boat odor--

[Dana Mosher]

I own a fantastic Jim McCurdy designed CD INTREPID 35. She is Hull #3 of only five that Cape Dory Built. She, like many of the late 70's/early 80's CD's is built with a fiberglass "pan" interior liner. I have a difficult to explain odor that won't GO AWAY! My guess is that it is a mildew type of a smell but I've cleaned and cleaned, even poured bleach under the "pan" in various places to no evail. It is NOT the head! I can even smell the boat just walking past it in my door yard this winter! Otherwise, this is one incredibly fine boat. She was a winner in the Marion/Bermuda Race back in the mid 80's and I still race her some. BUT an odorless boat would just about make it perfect! I need help with suggustions!!!!



tdmosher@mint.net

[Andrew Blight]

My CD 30 was pretty easy to recognize by smell also, and still has a bit of character to it, but I found last year that the major source of problem was a thin layer of black gunk, lining deep recesses in the bilge sump. For reasons best known to those with the benefit of more extensive engineering training, the deep part of the bilge in the CD 30 was placed in a practically unreachable position, way aft of the rear bilge opening in the cabin sole. It therefore took me a couple of years to find my way all the way back in there and discover the haunt of the vintage residue. Multiple flushing with soap and water, and lots of hand-pumping (it is also kind of small for a real electric submersible pump) finally cleaned it out to the point that the boat can now be approached safely from downwind, even after a week in the closed state. I am not sure if your 33 is constructed the same way, but I advise that you keep on exploring for inaccessible pools of biological activity.

[Joe Wysong]

I own a fantastic Jim McCurdy designed CD INTREPID 35. She is Hull #3 of only five that Cape Dory Built. She, like many of the late 70's/early 80's CD's is built with a fiberglass "pan" interior liner. I have a difficult to explain odor that won't GO AWAY! My guess is that it is a mildew type of a smell but I've cleaned and cleaned, even poured bleach under the "pan" in various places to no evail. It is NOT the head! I can even smell the boat just walking past it in my door yard this winter! Otherwise, this is one incredibly fine boat. She was a winner in the Marion/Bermuda Race back in the mid 80's and I still race her some. BUT an odorless boat would just about make it perfect! I need help with suggustions!!!!

After reading Practical Sailor's rave review of the Panda Ozone generator, we bought one. We have the big, $350-400 unit (available from West Marine). It runs on either 117 or 12v DC. Close the boat up, let it run for five or six days. Make sure you air the boat out for an hour or more before going aboard because raw ozone is toxic. This will probably get rid of the odor.

I do, however, agree with Andrew and believe that while the Panda will give you an odor free yacht for two or three months, it won't solve the source of the odor and you really do need to find the source of the problem.

Joe



tgjournal@gestalt.org

[Pete Zwiefelhofer]

To keep the bilge clean I: (1) installed a bronze plug through the hull to the low point of the bilge. This allows me to throughly flush the bilge each fall after haul-out. (2) Squirt a little soap in the bilge each spring. (3) Routed the ice box drain hose to the shower sump. Then when my 8 year old spills milk in the ice box the spilt milk won't end up in the bilge.

Good luck!

[Pat Carlson]

While I agree that you MUST find the source of the odor, this is sometimes an almost impossible! We had the same problem with our CD30. After coming to the conclusion that most of the odor was probably caused by bacteria, we took the following steps:

1. I found this wonderful concentrated cleaner called "Fabuloso" at the local supermarket. It's biodegradable & won't damage your fiberglass/resins like bleach can. Pour a little of this concentrate into your sink drain(s) before you leave the boat. We also mix a little Fabuloso with water & pour a bit in the toilet bowl after each use. There are two "flavors" - one smells like lavender & the other smells like something I can't recognize. I like the lavender.

2. Flush the bilge with lots of fresh water & a little dish detergent ("Dawn") often. Dawn breaks down any greasy residue that can collect bacteria.

3. Clean every nook & cranny using a mixture of water, vinegar & baking soda! Let the surfaces dry then clean again with the Fabuloso. This is worth the effort - especially the anchor locker! You wouldn't believe the amount of gunk that collects in there.

4. Unfortunately, any odor you have on the boat seems to "seep" into the cushions. There's a new product on the market called "Fabreeze". You just spray it on & let it dry. It works.

Good luck!



SkywindMCM@aol.com