Please Help! We just bought our boat. There is a smell, chemical in nature, we can't seem to figure out what it is. It's down in the cabin. We were told it was the water sitting in the tank. We have done all protocol for that and the smell is still there. If anyone has any idea of what it is and what we can do, Please let us know. It's hard to enjoy sleeping on it, or just wanting to be on it. Thanks, Tracy
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Have your flushed the holding tank?
I have had odor problems on and off. It seems to clear shortly after having my holding tank flushed. I like to scrub the bilge each spring as well.
I have had odor problems on and off. It seems to clear shortly after having my holding tank flushed. I like to scrub the bilge each spring as well.
Can you be more specific about the odor?
you say "chemical" in nature...but I need a more specific description. Is it sharp or soft? Petroleum? Plastic? Sour...or sweet/sour/sickening? Any other characteristics? Is it throughout the boat? Or stonger in one part of the cabin than another (odors are always strongest at their source)? What cleaning products were on the boat when you got it? The more information you can give me, the better the odds I can identify it.
you say "chemical" in nature...but I need a more specific description. Is it sharp or soft? Petroleum? Plastic? Sour...or sweet/sour/sickening? Any other characteristics? Is it throughout the boat? Or stonger in one part of the cabin than another (odors are always strongest at their source)? What cleaning products were on the boat when you got it? The more information you can give me, the better the odds I can identify it.
That Ole Boat Smell!
Maybe it's just that plain ole boat smell that developes almost immediately when a boat is launched!
Maybe it's just that plain ole boat smell that developes almost immediately when a boat is launched!
any chance
that the PO "cleaned" out the drain lines from the sink(s) with something nasty to overcome a mildew smell? I think it sounds like some sort of cover-up. Only thing to do is play bloodhound and track down the general area of origin then get back to us with answers to all of Peggies questions.
that the PO "cleaned" out the drain lines from the sink(s) with something nasty to overcome a mildew smell? I think it sounds like some sort of cover-up. Only thing to do is play bloodhound and track down the general area of origin then get back to us with answers to all of Peggies questions.
If it is not propane or gasoline...
I would not worry. Just air the boat and it will either dissipate and go away or you will get used to it. There is an old maxim, never put rat poison in a boat. I know a sailor that his idea of Bug Control is to close all hatches and set off a "BOMB" in the cabin and berth. Another is allergic to mosquito bites and burns some nasty product all night long when at anchor. The sense of smell is very valuable to a sailor, learn to identify the different smells you encounter in a boat and your life may be simplified or perhaps saved in the case of a propane leak. Good luck.
I would not worry. Just air the boat and it will either dissipate and go away or you will get used to it. There is an old maxim, never put rat poison in a boat. I know a sailor that his idea of Bug Control is to close all hatches and set off a "BOMB" in the cabin and berth. Another is allergic to mosquito bites and burns some nasty product all night long when at anchor. The sense of smell is very valuable to a sailor, learn to identify the different smells you encounter in a boat and your life may be simplified or perhaps saved in the case of a propane leak. Good luck.
Listen to Peggie
Flush the holding tank monthly. Add KP in the tank plus 1 inch water. Use CP to clean after each day. Live happily ever after.
Flush the holding tank monthly. Add KP in the tank plus 1 inch water. Use CP to clean after each day. Live happily ever after.
Hey Peggie, thanks for your response. The smell is so strong that even the food in the fridge takes on the smell! It's strongest in the aft of the boat, specifically in the master stateroom. I say it's "chemical" in nature because that is the only word I think that can describe it. I could handle "just a smell" but this is STRONG! When we get to the boat and after airing it out it disapates somewhat but as soon as we close it up to use air or to go home, when we come back it's just as bad. Chemicals that were on the boat were very few, and I put my nose to them and they didn't seem to be it. Thanks again for your help. Tracy
My best guess: permeated sanitation hoses
You still haven't given me much to go on, but it's the most likely possibility and the first thing I'd check. To be sure, wet a clean rag in HOT water...wring it out and wrap it around a section of the hose. When the rag has cooled, remove it and smell it. If you can't smell anything on the rag, the hose is ok...but if you can smell the same odor on the rag, the hose has becom permeated with sewage odor. The only cure is new hoses. The link below should help you track down and eliminate all boat odors, and also help you operate and maintain your sanitation system. K.O. (K.P. was a typo) and C.P. are Raritan's holding tank product and bowl cleaner: http://www.raritaneng.com/products/cleaning_maintenance/index.html
You still haven't given me much to go on, but it's the most likely possibility and the first thing I'd check. To be sure, wet a clean rag in HOT water...wring it out and wrap it around a section of the hose. When the rag has cooled, remove it and smell it. If you can't smell anything on the rag, the hose is ok...but if you can smell the same odor on the rag, the hose has becom permeated with sewage odor. The only cure is new hoses. The link below should help you track down and eliminate all boat odors, and also help you operate and maintain your sanitation system. K.O. (K.P. was a typo) and C.P. are Raritan's holding tank product and bowl cleaner: http://www.raritaneng.com/products/cleaning_maintenance/index.html
PHXSnuffyF16@cs.com not cox.net Rickbilge
I have a Hunter 34 the smell comes from the bilge, dry the bilge in the shower and the main salon check under galley sink, ice box also drains into bilge Try spraying Tilex mold and mildew remover It works
I have a Hunter 34 the smell comes from the bilge, dry the bilge in the shower and the main salon check under galley sink, ice box also drains into bilge Try spraying Tilex mold and mildew remover It works
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