Association Forum - Cleaning the nether regions

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Cleaning the nether regions

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

Chakana
1st Mate

Member Avatar

USA
62 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/07/2012 : 19:58:18

While Charley finished sanding and repairing the teak pieces today, I decided to give the boat interior a good scrubbing. Wow, I think there was 28 years of dirt in there!
When we first purchased the boat last fall, we noticed a musty odor inside . Just assumed it was the carpet or something. We removed the carpet several months ago, and the smell did improve, but didn't totally go away. Today, I kept smelling it while scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees.
So we stopped for lunch and ate at our table for the first time!! I had removed the wood pieces that cover the bilge. Charley took his retainers out (he wore braces as an adult) and promptly dropped them in the bilge.
So while we were fishing out the retainers, we realized where the smell was coming from. The bilge. It's dry, but there's grimy brown stuff in there that smells musty. It's mostly in the central area of the boat, where the bilge is narrow and shallow. The area further aft is clean, under the aft berth.
This does make me wonder about water being there in the past. (The boat has never been in the water since we've owned it an we never saw it in the water before purchasing).
I don't plan on worrying about a leak at this point. Everything looks solid.
My main question for today is, how do I get the brown stuff out?
I have done a search in past threads, and notice that people often mention cleaning their bilges, but don'w say how. I guess it's a no brainer, not worthy of describing!
The brown stuff is in areas that are difficult to reach, and I just don't have a clue. Please help!

Charley & Anna Louiso
Chakana 1984 C25 SR/SK #4192
Louisville, KY

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 04/07/2012 : 20:59:05

Man, I thought this was going to be another thread that needed reporting until I saw it was from a member!

Our bilge had similar brown goo in places. Rita & I took up all the boards (there are really only three on a C-250, two right above the keel and a third under the aft berth area). We scrubbed as far as we could reach with Scrub Brite. The bleach in it will kill most anything, and the surface comes pretty clean. Make sure you wear grubby clothes, you're going to spill it on you, or slop some with your scrub brush, scrubby or sponge, and it's going to do what strong bleach does. I have some sweats to prove it, and more than a couple shirts. You might need a long handled brush to get into the nooks and crannies, and it seems like the C-25 bilge is more compartmented than a C-250 so you might have to spend more time standing on your head to get to all of the places.

It's well worth the time though, nothing like having a sweet smelling boat.

We looked at an Ericson 32 that we probably would have bought, but when we went down the ladder into the cabin, all you could smell was diesel and some unidentifiable musty smell, maybe just the bilges, maybe the head? Hard to tell with the diesel smell. Knowing what I know now, I'd have taken a harder look at that boat, probably could have gotten a pretty good deal on it just because of the smell and diesel leak. Both were probably relatively easily fixed.

You might also check out Peggie Hall's book: [url="http://www.amazon.com/Get-Rid-Boat-Odors-Aggravation/dp/1892399156"]Get Rid of Boat odors[/url] or check her column out on [url="http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/member.php?u=35248"]sailboatowners.com[/url]

Fortunately our bilge stays bone dry, even in heavy-heavy downpours.

Edit: To clean up after scrubbing, we used a garden sprayer to rinse down everywhere and let it run into the bilge, then pumped it down with our manual pump. Then we ran another couple of gallons of clean water through the system to make sure any bleach leftover was either washed out, or so dilute as not to hurt anything. We used a sponge to mop up all the excess water until the bilge was basically dry (and clean).

Edited by - delliottg on 04/07/2012 21:02:07

islander
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 06:37:51

Just a thought, Maybe pour one gal of the good smelling bleach and about 5 or so gal of water into the bilge then go sailing. At the end of the day just pump it out. All the sloshing around should get to the places you can't get to by hand.

