Old boat smell. Help!

[NickTrevethan]

I have a new boat, well it’s an old boat, a Sealine 365, and it smells like old boat. I quite like the smell of old boat, but SWMBO isn’t a big fan.
What’s odd is that my old boat, which was much older than my new old boat smelled much less like old boat than the new old boat.
No I have confused everyone, I want to know how to combat it. On the old boat the sterngland wept a bit and I think the cycling of water kept the bilges a bit sweeter.
The new boat is on outdrives, but I could I could flush the bilges from time to time. She did suffer a diesel spill, well a whole tank rupture, about two years ago and while it was cleaned up, I think most of the odour is probably related to that.
I know people say it’s all but impossible to get the smell of diesel out but looking for ideas for a treatment that will at least last a month or two.

BTW the smell is a mix of oil and general bilginess if you know what I mean. There is a holding tank, but it's empty and it's not that kind of smell!

 

[stevebrassett]

I have been told that the sprays you use for getting rid of pet odours can help with diesel. Can't confirm it, as my boat has an outboard. Something to do with the enzymes in them.

 

[Swanrad2]

I have NO idea of the downsides of this, but it is what I would do. Fill the bilges to about the right level (instinctive thing) and chuck in a container of bilgex. Leave it to slop around for a week then pump out. Leave a hatch open somehow fore and aft - old ideas I know.

I also (when ashore) sit at the front of the boat with a jet washer stuffed in the bilge and set up a circulation current (as far as possible) around the half full bilges. I pump out intermittently in the vain hope that the circulation will disturb small particulates that are then pumped out.

On my last boat (which was dry but a bit stinky as well) I set up an old PC cooling fan in a bilge hatch to circulate air through the bilges - that helped.

On areas that have had a diesel spill I also scrub with International de-greaser but literally no idea if this helps.

Maybe a list of the obvious - but it's all I've got

 

[Deleted member 36384]

This is what we did when we bought our old Rival 41C.

1. Remove all movable items from the boat: cushions, plates, ropes, cans of this and that, food, sails etc.
2. Vacuum every surface, nook and cranny to remove dust.
3. Wash all surfaces in hot water with bleach: under bunks, in cupboards, behind the heads etc.
4. Now the important bit: in the cockpit locker and under the cabin soles will probably be years of dirt accumulated. With the rest of the boat clean lift the sole, vacuum out the dirt and wash with orange zest cleaner. The orange zest smelly stuff kills off diesel smells.
5. The only solution we found for smelly cushions was to replace them. We sort of cleaned them up with a steam cleaner but that didn't last long.
6. Old headlining, foam backed, can hold pongs too, replace.

 

[nigelmercier]

Try these, they work very well: http://amzn.to/1d0fkUP

 

[bendyone]

I have been told that the sprays you use for getting rid of pet odours can help with diesel. Can't confirm it, as my boat has an outboard. Something to do with the enzymes in them.

Second that, we don't visit as often as I would like but a quick spray round the engine room when we leave and it's fresh on our next visit.

 

[Swanrad2]

This is what we did when we bought our old Rival 41C.

1. Remove all movable items from the boat: cushions, plates, ropes, cans of this and that, food, sails etc.
2. Vacuum every surface, nook and cranny to remove dust.
3. Wash all surfaces in hot water with bleach: under bunks, in cupboards, behind the heads etc.
4. Now the important bit: in the cockpit locker and under the cabin soles will probably be years of dirt accumulated. With the rest of the boat clean lift the sole, vacuum out the dirt and wash with orange zest cleaner. The orange zest smelly stuff kills off diesel smells.
5. The only solution we found for smelly cushions was to replace them. We sort of cleaned them up with a steam cleaner but that didn't last long.
6. Old headlining, foam backed, can hold pongs too, replace.

Nothing in the bilgesoif our last boat was dry enough to vacuum! Is the orange zest cleaner a product or jus a flavour? I'll try that to kill the smell of Gunk.

We do vacuum our current boat thoroughly and also (after scrubbing) steam clean all surfaces that aren't glued.

 

[bert49uk]

Try Frabreeze works a treat

 

[Halo]

This may sound mad but it has worked for me
1. Get some biological cloths washing powder such as "Tide" and put a strong solution of it in the bilge. Leave it there over a sailing trip then pump out
2. Get a large bottle of Coke and put it in the bilge . Leave it there over a sailing trip and pump out
3. Repeat 1. and leave the solution in for at least a week
4. This will have no effect on cushions etc but I have found it will reduce boaty smell and the washing powder perfume in the impart a clean washing smell which is less offensive to those who do not like the boaty smell

 

[lustyd]

This may sound mad but it has worked for me
1. Get some biological cloths washing powder such as "Tide" and put a strong solution of it in the bilge. Leave it there over a sailing trip then pump out
2. Get a large bottle of Coke and put it in the bilge . Leave it there over a sailing trip and pump out
3. Repeat 1. and leave the solution in for at least a week
4. This will have no effect on cushions etc but I have found it will reduce boaty smell and the washing powder perfume in the impart a clean washing smell which is less offensive to those who do not like the boaty smell

I'd suggest skipping the coke, Mythbusters tested and it does pretty much nothing useful in any of the tests they performed.

 

[Bertramdriver]

Try Frabreeze works a treat

Works for me above the deck in the saloon and cabins.
For the bilges the Greeks use Ariel bio. Let the bilges fill, tip in some bio and leave for a week. Then pump out and flush with fresh water. Seems to work well.

 

[neilf39]

A clean out and a squirt of toliet duck cured the smell from ours bilges which was partly stale water and diesel as the fuel tap had been dripping. Seemed to remove all the smell and the cleaner itself didn't leave an after smell.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

A clean out and a squirt of toliet duck cured the smell from ours bilges which was partly stale water and diesel as the fuel tap had been dripping. Seemed to remove all the smell and the cleaner itself didn't leave an after smell.

That is the orange zest product mentioned in my post; 'Toilet Duck'.

 

[Gwylan]

Try these, they work very well: http://amzn.to/1d0fkUP

Look in a pound shop for them!

The Neutradol loo cleaner is very good too and does not seem to damage the plumbing on board.

 

[hartcjhart]

ask the same question in here
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33

they have loads of ideas to get rid of odours