we have a smell in our cabin ,not a sewer type smell .after it is closed up for a few days.i changed the hoses to and from the head to holding tank,flushed out the bilge with bleach,drlled larger holes in the bilge to drain ecsess water(31 hunter)put deoderizer (house type plug ins)still get the smell out.we thouhgt that maybe after many years of this smell in may have penetrated the cabin wood and cushions,could that be? and if so what can we do ?we take the cushions home every winter in our house.
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Check your fuel lines
You said it doesn't smell like sewer. What about diesel or gas? The rubber fuel lines need to be replaced every few years (USE ONLY MARINE GRADE FUEL LINES not automotive fuel lines) as the fuel will permeate the rubber and smell up the cabin. That is on my list of things to do this fall. Every time I go below, after the boat has been closed up, I get a whiff of funky diesel.
You said it doesn't smell like sewer. What about diesel or gas? The rubber fuel lines need to be replaced every few years (USE ONLY MARINE GRADE FUEL LINES not automotive fuel lines) as the fuel will permeate the rubber and smell up the cabin. That is on my list of things to do this fall. Every time I go below, after the boat has been closed up, I get a whiff of funky diesel.
Smell
I had much the same problem on my Hunter 31 and to my surprise discovered that there is a second skin beneath the bilge. I discovered it when drilling a hole to install a bilge drain for the time the boat is on the hard. As I penetrated the bilge skin, low and behold a black smelly substance crept into the bilge. I managed to drain this area and flushed it out. No more smell. There should be something in the archives about this.
I had much the same problem on my Hunter 31 and to my surprise discovered that there is a second skin beneath the bilge. I discovered it when drilling a hole to install a bilge drain for the time the boat is on the hard. As I penetrated the bilge skin, low and behold a black smelly substance crept into the bilge. I managed to drain this area and flushed it out. No more smell. There should be something in the archives about this.
A number of things
I think everyone is correct here- cabin odor comes from a variety of sources....that's why we could never really pin-point what it smells like! You need to make sure the boat interior is dry (aside from the obvious head and diesel lines). Also, wood is pourious and absorbes moisture and odors as well. You should cover all interior wood with some type of finish that seals it...even do inside the locker doors and drawers! I am almost there with my boat with the interior varnish and aleady noticed a major difference in smell! You also need to make sure the windows and deck fitting don't leak - how is your bildge? Dry? The cusions are another story - yes, they will retain moisture and odors as well...remove and dry them out. Try spraying them down with sometype of carpet or fabric cleaner... better yet, get them dry-cleaned. Good Luck! Rob
I think everyone is correct here- cabin odor comes from a variety of sources....that's why we could never really pin-point what it smells like! You need to make sure the boat interior is dry (aside from the obvious head and diesel lines). Also, wood is pourious and absorbes moisture and odors as well. You should cover all interior wood with some type of finish that seals it...even do inside the locker doors and drawers! I am almost there with my boat with the interior varnish and aleady noticed a major difference in smell! You also need to make sure the windows and deck fitting don't leak - how is your bildge? Dry? The cusions are another story - yes, they will retain moisture and odors as well...remove and dry them out. Try spraying them down with sometype of carpet or fabric cleaner... better yet, get them dry-cleaned. Good Luck! Rob
Maybe there is a deceased uninvited guest
Like a 4 legged critter, or something left on the boat by one of them. Okay, is the smell a good smell, or a bad smell, or just a smell? Do you have mold or mildew on the boat? Since you do take the cushions home every winter, does the boat smell the first time you come back to the boat in the spring? You know, there are other cubby holes under the cabin sole other than the bilge. They are not easily accessible unless you remove the floors. Also space under the bunks too. Maybe there is mold or mildew, or some other gunk in there.
Like a 4 legged critter, or something left on the boat by one of them. Okay, is the smell a good smell, or a bad smell, or just a smell? Do you have mold or mildew on the boat? Since you do take the cushions home every winter, does the boat smell the first time you come back to the boat in the spring? You know, there are other cubby holes under the cabin sole other than the bilge. They are not easily accessible unless you remove the floors. Also space under the bunks too. Maybe there is mold or mildew, or some other gunk in there.
Three thoughts
There is indeed a second skin. In an attempt to clean it, I put baking soda and vinegar enema down all 7 interior drains in my 29.5 every fall, followed by scalding hot water to wash the concoction through. It makes for a delightfully fizzy extravaganza and all winds up in the bilge. I also shut down permanently my raw water intake for the head, keeping a gallon of fresh water in the sink for flushing a quart or so each time. I also use a boat/rv heater to circulate the air and prevent mildew. All three things have worked well, after I stopped all the leaks into the boat. That perhaps is the most critical factor to reducing smells.
There is indeed a second skin. In an attempt to clean it, I put baking soda and vinegar enema down all 7 interior drains in my 29.5 every fall, followed by scalding hot water to wash the concoction through. It makes for a delightfully fizzy extravaganza and all winds up in the bilge. I also shut down permanently my raw water intake for the head, keeping a gallon of fresh water in the sink for flushing a quart or so each time. I also use a boat/rv heater to circulate the air and prevent mildew. All three things have worked well, after I stopped all the leaks into the boat. That perhaps is the most critical factor to reducing smells.
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