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**carstenb** · 13-09-2013, 00:02

Put some open bowls of white vinegar at various places around in the boat. Close it up and leave it for a week. Get rid of the vinegar, air the damn thing out and you will have no smells. If they return , you'll need to go the route of washing everything down.

Kenomac · 13-09-2013, 04:14

We've experienced the same mold/dirty water smell on two different boats with the same cause and result. What you're smelling is most likely permiated sewage, holding tank hoses. You need to replace them.

Badsanta · 13-09-2013, 04:22

After you check everything already posted, call a carpet cleaner and have all your cushions cleaned. It did wonders for my boat.

Suijin · 13-09-2013, 07:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by boatpoker

We lived onboard for 16 yearsand my wife suffers from sever allergies. We had an ozone generator that we ran whenever we were not onboard. No mold, no smells ever..... well there was that night the dog got into the chili.

Reminds me of when my Aussie ate a pound of chocolate covered expresso beans. Imagine an already hyper dog with a caffeine buzz and the runs. It was a long night.

As far as the boat smell goes, check the inline filter on the vent of your holding tank...if it is old or the tank was overfilled at some point, it will produce a smell that is not always obviously from the waste system.

lifeofreilly57 · 13-09-2013, 10:59

All of the above.
Start with sanitation hoses, replace them before wasting your time on anything else. In a well set up system there should not be any dead flow areas where sewage can sit in a hose, it should all drain back to the holding tank. If their more than 10 years old it's time to replace them anyway.
Then remove all the upholstery and either clean it yourself or have it cleaned, if possible let them dry in the sun, nothing kills mildew better than UV rays.
While it's out mix a weakened bleach mix in a spray bottle and saturate around your holding tank and anywhere the old hoses may have leaked. Don't forget to check the holding tank vent hose and vent either, especially on an older boat.
Then clean the rest of the boat hard interior surfaces with the weakened bleach mix to get rid of mold, mildew and any organics that may be taking hold.
I wouldn't recommend bleach in the bilge though since it may not be good for the bilge pump, the earlier suggestion of using vinegar is a good one.
Had to do this on my just recently sold boat when I bought it 12 years prior, since going through it that way it only required a going over once a year during commissioning to keep it smelling fresh and mold free.

barnakiel · 13-09-2013, 11:50

Clean up. Chuck out what cannot be cleaned.

Ventilate.

b.

Liam Wald · 13-09-2013, 13:22

Drinking lots of beer eliminates the odor but it is only temporary.

SecondBase · 13-09-2013, 18:09

If beer doesn't work, try rum.

Also fans run 24x7 -aboard or not.

vtsailguy · 13-09-2013, 19:41

I was extremely skeptical of them, but then I tried one... Ozone generator.

The advertising sounds like snake oil. But, I rented an industrial unit and ran it for 48 hours and it was amazing. The smell on the boat had forced my so to shore, but the ozone genaror fixed it, never came back!

Dennis.G · 13-09-2013, 19:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtsailguy

...The smell on the boat had forced my so to shore, but the ozone genaror fixed it, never came back!

Didn't work very well if your SO never came back!

vtsailguy · 13-09-2013, 20:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis.G

Didn't work very well if your SO never came back!

Holy auto correct batman

So= wife

Never came back = smell

Normanby · 14-09-2013, 07:27

I've had great success with clove oil.

On my new/old boat I had mutant mould of epic proportions. Scrubbed everywhere (often hanging upside down) with 20% bleach.
But after that I put a teaspoon of clove oil in a water-filled spray bottle and sprayed this mist everywhere, especially inside lockers. What happens is that because the clove oil is an oil, the water evaporates off but the oil residue stays, at a microscopic level. This clove oil barrier kills mould and prevents its return, even in areas you can't reach. Even on carpet.

My boat smells like...nothing, just a hint of clove scent, which is nice.

barnakiel · 15-09-2013, 06:48

When mold is concerned, there is a good product available in the land of foiling tractors, it is called Wet'n Forget. G oogle some. It is good stuff. Kills mold and prevents returns.

b.