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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Head Odor

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Bruce Ebling
Navigator

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USA
155 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/28/2003 : 23:20:51

I recently aquired an 89WK from Salt Lake. The boat had water in the bilge when I bought it. After getting the boat home, I cleaned the entire insides including the bilge. I then tore out the holding tank, the head and all related hoses. We sprayed the inside of the boat with a clorox mixture and it still has a terrible lingering odor. I can't believe I don't even want to go inside my new boat!! Does anyone have any tried and true methods of eliminating odors that are particlarily stubborn. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Bruce Ebling
89 WK Selah

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Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2003 : 23:37:00

Bruce,

Did you put the plumbing back in? Although it sounds like the inside (especially plywood) of your boat might be marinated, MOST head odor comes from the biological fiesta taking place in the intake hose.......

There are chemicals out there that kill.....everything, more so than chlorox. Ask a professional cleaning company what they use for say, smoke odor after fire, or real nasty rental clean-ups.
<img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle>

Oscar
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Lady Kay 250 WB #618
In the driveway in Behtlehem, PA ready to go anytime.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/28/2003 : 23:54:30

Over time, odors have a way of permeating everything, especially fabrics and cushions. When I bought my boat, it too had a putrid odor that stung the nose a bit.

What I did to lessen it was to give the boat a good cleaning and then let it air out for a good period of time. I first offloaded all the cushions and all the boards beneath them, then scrubbed all the surfaces including the bilge. When I was done, I set up a couple of fans to circulate air throughout the boat. When I covered/tented the boat for winter, I left the front hatch open a few inches and removed all three companionway hatchboards(I was refinishing them). This provided the interior with about 5 months of constant fresh air.

At home, I took the covers off all the cushions and, using laundry detergent, soaked them in the laundry room sink to clean them. The foam for the cushions was taken outside, hosed down, and then air/sun dried thoroughly.

For the holding tank(which I suspect was the originator of these odors) I took a bunch of packets of powered head deodorizer and made a concentrated solution to pour into the head and tank. I also made sure the head vent was clear. I sprayed Febreeze on the holding tank and on all the hoses, especially the large black one.

Today, my boat does have that nonoffensive boat smell that all boats seem to have, but it no longer has that stinging odor like the urinal trough down at the ballpark!

<img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/c25sm.gif" border=0>Don Lucier<img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/c25sm.gif" border=0>
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d904b3127cce9f7cd9ffdf1d0000003010" border=0>
North Star SR/FK

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Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3324 Posts

Response Posted - 05/29/2003 : 10:38:20

Bruce - the most effective odor removal device is an ozone generator, it will destroy any organic odor without harming cushions etc. Many of the professional clean-up firms use them (especially after fires). If you can rent one, put it in the closed up boat and let it run non-stop for about 2 weeks. I have a small one in the boat all the time - it stops all the mildew and even kills the smell of my crew's cigars!
Derek

<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3dc30b3127cce942c608d6f1e0000001010" border=0>
TRFK#2262"This Side Up"

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/29/2003 : 10:51:09

Bruce -

A few thoughts

If the head tank or holding tank had any sort of a leak, it would have saturated the wood in the holding tank area (ours had a cheap piece of marine plywood glassed into place to restrict the movement of the tank...it looked original). Get that wood out of there. Also check the mast compression post in that area. Make sure its dry. Rotten wood can produce a methane like smell.

Wash your Cushions, curtains and other fabrics. We actually soaked our cushions in a bleach, soap and solution ( I know don't mix your soaps....sometimes you have to live on the edge) The covers went in the washer on cold with some woolite.

Do you have access to the area under the cabin sole? If you had water in the bilge, you probably still have remnants of bilge water floating around in there that can't get out. (bilge water over time will smell just like a head tank.) We installed three inspection plates to access under the sole, the area under the head and the area under the dinette table so that we could pump out the water. Its all supposed to drain to the bilge, but a lot of times doesn't, then the microbes get a hold of it, the cabin gets hot and stuffy and stuff grows.

Once we got rid of the smell, we put a stick up in the head area, in each of the settee lockers and in the galley. We also have a 1000 flushes bleach puck in the bilge, to prevent any new problems from forming.

dw

D. Wolff - "The Flying Wasp" #401 sr/sk
Chief Measurer C-25/250 National Assn.
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Dave B
Admiral

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Mali
863 Posts

Response Posted - 05/29/2003 : 22:13:33

Good reason for using a portable potti. <img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 #5032 "Passage" SR/FK/Dinette/Honda in SW CT

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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.