Ammonia smell in cabin

[Thomas1985]

We really do like the boat overall, and I am sure the smell can be eliminated.

I’m stuck trying to figure how to tell this guys broker “it’s a really nice boat and we love it, but I don’t want to pay remotely close to asking price”

It’s tricky when they are maintaining the stance it doesn’t smell. I’m thinking about shifting from the smell to more general age arguments like Catalina smile as reasons I’m at where I’m at…

Which is true. It is a 35+ year old production boat. Being well maintained doesn’t make it new. I will probably have to address the saturated wood in the keel during my ownership. In a decade or so I’ll be trying to sell a 50 year old Catalina 34.

[kayakerChuck]

I'm currently replacing the rotted wood in the keel stub of a C30. If the boat you're looking at still needs that fixed, be aware of the snowball effect.

While we have the motor out of the 30 to fix the keel stub, I had a friend give it a quick check. The motor is now at a shop being rebuilt. New fuel lines, new exhaust hose, etc, are consuming a significant number of boat bucks.

Some of the rotten plywood I dug out of the keel stub smelled of urine. I can't imagine that it would be noticeable before cutting out the top layer of fiberglass.

[Thomas1985]

Does the motor need pulled on a 34? I didn’t think it would be that hard to access?

[Uncle Bob]

Hi, it sounds to me that you have fallen in love with the boat before you have agreed to purchase it and now trying to justify the problem identified. Apparently the owners deny any odor probably with the belief that if one says it is not so then it isn't (not unlike many a politician)
I would suggest raising the issue again with the owner/broker, indicate that you like the boat EXCEPT for the odor and offer a figure that will allow for the elimination of any possible source of said odor. If further refusal continues smile and thank them and walk away.
Remember, liking before ownership is OK but love comes after the deal.

[Thomas1985]

Yes. I agree I’m ready to try and convince them to take an offer that I feel discounts the smell mitigation. Even if I don’t include that as a justification to the broker.

I want the boat. It checks all our boxes. It’s in budget. It’s not about to sink…

We’ve seen so many other disasters looking around. This was the first time we stood there in the cockpit and thought “I like this. This could be our boat”

[syahead]

Check for dry rot inside cupboards etc - wooden areas

I once nearly bought a boat with a little smell - then the surveyor started removing parts of the cupboards - from the inside!

The reason was water ingress from old portlights running inside the hull.

Buyer beware :-)

[windcastle1]

Unzip some of the cushion covers and turn them inside out. Any “stains” will show up on the bottom side. You can buy a black light from Amazon for $8 to aid in your “smell” investigations.🤗

[reflectionsv37]

Are there any of those disposable desiccant dehumidifiers in the boat? Those can give off a horrible urine/ammonia smell. If there are any in the boat, those could be the culprit.

[MerMike]

My vote is head hoses. The smell started out as occasional whiff of something sharp and unpleasant, much like ammonia. It didn't get better with time. There's no odor at all now that I replaced them..

[LakeSuperior]

It is impossible to passivate cat urine that has soaked into wood. Bleach, dime store cat urine treatments, etc. will not work over time as the urine will continue to outgas.

The only solution is removal of the exposed wood. Good luck if you take this on as urine leaked into the bilge has saturated all.

[sinnerman]

Originally Posted by aberglas

Sea water that is stagnant in pipes for a while smells really bad on first flush of toilet.

Small sea critters/algae get trapped in the rim of the bowl where the flush water emanates from.

They die, rot and start to stink.

Best argument for having a way to flush the head with fresh water:

I tapped the sea water water inlet for my toilet into my head sink drain line with a bypass valve.

I close the thru-hull valves for the sink drain and toilet water inlet, then open the bypass valve and run fresh water into the sink.

The toilet pump now pulls the water from the sink drain to flush the toilet.

In winter I pour antifreeze into the sink and pump it though the toilet to winterize.

My two cents

Cheers

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

Yes. I agree I’m ready to try and convince them to take an offer that I feel discounts the smell mitigation. Even if I don’t include that as a justification to the broker.

I want the boat. It checks all our boxes. It’s in budget. It’s not about to sink…

We’ve seen so many other disasters looking around. This was the first time we stood there in the cockpit and thought “I like this. This could be our boat”

If the root cause is cat piss I wouldn't take the boat if it was free. It will rock your olfactory every single time you go from the fresh air above to the foul air below.

[Peeew]

I have found that bilges left uncleaned can really stink. Often ignored under the boards. I was amazed at the difference when I finally scrubbed mine. Saved me from replacing the head hoses and then still stinking.

[SuW]

We had a kind of "head smell" in our 1976 boat when we bought it 12 years ago.

We took out the head, hoses and holding tank. We removed all the cushions and fabrics. We scrubbed everything. Still, when we opened up the boat, there was a "head smell".

All over, close to the fiberglass liner there was a very slight foul smell. It was stronger inside lockers. We assume this was something to do with the plastic resins gassing off over time.

We then painted all the interior including the fiberglass liner, floors and teak plywood bulkheads (which had all kinds of screw holes and were anyway unsuitable for a clear finish).

It was a horrible job - you have to dewax the liner thoroughly before painting, and access requires acrobatics - but we now have an odor-free boat.

It also looks great; after painting we put kiwigrip on the floors and disassembled, stripped and varnished all the teak trim and locker doors.

It was a huge amount of work and I wouldn't recommend it...

[Traumerei]

Is the boat on the hard? Nesting squirrels or raccoon could be the source. A head used but not flushed could also be the source. Waste hoses that need to be replaced are another source of odors on a boat that been shut up. Might be worth getting someone else to confirm what you’re smelling. Best of luck.