I have a line on a 1986 27' Catalina that the owner says has an odor that will knock you over in the summer. Assuming all else is in great shape and I can negotiate a good price, would purchase of this be a wise decision. The he source of the odor is unknown, what are the chances of eliminating it completely? Can this be done by a novice? What would the approach be to narrow it down?
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Odor
Dependent on the odor, mildew, diesel, or head it can be eliminated. The problem is that if it has been present for a long time it is now probably in the cushions, curtains and any carpet. Diesel is impossible to remove from upholstery. They will have to be replaced. Bilge odor can be reduced with solutions found in the archives. Head odors usually come from old hoses. I would call Catalina and get a cost of replacing the cushions, curtains and carpet and reduce the price of those right off the top. I would then factor in the cost of new head hose and take that off the price. See where you sit and bargain from there.
Dependent on the odor, mildew, diesel, or head it can be eliminated. The problem is that if it has been present for a long time it is now probably in the cushions, curtains and any carpet. Diesel is impossible to remove from upholstery. They will have to be replaced. Bilge odor can be reduced with solutions found in the archives. Head odors usually come from old hoses. I would call Catalina and get a cost of replacing the cushions, curtains and carpet and reduce the price of those right off the top. I would then factor in the cost of new head hose and take that off the price. See where you sit and bargain from there.
Try local before Catalina
That owner must really be trying to get a good price for his boat - telling you that the smell will knock you over when it gets hot out! Unless a person was going to try to "restore" a 1986 boat to showroom condition - like people do with classic cars, there are much less expensive local options for curtains, carpeting and probably cushions than calling catalina. You have perfect (but smelly) patterns for the curtains, carpeting and cushions in your hand. Check around locally. There's nothing special about "Catalina Carpet" - go to Carpet Exchange and buy a suitably sized remnant and trim to fit. Nothing special about "Catalina Curtains" - lots of options and maybe even update to the new pleated shades instead of those hideous track mounted ones. West Marine. And a local upholstery shop might be eager to have the work copying your cushions. Good Luck - an '86 C27 is a great boat. (Had one for 17 years. Tim Brogan April IV C350 #68 Seattle
That owner must really be trying to get a good price for his boat - telling you that the smell will knock you over when it gets hot out! Unless a person was going to try to "restore" a 1986 boat to showroom condition - like people do with classic cars, there are much less expensive local options for curtains, carpeting and probably cushions than calling catalina. You have perfect (but smelly) patterns for the curtains, carpeting and cushions in your hand. Check around locally. There's nothing special about "Catalina Carpet" - go to Carpet Exchange and buy a suitably sized remnant and trim to fit. Nothing special about "Catalina Curtains" - lots of options and maybe even update to the new pleated shades instead of those hideous track mounted ones. West Marine. And a local upholstery shop might be eager to have the work copying your cushions. Good Luck - an '86 C27 is a great boat. (Had one for 17 years. Tim Brogan April IV C350 #68 Seattle
Odor isn't a deal breaker and even cushions can
be salvaged. Even the stinkiest boat can be made completely odor-free with some effort and minimal expense, and you can do it all yourself. It ain't rocket science, just knowing how to find and eliminate all the possible sources, the RIGHT cleaning products for each one, some elbow grease and most likely some new sanitation hoses (which will be the only real expense. However, you don't have to tell the seller that...use the odor as a bargaining chip...it should be worth at least $1,000.
And btw, make any offer "subject to survey"...hire the best surveyor you can find and tell him you want a complete prepurchase survey, not just the cursory "condition and value" survey required by lenders and insurance companies. Odor is easily and inexpensively curable, but some problems that may not be obvious aren't.
be salvaged. Even the stinkiest boat can be made completely odor-free with some effort and minimal expense, and you can do it all yourself. It ain't rocket science, just knowing how to find and eliminate all the possible sources, the RIGHT cleaning products for each one, some elbow grease and most likely some new sanitation hoses (which will be the only real expense. However, you don't have to tell the seller that...use the odor as a bargaining chip...it should be worth at least $1,000.
And btw, make any offer "subject to survey"...hire the best surveyor you can find and tell him you want a complete prepurchase survey, not just the cursory "condition and value" survey required by lenders and insurance companies. Odor is easily and inexpensively curable, but some problems that may not be obvious aren't.Cleaning
I'm going through the process of making new cushions right now. One of the reasons is that I could not get the diesel odor out of the upholstery. I removed all of the covers and took them to a laundromat and washed them in a front loader but they still stunk.(airdryed) I also had two sail bags which stunk and washed them. One came out fine the other it made no difference and still was horrible. Some fabrics hold the odor while others don't. The reason I suggested getting a price in my earlier post was that they can give you a hard quote to take to the seller. If you want to shop around once it is your boat that is always a possibility. I know of someone whose 25 Cat sunk in its slip (gate valve issue) and he ordered direct from Catalina and he said their price was pretty good.
