Is it comon to have diesel odors on sailboats that run a diesel engine? The few sailboat that I have been on really smell of diesel. The boats were older and when I do decide to buy a sailboat it will probalby be a boat from the 70's early 80's in the 36-38 foot range. Is there something that can rid of these odors? I think it would be hard to sleep on the boat with the odors. Thanks.
Diesel odors
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Yes it is a problem for a poorly maintained boat. If you take care of the engine and clean up leaks & spills they can/will smell fresh when they are 30 or 40 years old.
My prior Hunter 31 has a 2GM engine and has been kept clean since I purchased it in 1987. No diesel smell after 24 years. Our current one is young at a meer 16 years.
Many owner don't bother to use the absorbant cloths under the engine. Others do not clean up the engine compartment after engine servicing.
My prior Hunter 31 has a 2GM engine and has been kept clean since I purchased it in 1987. No diesel smell after 24 years. Our current one is young at a meer 16 years.
Many owner don't bother to use the absorbant cloths under the engine. Others do not clean up the engine compartment after engine servicing.
If a boat has a diesel smell chances are it has had a diesel fuel leak or a spill. Failure to correct either leaks or spill will crate a diesel odor. Once the odor gets saturated into soft goods and or the fuel itself seeps into parts of the bilge that no one has seen since the boat was manufactured it is almost impossible to get rid of (at least to my satisfaction).
In short a boat that smells will most likely smell unless extreme cleaning is done and even them it may require replacement of some fabrics and other soft goods. Be careful when boat shopping as a boat that smell is a indication of how it was cared for and kept by owner. And as you suggested it would be "hard" to sleep on a boat that smells like fuel or for that matter spend any time in the cabin. the odor will general transfer itself to new materials (i.e your clothes etc etc given enough time) Just my 2 cents worth don't buy a "stinky" boat !
p.s. there should not be any diesel odor on a diesel boat
In short a boat that smells will most likely smell unless extreme cleaning is done and even them it may require replacement of some fabrics and other soft goods. Be careful when boat shopping as a boat that smell is a indication of how it was cared for and kept by owner. And as you suggested it would be "hard" to sleep on a boat that smells like fuel or for that matter spend any time in the cabin. the odor will general transfer itself to new materials (i.e your clothes etc etc given enough time) Just my 2 cents worth don't buy a "stinky" boat !
p.s. there should not be any diesel odor on a diesel boat
Not to worry....
Even the worst diesel (and any other) odors CAN be eliminated completely. No...I'm not selling anything. Getting rid of odors will mostly require a lot of elbow grease and maybe a product or two that I'll recommend but don't have any connection with.
So by all means DO turn odor into a negotiating point, but DON'T let odor be a deal breaker. If you buy a smelly boat, give me a shout...meanwhile you might want to do a search for "odor" in the archives here...lotta good info there.
Even the worst diesel (and any other) odors CAN be eliminated completely. No...I'm not selling anything. Getting rid of odors will mostly require a lot of elbow grease and maybe a product or two that I'll recommend but don't have any connection with.
So by all means DO turn odor into a negotiating point, but DON'T let odor be a deal breaker. If you buy a smelly boat, give me a shout...meanwhile you might want to do a search for "odor" in the archives here...lotta good info there.
Agree with the previous posts and yes, diesel smell can definitely be removed. A prior boat of mine had a really bad diesel smell. I pressure washed the engine, replaced the permeated fuel hose and a used a product that Peggie recommends (PureAyre)...and my diesel odor was a thing of the past.
Mix of 50% water and 50% Calgon Fabric Softener will remove diesel smell. I spilled some Diesel in the boat whan I canged a filter. Wiped it up and used the Calgon stuff. Needless to say my wife came aboard and did not smell a thing.
Try it! I keep a spritz bottle full just in case. (Of course not spilling or leaking is better, but in that instance where you need to clean up, this is the stuff!) Even works on hands after handling diesel fill pump!
Weasel
Try it! I keep a spritz bottle full just in case. (Of course not spilling or leaking is better, but in that instance where you need to clean up, this is the stuff!) Even works on hands after handling diesel fill pump!
Weasel
My previous boat(Ericson 35-3) had a diesel leak from PO. This left a diesel odor in the boat. We cleaned hte bilges to rid the boat of any residual fuel. We then disassembled all the upholstery and cleaned the covers. It was not uinitl we stripped all the lemon oil coated interior teak and refinished did we eliminate the smell. After that the boat had absolutely no smell.
Our current boat has no smell and we maintain her to keep it that way.
Our current boat has no smell and we maintain her to keep it that way.
Thanks
Thanks everyone for your input. I feel better now knowing that I can remove the smell if I find a boat that I purchase. I will be buying in the next 4 yrs because of retirement, right now I have a Mac 25 and absolutely love sailing. have a great weekend everyone!
Thanks everyone for your input. I feel better now knowing that I can remove the smell if I find a boat that I purchase. I will be buying in the next 4 yrs because of retirement, right now I have a Mac 25 and absolutely love sailing. have a great weekend everyone!
Jerry,
Tim R has just made my case for me. A boat that has a diesel odor literally gets into everything given time. In Tim's case it was in the wood finish. While it is possible to get rid of the odor check his web site to see his detailed pictures and description of refinishing his interior. He also had to treat all his "soft" goods as well. And as he say only after refinishing the interior wood is when his boat was odor free.
I'm sure he had lots and lots of hour invested in the job and as others point out your time is either "free" and don't mind doing it or you would rather be doing something else. The time issue is your choice just be aware it can be very hard to get rid of diesel odor once it has permeated some materials. Certainly just cleaning up a dirty bilge is one thing but often it is more then a clean up.
I guess what I'm saying is know what you are getting yourself in for as you look at boats so as you have a "real" expectation on what it will require to clean up odor. Maybe I am more sensitive to diesel odor (have have been around diesels for 30 years) and the last place I want to smell it is on my boat ! !
It does come out eventually. My cushions got so permeated my first season before I had done any work on the fuel system that, later that winter when I opened up the basement storage area where they were stored, I could smell diesel. This was just before low low sulfur stuff came out.
The smell was gone by the end of the next season. The boat was at a marina and I was religious though about keeping the screened ports open and only closing them when rain was imminent.
No diesel odor now.
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