Edited by - on

glivs
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
836 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 07:15:47

Our boat smelled foul (I'm exaggerating, but it was bad enough) when we first purchased it. We found that brown residue not only in the bilge but throughout the boat between the hull and the interior liner. Probably started out as dust from when the hull was originally layed up. We removed most everything portable on the boat, opened all the access areas we could, e.g., behind the head, under the head sink, under the galley sink, etc. and sprayed into as many areas as we could reach with a hose and then with a garden sprayer with a dilute bleach mixture. I was amazed at how much of that brown "dust" ended up in the bilge. We siphoned out as much as possible, sponged out the remainder, and aired the boat out well for a couple of days to dry. I strongly discourage you from using your manual bilge pump - that dust could very possibly plug it. Bottom line - 6 yrs and counting and still no smell.

Edited by - on

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 07:40:51

Our boat has the brown dust too (and is also a 1984). I cleaned up the bilge the best that I could (it is really hard to get to the front portion on our boat due to the holding tank) using a biodegradable soap and rinsing it out with a hose.

The smell in our boat didn't come from the bilge, it was just from the boat not having had a deep clean in a long time and the boat's cabin having sat closed up for a while. A full holding tank and a long dead head didn't help. We cleaned out every inch of the accessible interior and that made a huge difference. The boat was smelling fresh for weeks before I got to cleaning the bilge.

I'd encourage you to be very careful with pumping dirty bleach water out of your boat and into your marina. Maybe someone can stand on the dock and catch it in a bucket. There is already a lot of junk in our waterways.

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 07:46:50

My bilge was pretty nasty when I bought the boat. I always get a little water in it when it rains, but only if it's a hard, driving rain from a certain direction. Usually there's not enough to pump out so I use a sponge and bucket, and a couple big towels to get all of it.

First time I cleaned the bilge, it was a nasty affair, but I got it pretty clean and sprayed it down with a Lysol/Clorox mixture, killing any little nasties and smellies down there. It's surprising how much better the boat will smell with a clean/fresh bilge....even if you don't notice any problems to begin with.

I've found, as long as it's dry, it won't smell, even if there is some silt or dirt in there from the last rain. Mold/mildew is absolutely devastated by bleach, so you can mix up a sprayer and wash down every nook and crannie you can see or get to. Don't even have to wipe it up....just a misting of the bleach mix will do the job. Not too strong though....like a teaspoon in a sprayer bottle of water is plenty strong. Or you can go buy any of the commercial premium brands already in a bottle.... Like Clorox Cleanup or something....409.....you know.....

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 07:59:22

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by awetmore
 I'd encourage you to be very careful with pumping dirty bleach water out of your boat and into your marina. Maybe someone can stand on the dock and catch it in a bucket. There is already a lot of junk in our waterways.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

If you're worried about that, just let it sit for a while, a few hours or so. Bleach breaks down very quickly and won't be any worse than the levels found in municipal tap water.

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

Members Avatar

USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 09:52:40

Scrub every place you can reach, then do the dilute bleach or white vinegar soak. Bleach can be hard on the diaphragm pump, but it won't clog from fine debris, nor will it move any of the water between the stringers - sponge it out. Go head first into the access in the quarterberth and V berth (photos would be fun) and you can reach a little more. A sponge with a flexible plastic rod or even a coat hanger for a handle will let you get farther out, especial on the starboard side. The SK bilge has a lot of inaccessible ares,

Edited by - on

Chakana
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
62 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 11:16:23

Talk about inaccesible....seems like most of the dirt goes under the port side settee/galley area. That area only about 4 inches tall. I took a spray bottle and sprayed bleach solotion everywhere I could reach, but I don't think it was even 10%. The boat is currently on the trailer (we're having trouble finding a slip to rent for the season).
So now I've got to go stain the wood.
And clean the rub rail with goof-off.
Thanks everyone for the advice. Some problems seem overwhelming to those who are new to sail boat ownership, even simple things like this.

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 12:02:48

I guess I should have said to pump it into a bucket but yes unstabilized Clorine breaks down very rapidly ask any pool owner. Long Island Sound is ringed with water polution plants and every one of them treats the water with Clorine before being pumped into the Sound.

