Stubborn Boat Odor-HELP!

My wife and I purchased a 2003 Mainship Pilot 30 in May of this year. We planned on taking weekend trips, but my wife refuses to do that until we eliminate the odor. The odor is a sharp, very unpleasant smell. It's primarily in the cabin, mostly as you first enter in the area of the stairs. It is not in the head. The head smells relatively good. When we are underway, it comes wafting out of the cabin and hits us in the face.

Here are the steps we have already taken in hopes of eliminating the odor:

We cleaned the entire cabin. We used vinegar on the walls, ceiling, cushions. We used teak oil to restore the wood. Every inch of the cabin has been cleaned at least once with multiple products.

The cushions have absorbed some of the smell, but you have to put your nose right up to it to notice it. We have tried Pure Ayre spray on these, as well. We ordered more to give them another shot.

All of the bilge areas were originally wet and stinky, but they have been scrubbed clean multiple times. We used Simple Green, Odor Ban and Tide.

We also discovered water under the cabin floor. That has been removed and that area has also been washed multiple times. We purchased a brush with fiberglass extensions to accomplish this.

We tried the wet rag on the sanitation lines test and didn't pick up any smell.

The refrigerator is located right next to the entrance to the cabin. Is it possible that is the source of our problem? We shut it off today as a test.

We also discovered that the water in our fresh water tank stunk like sulphur. We flushed it out with bleach. That problem seems to be resolved.

We have also try to air the boat out as much as possible when we're there on weekends.

We have a solar exhaust fan that runs 24/7.

We are looking for any help/suggestions. We want to enjoy our boat and this odor is getting in the way.

Thanks in advance.

Overcharged batteries?

Thanks for your input, Rossland. The batteries don't seem to smell and don't seem to be boiling over. But I will try unplugging the tender.

You said "The odor is a sharp, very unpleasant smell."

Can you tells us what it smells like or close to it? Does is smell like a dead animal or something like that? You also said there was water under the floor do you know where it came from?

Cheers.

H

As a course of normal operation we always have a plastic tupperware pan of white vinegar in each bilge space. It kills mold and eats odors. After you take care of the source you may want to do this on your boat especially since you found sitting water in your bilges. [emoji41]

Pgitug said:

As a course of normal operation we always have a plastic tupperware pan of white vinegar in each bilge space. It kills mold and eats odors. After you take care of the source you may want to do this on your boat especially since you found sitting water in your bilges. [emoji41]

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Great tip Tug!

Cheers

H

I have a wood boat. To keep the bilges dry, kill the boat smell, and avoid mold, I have each separate bilge area power vented. Air is pulled into the bilge from the ceiling of the lower deck cabins, down between the ribs, keeping everything dry. Blowers are bilge blowers with a speed reducer. They run 24/7. Boat smells like a house.

We tried the wet rag on the sanitation lines test and didn't pick up any smell.

Did you check every section of hose using a clean rag for every section of hose that you've wet in HOT water, ring it out and wrap it around the lines till the rags cool, then smell every one? If you didn't, you need to retest...'cuz the odor you describe sure fits the description of permeated single wall flex PVC. Markings on the hose will tell you what they are.

Permeated hoses that have been replaced can leave residual odors in the enclosed areas through which they pass. PureAyre is the only thing I've found that can eliminate it.

Odors are always strongest at their source, so when you first come aboard BEFORE airing out the boat, start opening hatches and lockers and sticking your nose into 'em.

PureAyre for cushions and carpets: just spraying the surface won't work. Cushions: remove the covers and have them cleaned. Spray enough PureAye into the foam from both sides to penetrate to the middle, then put them out in the sun to dry. Carpet: Again, just spritzing the carpet won't accomplish anything...spray enough to penetrate to the backing or all the way through any pad. Turn on a fan for 24 hours.

If we eliminate all the obvious sources, the only thing left is trapped water somewhere under the sole or a "false bilge." Finding it may require drilling some holes if there are places that have no hatch access...but you'll never get rid of the odor till you do find it and eliminate it.

As for your fresh water system, the plumbing is often the real source of foul water...recommissioning the system according to directions I've posted here several times (they're also in my book, btw) is what's needed if you want to keep the water "good" longer than a few weeks. It should be done every year as part of spring recommissioning.

Peggie,


Great post you summed it up I would say. Thank you for sharing your wisdom !


Cheers


H.

Water under the cabin floor? The bilge?

Can you be more descriptive of the odor? Sharp chemical (ammonia, battery acid), organic decay (urine, meat or veg decay), "mildew"?

Peggie sounds like she has dealt with odors before. I'd start with her protocol.

You might have some very stagnant water in some recess of the bilge. Get a borescope (Amazon) with an extension and start looking around. Pump out holding tank. Fill it with water, bleach, downey, krud Kutter, pump out again. Then change all hoses. Repeat prior step as needed.

hfoster,
Does not smell like a dead animal. The smell is sharp. We think it's rotting sea water.

I don't know where the water came from. It was there when I bought the boat, but since i dried it out, it has not reappeared.

Peggie,

The first thing we did after buying the boat was buy your book. Very helpful!
When we posted, we were hoping to hear from you, so thank you for your quick reply.

The odor is strongest in the cabin just as you enter it down the stairs. The bathroom is to the right as you're going down the stairs. It has no odor. The only sanitation hose in the cabin area is in the bathroom and it exits into the engine compartment. We tried the wet rag test, but were only able to reach about 10% of the hoses' surface area. Since we can't reach more of the hoses, do you recommend us changing them. Have you seen cases before where even though the hoses are not in the cabin, the odor is prevalent there?