I'm going through the process of making new cushions right now. One of the reasons is that I could not get the diesel odor out of the upholstery. I removed all of the covers and took them to a laundromat and washed them in a front loader but they still stunk.(airdryed) I also had two sail bags which stunk and washed them. One came out fine the other it made no difference and still was horrible. Some fabrics hold the odor while others don't. The reason I suggested getting a price in my earlier post was that they can give you a hard quote to take to the seller. If you want to shop around once it is your boat that is always a possibility. I know of someone whose 25 Cat sunk in its slip (gate valve issue) and he ordered direct from Catalina and he said their price was pretty good.
Hard to believe the source can't be found
Mark, the only thing that comes to mind from your description is possibly a dead rodent. I have had the misfortune of a dead mouse in the car as well as at the cottage (in the walls). The smell is wicked, hard to locate and get rid of. But it wouldn't last year over year so check with the seller on that point. Since I have a 27 foot sailboat I can't imagine not being able to locate the source....the boat just isn't that big. So, if it's a good deal I'd take a chance. BTW, my boat came with a strong diesel and musty smell and after taking everything off the boat for a week of airing in the sun the smell was gone. A diesel won't normaly smell, if it does its because of a fuel leak somewhere. Fix the leak, add good ventilation when your away from the boat and you won't have any odours. Kevin
Mark, the only thing that comes to mind from your description is possibly a dead rodent. I have had the misfortune of a dead mouse in the car as well as at the cottage (in the walls). The smell is wicked, hard to locate and get rid of. But it wouldn't last year over year so check with the seller on that point. Since I have a 27 foot sailboat I can't imagine not being able to locate the source....the boat just isn't that big. So, if it's a good deal I'd take a chance. BTW, my boat came with a strong diesel and musty smell and after taking everything off the boat for a week of airing in the sun the smell was gone. A diesel won't normaly smell, if it does its because of a fuel leak somewhere. Fix the leak, add good ventilation when your away from the boat and you won't have any odours. Kevin
Check it out carefully first
Mark Maybe you should spend a day or two checking the boat out very carefully. Could be dead stuff, or the head, or the fuel or whatever. We had two odor sources on our used Hunter 27. The first was the head and holding tank hoses and lack of ventilation to the holding tank. Peggie's advice and the $8 a foot Sealand hose fixed that right up! The second odor was of diesel, and it was harder to pinpoint. I thought it was just blowby from the engine and that maybe a little blower in the engine compartment would help. But as it turns out, our diesel fuel tank was leaking. However, it wasn't a simple leak, it was actually quite weird: the tank had multiple pin holes in its bottom, and those pinholes were leaking very very slowly onto the piece of marine plywood that the tank sits on. The plywood was soaked (and still is quite wet) with diesel fuel! So although we got lots of odor, we didn't really get a visible pool of diesel fuel until the tank was professionally cleaned and the pinholes were unclogged! Geez, what a waste of $150. Anyhow, the tank is new, the smell is much diminished (not gone completely 'cause there is still some fuel soaked into the wood below the tank - way too hard to replace for the amount of odor it generates) and all is well. Good luck, Ron Vanderveer
Mark Maybe you should spend a day or two checking the boat out very carefully. Could be dead stuff, or the head, or the fuel or whatever. We had two odor sources on our used Hunter 27. The first was the head and holding tank hoses and lack of ventilation to the holding tank. Peggie's advice and the $8 a foot Sealand hose fixed that right up! The second odor was of diesel, and it was harder to pinpoint. I thought it was just blowby from the engine and that maybe a little blower in the engine compartment would help. But as it turns out, our diesel fuel tank was leaking. However, it wasn't a simple leak, it was actually quite weird: the tank had multiple pin holes in its bottom, and those pinholes were leaking very very slowly onto the piece of marine plywood that the tank sits on. The plywood was soaked (and still is quite wet) with diesel fuel! So although we got lots of odor, we didn't really get a visible pool of diesel fuel until the tank was professionally cleaned and the pinholes were unclogged! Geez, what a waste of $150. Anyhow, the tank is new, the smell is much diminished (not gone completely 'cause there is still some fuel soaked into the wood below the tank - way too hard to replace for the amount of odor it generates) and all is well. Good luck, Ron Vanderveer
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