Peggie Hall recommendation FTW, again...

Mr Fox

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Aug 31, 2017
204
Marshall 22 Portland, ME
Just thought I would share a small victory achieved by following Peggie Hall's advice in her book about bilge cleaning and not relying on a cleaning product to do all the work, that you actually have to get down and dirty and scrub it.

I have been plagued by an odor in my '82 Marshall 22 that I have owned for 2 years, coming from what I thought was under the fuel tank. You could smell it in the cockpit when the engine cover was open, or the fuel tank compartment was open. It would find it's way into the cabin when the wind was right. I have dumped bottles of bilge cleaner in the bilge, cleaned all around the fuel tank with simple green, checked for fuel leaks with carefully placed paper towels, used Pure Aire on all the cleaned surfaces, all to no avail. I knew from Peggie if the Pure Aire was not successful I was missing the source of the smell.

I decided to clean the bilge properly with scrub brushes, a wet vac and Star Brite Orange. While scrubbing and rinsing up to my elbows in tight spots, I noticed the water in the front area of the bilge was draining suspiciously slowly into the rear of the bilge where the pump was located; the bilge is about a 6" wide trough running under the motor that gets gradually deeper towards the stern.

What I found after reaching my arm all the way under the Yanmar was very, VERY old, oil absorption pad, that had swelled with who knows what and was stopping the water flow. It had various random electrical bits and the odd bolt and plastic parts trapped within it's murky interior. It was perfectly situated so you could never see it.

I gingerly removed it, as it was semi-disentegrating and was somewhat like the texture of firm jello. The smell, OMG the smell, I will never be able to forget. It was like an old diaper filled with rotten broccoli and used motor oil. If it was closer than 2 feet to anyones face it induced gagging.

The little bit of water in the bilge after rinsing was actually clear for the first time, and while standing by the open engine compartment I realized suddenly that I could smell the sea instead of bilge funk for the first time since I owned the boat.

Thank you Peggie Hall.