wrote:
Ahhhh, the smell of the sea!!!

Unfortunately, our sailboat smells (stinks, actually)


What KIND of smell? Sewage? Mold-like? Rotten egg-like?

It's like a combination of smells - maybe mold and sewage (?), but not
rotten eggs or oil/engine smells. We can't find any specific "source".
The bilge smells ok, the head smells ok, etc. After the boat has been
closed up for a few hours, there is just a general stinky smell
throughout.

wrote:
It's like a combination of smells - maybe mold and sewage (?), but not
rotten eggs or oil/engine smells. We can't find any specific "source".
The bilge smells ok, the head smells ok, etc. After the boat has been
closed up for a few hours, there is just a general stinky smell
throughout.

Had this problem on a Mirage 33 I crewed on. After a while I couldn't
stand to sit close to the dodger in the cockpit becuse the smells would
waffle up & make me feel sick...especially if the front hatch was open
to blow the air through. The boat is gone now...but I would guess the
old hoses were to blame. It did have a holding tank still 20% full...but
only a real thru-hull marine toilet had been used sparringly in the last
number of years. (still allowed on Canada's East Coast)
note: sailboat sold a couple of years ago.

On Wed, 24 May 2006 14:14:49 GMT, in message

Don White wrote:

It did have a holding tank still 20% full...but
only a real thru-hull marine toilet had been used sparringly in the last
number of years.

Why was the tank still 20% full? And with what? I would do a lot
flushing before taking a tank out of service, and probably fill it
with something anti-microbial.

Ryk

Ryk wrote:
On Wed, 24 May 2006 14:14:49 GMT, in message

Don White wrote:


It did have a holding tank still 20% full...but
only a real thru-hull marine toilet had been used sparringly in the last
number of years.


Why was the tank still 20% full? And with what? I would do a lot
flushing before taking a tank out of service, and probably fill it
with something anti-microbial.

Ryk


Believe it was like that when boat was purchased used around 2002. I
can't remember if the hose to tank from toiler was disconnected & capped
after the 'Y' valve...or the 'Y' valve simply put in the thru-hull
flushing position permanently. The boat was manufactured in Quebec
where holding tanks/pumpouts are used.

wrote:

It's like a combination of smells - maybe mold and sewage (?), but not
rotten eggs or oil/engine smells.

Iow, it's a sour/swampy/sewery odor? If so, my money is on permeated
sanitation hoses. To make sure, wet a clean rag in HOT water...wrap
around a hose...use a clean rag for each section of hose. When the rags
cool, remove 'em and smell 'em. If you can't smell anything on the rag,
the hose is ok...but if you can smell the same odor on the rag, the hose
has permeated. New hoses are the only cure.

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/books...ku=90&cat=1304