Leak stains in aft quarters with musty smell

[SeaEnemy]

Good day.
Nice to be aboard. My wife and I are looking at buying a 2005 hunter 44ds. I've noticed what would appear to be water stains on the ceiling of the aft quarters just below the deck. There is an evident mildew smell throughput the inside of the boat too. Wondering if anyone has encountered this problem. What causes it and is this boat worth while?
Thanks in advance.

 

[njlarry]

Welcome aboard. The musty smell is mildew from the leak which the previous owner,PO, ignored. Wash all the bedding, put the mattress out in the sun, wipe all the smooth surfaces with Clorox wipes, spray the textile surfaces with Pure ayre and you should be fine. But first find and fix the leak.
Can't comment on the boat model but look for other signs of owner neglect.

 

[Benny17441]

Water leaks usually travel and pool or drip at the lowest point. The challenge is to find where it may originate. Some spray a hose into suspected areas to see if they can duplicate while others lay talcum powder to try and trace the cause. Boats are subject to mildew; the air humidity levels in the water are usually high and it does not take long for a closed boat with limited ventilation to gather a musty smell. Some use a dehumidifier plugged into shore power to combat the effects of high humidity and mildew smells. Sure some 44ds owners will chime in about the boat itself.

 

[jssailem]

Welcome to the Forum "SeaEnemy".

Mildew is a common enemy that all boat owners battle. Your Profile indicates "Ca Nanaimo". Here in the Pacific Northwest Mildew is an intruder in homes as well. NJLarry and Benny's suggestions are some of the common tools used in the fight.
You asked "What causes it and is this boat worth while?"

The first part... It is a boat and you live in the Pacific Northwest mildew is a fact of life.

The second part needs more information about the boat and your intended use. Answers would be an opinions as there are many correct answers.

Mold and mildew can be combated by correct application of bleach and maybe ozone. Had an auto that had sat for 6 months and developed a mildew smell. Auto detailer sat an ozone machine in the car running for 24 hours. Says it killed all of the live mold and mildew bugs in the car. After airing the vehicle out for 2 days, the ozone smell is gone and so is the mildew smell. Wonder if that would work on a boat?

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Auto detailer sat an ozone machine in the car running for 24 hours. Says it killed all of the live mold and mildew bugs in the car. After airing the vehicle out for 2 days, the ozone smell is gone and so is the mildew smell. Wonder if that would work on a boat?

Only if you hire a pro to do it. Auto dealers and detailers can use professional equipment that generates enough ozone to kill the spores in a single treatment. But retail ozone generators sold for use on boats (mostly in bilges the owners are too lazy to clean) aren't allowed to generate enough ozone to kill the spores, so they're actually just very expensive air fresheners. Be grateful for that because ozone is both highly corrosive and destructive to rubber. A single use of a professional machine wouldn't do any real harm, but boats have lot more enclosed areas than cars--lockers, drawers, inside the cabinets where drawers are, bilges etc etc--so I'm not sure the machines that detailers use could get rid of all the spores in a single use. Might be worth giving one a call though...dealers often have to "de-stinkify" used cars that are pretty bad...maybe a dealership has a guy who can "moonlight" a job on your boat for a reasonable price.

 

[jssailem]

Thank you for the insight Peggy.

 

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