Edited by - islander on 04/08/2012 12:04:52

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
5372 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 13:38:11

On Passage there was a good deal of water collecting in the dumpster and under the quarterberth. Mostly loose stanchions that are now repaired. The area under the galley sink and quarterberth had a funky smell. I climbed into the dumpster, pulled out the drawers and opened the qberth panel and wiped all these areas down with bleach and vinegar.
The Admiral who is sensitive to musty odors has given the boat a clean bill of health. Let's hope the clean will last awhile!

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 14:54:16

Go over what you can reach with a stiff bristle brush and vacuum up what you can while it is dry. Then go with the bleach/water solutions. Water pumps at Harbor Freight are not too expensive, and work well with a 5 gallon bucket. Also, a wet/dry shop vac is great for getting dirty water residue out of the tight spaces. Use a 5-6 gallon one because the larger ones can get very heavy when full.
Car wash sponges work well, too.
One other thing, the solar powered vents are terriffic and I strongly recommend that you install one if not already installed.

Edited by - dmpilc on 04/08/2012 14:59:53

Chakana
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
62 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2012 : 16:50:05

Thank you eveyone. I have the solar vent on order. Will do 'all of the above' and see how it goes.

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

2402 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 07:04:25

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by islander
 Just a thought, Maybe pour one gal of the good smelling bleach and about 5 or so gal of water into the bilge then go sailing. At the end of the day just pump it out. All the sloshing around should get to the places you can't get to by hand.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I wish this forum software supported giving pluses on posts. This one is genius.

Edited by - on

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 08:19:06

To top off the cleaning job and really make things smell clean and new, I took a couple of hours and painted all the visible hull spaces with topside paint. A 2" thick-nap roller works well in most spaces and the result is very satisfying.

Edited by - on

Ape-X
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
662 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 08:39:52

we just used bilgekote on all visible surfaces. While painting, i noticed that only the painted surfaces were stained. It looks like long ago a good deal of water was onboard, and all white paint showed black spots. Bleach, "Awesome" cleaner and scrubbing never completed it. The new paint makes all surfaces smooth-er, now to just vent off the VOC's

Edited by - on

Chakana
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
62 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 11:10:03

OK so 5 gallon bucket of bleach solution, and some sailing is all we need!! Can't wait!! Hopefully Memorial Weekend....

Edited by - on

Chakana
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
62 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 13:32:40

OK so 5 gallon bucket of bleach solution, and some sailing is all we need!! Can't wait!! Hopefully Memorial Weekend....

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 15:51:42

Anna, I do want to add that I have only done this with greasy bilges in power boats and with de-greaser. The amount I'm just guessing at but I would say enough to fill the bilge about 2in. above the keel well. You want to do this on a day that sailing will be somewhat aggressive to slosh it around. Make sure you use the scented bleach, Regular bleach well you can imagine.

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

Members Avatar

USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 16:56:46

No keel well. A couple of inches deep should be fine, but you would be surprised at what you can do with a sponge on a stick with that big puddle of cleaner. I am considering blasting a fan spray from my pressure washer with the boat on the trailer.

Edited by - on

Sam001
Vice Commodore

Members Avatar

USA
441 Posts

Response Posted - 04/10/2012 : 17:43:44

OK gang the sam truth
the brown stuff down south is dirt dobbers=wasp building their homes.
bleach is your fiend
I use a garden sprayer and depending on how bad it is one to one bleach and water and spray away.
I read a post and on the C-25 I cut limber holes in the can't get to areas so they drain to the bilge pump area
spray the bleach and use the shop vac or the bilge pump to get rid of the stuff.
and yes, I didi it on the trailer....

Edited by - on

Chakana
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
62 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2012 : 05:29:48

Garden sprayer---great idea! Thanks!

Edited by - on

Stu Jackson C34
Admiral

Members Avatar

844 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2012 : 18:15:48

Peggie Hall also recommends www.pureayre.com

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.