ventilation. Nada, Zilch. Having an internally ballasted boat with extremely shallow bilges has made me extremely sensitive to this issue. Subsequently I have installed in my sole, from stem to stern, from the forepeak to the foot of the companionway ladder basically an industrial poly grating 1 inch thick and 12 inch wide. My ceilings up along the hull deck joint are also open to the bilge. Continuous ventilation from bottom to top is the key to controlling sour bilge smells. The foot of my companionway ladder rests on a 36X36 inch grating that generally mimics the outline of the companionway above, so that even in downpours or hard sailing, most ingress water gets channeled directly into the bilge. An added benefit of this grating is the ability to notice any additional water sources in the bilge.
 
#24 ·
These pan tablets seem to be working very well. Last week, I decided not to sponge/vac out the little bit of water that collects in the corner from pulling the speed wheel or that comes down the mast, rather just leave the tablet in it and lock up. See what happens.

Came back last week to an 80 deg cabin and no odor. That would have been a sure recipe for some mold to skim along the top of the stagant water and stink.

The tablets are staining the hull blue, where the water stands. It cleans right off fairly easily.

So far, I'm a fan.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Apple cider Vinegar(not wine vinegar) by itself will work as long as its just a typical musty boat smell. If you have bacteria growing in vents or standing water that needs to be removed.

To use vinegar, get a plastic container like you like a flat box that you use to put money in at a garage sale. Drill holes in the top. Buy some small sponges that will fit in the box and cut them to fit the box. Saturate the sponges with the vinegar. Close the lid, and set in the area that is musty. Over several days it will clear out the odors.

Works in bathrooms too.
 
#27 ·
Probably not be a good idea if there are stainless steel keel bolts in the bilge. The MSDS for these products seem to indicate that the active ingredient is a chloride. Reactive chlorides are a principal cause of crevice crack corrosion in stainless steels. Sorry.
 
#33 ·
I'm a fan of cowl vents and dorade boxes. Our old boat has 3, 4" forward facing(located forward of the mast) and 2 aft facing(galley to lazerette).

We leave a large engine access door open that also ventilates the deep bilge.

As we're swinging on a mooring, tons of fresh air pours through the length of the boat interior(head - chain locker) - through the engine room and cockpit lockers - 24/7.

It smells fresh when we slide open the companionway hatch and our deep bilge always has some water in it(all that gets is occasional rinse of fresh water and pumped).
 
#34 ·
Minnie- how are you moored? Like you have keel stepped mast. Unlike you have traditional slab reefing with Dutchman. Still in a squall get some bilge water. Also some from condensation. Most from AC unit. However if on a mooring or sailing it's truly trivial. It's relevant only when stern to prevailing winds in a slip.believe we get much less as we have a much smaller hole.

Now if in slip will go bow to prevailing winds regardless if this mean coming in bow or stern first. Problem solved.

Also changed out my lower bilge pump to one that runs for 15sec after float switch turns off. Decreases back flow without a check valve. Much dryer bilge.

Our AC unit drains into the bilge. Believe this is fresh water as it's condensate. Agree AC units can cause all types of diseases such as legionaries but doubt it as source of bilge smell beyond keeping bilge wet.

Lastly strongly agree with Rich. We smell. We shed hair, skin, oil, and dirt. We rapidly habituate to smells. We are the worse judge if our boats smell after we've been on them for a very few minutes. A wipe down of all surfaces with weak vinegar/water solution and one ( yes just one) drop of dawn keeps the boat smell free. Best purchase we made was a very small but powerful hand held plug in vacuum. The battery ones just don't cut it. Vacuum everything then wipe safe surfaces, a bit of chlorox followed by immediate water flush down the drains= no smell.

Do bilge cleaner once a year. Stuff's nasty. But leave oil absorber in there always.
 
#36 ·
Minnie- how are you moored?
Good question. We are at a slip, with the aft furling slot of the mast facing the prevailings. However, I'm not sure the big rains really come with prevailings. I will have to think this one over.

Also changed out my lower bilge pump to one that runs for 15sec after float switch turns off. Decreases back flow without a check valve. Much dryer bilge.
We have a small lower sump in the bilge with a diaphragm convenience pump. There is always about a pint of water in the 8"x8" section of bilge, but it turns over frequently, since all condensation is hosed directly to this sump and I do scrub it out occasionally. I do not believe this is a source of odor.

Our AC unit drains into the bilge. Believe this is fresh water as it's condensate. Agree AC units can cause all types of diseases such as legionaries but doubt it as source of bilge smell beyond keeping bilge wet.
I agree, and this isn't the stagnant source of water for us either.

Lastly strongly agree with Rich. We smell. We shed hair, skin, oil, and dirt. We rapidly habituate to smells. We are the worse judge if our boats smell after we've been on them for a very few minutes. A wipe down of all surfaces with weak vinegar/water solution and one ( yes just one) drop of dawn keeps the boat smell free.
Totally understand and agree with this point. We clean surfaces pretty well, I believe.

I'm convinced the odor is from two specific sources. I believe I mentioned the odor is slight and occasional.

First is mast water that finds its way to corners, where it either lies beneath the lip of a limber hole or collects at the intersection of a rib/stringer. These places can be below tankage or other obstructions, where it's very difficult to vacuum out or keep clean of dust, etc.

The second is the cup or more of sea water that enters each time I remove or replace the speed wheel. It's an awkward spot, which is difficult to dam up, so I can keep the ingress water in one spot. One of these days, I will have to disassemble all the furniture/cabinetry in the area to dam it. It disappears under the sole and not until we go out sailing/heeling, does much of it finds its way to a place that I can clean it out.

When either of these two sources of water collect and stand for any length of time, I can shine a light on them and see the mold on the surface. Odor. These tablets seem to be preventing the mold from forming.

Best purchase we made was a very small but powerful hand held plug in vacuum. The battery ones just don't cut it. Vacuum everything then wipe safe surfaces, a bit of chlorox followed by immediate water flush down the drains= no smell.
I think we have the best of both worlds. I bought a Dewalt wet/dry vac that can both be plugged into 110v, as well as run on 18v batt. We almost always plug it in. I use it to vac water I can reach.

[quite]Do bilge cleaner once a year. Stuff's nasty....[/QUOTE]

Me too, sometimes twice. I've liked TufEnuf bilge cleaner. It's also an enzyme and it seems to foam less, when I vac/pump it back out. Some bilge cleaners foam like a washing machine, which is nasty.
 
#38 ·
Last thought. We .have four bilge pumps. Electric high/low and whale from inside the boat and another in cockpit. Like you use tuufenuff but make sure to pump it through all four pumps. The hoses sit empty. The bilge end is open. Maybe that's a contributor?
 
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