All Sailboats with Diesel Engines Smell?

[Prairie Chicken]

he has identified himself as someone who will give self-serving advice to a customer with no regard for the truth. Why would one believe anything else he said?

Agree 100%!

There should be no smell of diesel unless you have a problem.

[Paul Annapolis]

Are you sure it did not smell like fish because I think something smells pretty fishy around here....but a complete survey or better yet, an engine survey when you are about ready to choose the boat you really want, will be in order. It may simply be a tiny leak from a loose hose that can be repaired and then cleaned so the smell will be eliminated. On the other hand....it could be a much bigger problem like rotted lines, a cracked tank/..who knows? so it may not be a deal killer...but the broker? Hmmm....

[HappyMdRSailor]

HA!!!

There were WAY too many good responses to multiple quote this thread!!!

For the next sale... the last thing the broker might be saying....

"All boats that have LP stoves smell like pro...." boooooom

[Sid at SailAway]

As a broker myself, when I read something like this I wanna cringe. It's the scumbags like this that give brokers a bad name. Yeah, that's right I said it, scumbags. Find yourself a good buyers broker and he'll be the shield between you and all the BS.

And NO, the boat shouldn't smell like diesel inside. If you fall in love with a boat that has that smell, either due to a past or active leak, the smell can be eliminated once the leak is fixed...Sid

[WBPlmer]

Thank you all for a multitude of useful replies, which confirmed my disbelief at the time in the salesperson's statement, which came in response to my saying that I'd never get my spouse sailing on a boat stinking of diesel. She has a terrific nose, and high susceptibility to chemical fumes. Once upon a time I was driving with her in the car. She said, "I smell something hot." I, in my wisdom, dismissed her with, "You are always smelling something." Less than 1/2 mile later, the engine totally seized as I was parking. Hot indeed. The temperature gauge had failed, the radiator hose had split, and I, in my arrogance, had blown the engine. I learned my lesson, and since then her nose has saved us from unnecessary major car repairs or catastrophic failures more than once. Next time I go boat shopping, I'll take her along. She also learned not to let anyone ignore her when she smells trouble.

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by nigel1

All boats with diesel leaks smell of diesel.
Boats with no diesel leaks do not

Yup.

The broker is a typical, self serving fool who is clearly willing to say whatever he need to in order to make the sale.

[David M]

Originally Posted by WBPlmer

"All sailboats with diesel engines will have some diesel smell in the cabin."

Really? Is that true?

This is absolutely not true. The same goes for head smell, propane smell, old food smell, body sweat smell, that musty old wood boat smell and bilge smell.

[Hudson Force]

The lady's nose is a great safety asset. Sometimes my wife walks to the bow to check the air in order to determine if what she smells is on board or coming from shore. Once she told me there was something that smelled hot below and I found a place where our older section of dry exhaust had lost it's heat shield and an area of bulkhead was beginning to char. That was with an older former engine and poorly planned exhaust system. Once on board another's boat among an all female racing team she said that she smelled propane. No one else was aware, but the solenoid switch for the stove had been accidently turned on and the propane stove had a slow leak in the galley. Everyone needs a crewmember with a good nose,- I'm near worthless!

[ranger58sb]

What they all said.

And several referred to poor maintenance, too. With respect to all our sailor buds here... who are all right on top of things, judging by comments....

I've noticed that many sailors simply don't pay enough attention to the engine. (After all, it's a sailboat, right? ) The symptom is also not unheard of with some power boaters, of course... but engine issues seem to get their attention faster.

In any case, if the boat smells (head, diesel, onions, whatever), chances are there's a maintenance reason behind it. Which means you should track down the cause before deciding whether to buy. Might be something simple, but might not.

-Chris

[RainDog]

My wife too has a super-human nose. Took us three years to get the head smell completely gone. The faint "musty" smell prevention requires constant vigilance to keep completely eliminated. This is the smell the vast majority of boats have in my experience.

I have never been on a boat that had a diesel or propane smell. If you smell diesel, you have a problem, but probably an easy one to fix. I would not discount a boat for that, but could make them find and fix the issue as a condition of the sale.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by RainDog

................. Took us three years to get the head smell completely gone. The faint "musty" smell prevention requires constant vigilance to keep completely eliminated. ..............

Caution: My contribution to thread drift,- The best action I ever took to decrease holding tank smell was to add another air vent to promote aerobic bacteria instead of anaerobic digestion in the tank.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by nigel1

All boats with diesel leaks smell of diesel.
Boats with no diesel leaks do not

[gonesail]

NO!! not unless they have a leak. and they should not smell like urine either

[letsgetsailing3]

A broker told me last year that all boats over 20 years old leak.

I'm sure a good many of them do, but I'm also certain that a good many of them don't. I'd like mine to be in the "don't" category.

[RainDog]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

A broker told me last year that all boats over 20 years old leak.

I'm sure a good many of them do, but I'm also certain that a good many of them don't. I'd like mine to be in the "don't" category.

Same thing as with the diesel... If it leaks, it has not been properly cared for. Possible to fix any type of leak on fiberglass boat with proper maintenance. I think people just get lazy and/or cheap.