Two weeks ago, we aired the boat out so the smell wasn't quite so strong. We took a cruise and as soon as we stopped, the smell came wafting out of the cabin. Does that spark any ideas for you?

We really appreciate you time and input as well as the others who offered suggestions.

Thanks!

sbu22,
We believe it's organic decay.

Plan B is an ozone generator.

It will remove cigar stench and most everything else including mold..

Marine ones are made , or you can borrow one from a friendly used car salesman who uses a unit far larger than the boat units. .

Odor Removal from Boats - Ozone Machine for Odor Removal

www.odorfreemachines.com/boat-odor-removal/


Boat odor removal with the OdorFree is easy and our ozone generator will keep boats smelling fresh and clean for years to come. Moisture inside marine ...

probably a hidden bilge space that you haven't found yet. You need to be thorough in looking for hidden spaces,

Some refeers have drip pans under for condensation. Have you checked the shower and AC sump?

Don't believe I saw any mention of the anchor locker. Was that cleaned? Is it accessible from the cabin?

Phillps:

Does your vessel have this kind of setup for the sleeping birth with the vent?

If so, have you trace the vent? The reason why I ask is, You said after airing the vessel out then after running the vessel the smell came back. The smell could be coming from somewhere else in the vessel and could be coming through the vent. Just a thought.

Small amounts of coolant in the bilge can be the cause of a "sulfide like " smell

my 40 yr old sailboat stank when I bought it...
after inspecting ALL areas, no sitting water anywhere...no foul liquid anywhere...
spray wipe clean with mold mildew killer , spray wipe clean with comet with bleach spray, or any good quality cleaner...
so no mold or dirt remains...
then PAINT all storage and out of sight surfaces, bilge etc. with Lowes best exterior mold and mildew proof paint, with some added drops of mildew proof drops , can be added to paint.. painting is critical....it insures no smells...
lastly sprayed febreeze liberally on foam with cushion covers off...and washed all covers...
The boat has NO smells ... 2 years later... painting is key...

I had a shower sump with a false bottom. The pump was mounted with screws that went through. After cutting it open two gallons of 30 year old shower water ran out.

SoWhat said:

Peggie sounds like she has dealt with odors before. I'd start with her protocol.

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Peggie literally wrote the book on it! https://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-Boat-Odors/dp/1892399784

A friend had a freezer full of bait go bad. I went to help him clean it up. I threw up ten feet from the boat. The smell permeated the insulation. He ended up throwing out the freezer.

Fresh water (as opposed to salt water) has its own smell and issue with growing stuff in bilges. Although salt water can smell bad too.

Where does your shower and sink drain go? You also describe shower/sink drain issues. If a drain line is cracked and allowing a 'fresh' supply it can cause this also try pouring a splash of bleach in shower drain. Then sink drain to see if it changes anything. Try one at a time. To eliminate sources.

Thanks to everyone for all of the suggestions. Thanks to you, we have some new things to try.

We had a Sabreline 36 with similar smells. Drove us crazy. We had coffee beans in bowls in every place possible. Before we sold it, for other reasons, our next step was to rent an ionizer. You may want to check on that. Works at the molecular level.

cappy208 said:

Fresh water (as opposed to salt water) has its own smell and issue with growing stuff in bilges. Although salt water can smell bad too.

Where does your shower and sink drain go? You also describe shower/sink drain issues. If a drain line is cracked and allowing a 'fresh' supply it can cause this also try pouring a splash of bleach in shower drain. Then sink drain to see if it changes anything. Try one at a time. To eliminate sources.

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I was about to post the same question about your shower drain.
where does it go? as you do not mention it I suspect it can be a source. from my own experience if you do not clean the bilge that receives the shower waste regularly it gets a bad odour (normal after all it it a sewage!).

L.

We had a similar issue when we bought our boat in 2007 (2003 Mainship 390). Went crazy cleaning the bilge and everywhere else to no avail. Checked all hoses from the head and they were fine. But we definitely had a sewage odor. I found that the previous owner had installed a filter in the vent line from the holding tank. I removed the filter, pumped and flushed the holding tank and the odor went away. The filter was stopping fresh air from entering the tank.
John

johnma said:

I found that the previous owner had installed a filter in the vent line from the holding tank. I removed the filter, pumped and flushed the holding tank and the odor went away. The filter was stopping fresh air from entering the tank.

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Sometimes this might not have been completely about the fact a filter was there; instead could have been that it was an OLD filter.

Our vent filter was a factory installation. Needs changing every so often (ours last about 3x-4x longer than the filter maker would have one believe). The symptom in that case, though, is mostly outside the boat. You flush, and your neighbors drop dead.



-Chris

one boat I owned had a smell I finally traced to a spot in the bilge that was hidden from all angles. This low spot only showed up when I Used a camera to view what I Couldn't see from all openings. Eventually I cut out a new opening sucked it dry with a shop vac and covered the hole with a metal piece since it was under carpet.
Seems the hull lowest point was well hidden.

Traced the leak to a well hidden rudder packing.

Bay view brings up a good point. Not ALL leaks flow all the way down into the 'pumpable' bilge. Often an odd shape above, between or under a longitudinal or between limber holes will accumulate liquid. If you have a leak above such a crevice it may hold liquid (of any source) until it overflows to the bilge. People use dye markers to test for hose, drain and cockpit scupper integrity. Amazon. There're pretty cheap to use one in this case. Just don't do it in a confined harbor with a -0- discharge policy!!!