Musty - Fuel Smell

S

simon20.69

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2009
RO Number
31807
Messages
20
Any tricks to removing a musty/fuel smell out of a boat. It is one of those things that clings to everything.

Do the expensive ($300) air purifiers work? Or are there other solutions?

I have taken care of the fuel smell by having one of the carbs rebuilt. I can not find any active mold/mildew anywhere in the boat. It is not so bad when you are there as it is easy to get used to, just everything stinks when you leave.

Help...!??

Simon
 
you need to identify the cause. Fuel smells different than mold and that smells different than sewage. That said the most common cause of odor on a boat is bilge water.
find the cause then we can help.

you wont ever be happy until you fix the source of the smells, cheaper than fancy gadgets too
 
Exactly what Bruce said; "Find the source". Yes, there are lots of products and gadgets the will mask/eliminate the order. But, unless you find and cure the source they will return and you're right back where you started from.

You have to treat the disease not just the symptom.

I also suspect a wet bilge compartment, probably towards the bow, that doesn't drain properly.

Bob
 
I have the same problem. It smells more like varnish than anything else, and it will knock you over when opening the door. It is not the AC or fuel, there is a wet forward bilge, not sure why. I pumped it out by hand and saw that there was a little hole in bottom with water filling up through it. Should I put a screw in the hole? Any ideas for dealing with wet forward bilge? What is the "proper" way for the forward bilge to drain?
 
a hole in the bottom is not good. did you hit soemthing? dont put a screw into it find out whats wrong and fiberglas it from the outside.
 
I had a similar problem at the start of the season what I found was a leak in a fresh water pipe, I replaced the section of hose and problem was solved. The smell was antifreeze from winterizing the system. once I fixed the pipe I had to clean the bilge.

A hole that water is coming in??? if your battery dies the boat will sink, fix it quick.
 
It is not on the hull, but on the floor of the bilge. There is a big keel under it. It appears to be where a screw used to be, next to the bilge pump. The pump doesn't run very often, and the boat is plugged in.
 
so the keel is filled with water?? Again not good but where is the water entering the keel???

What do you think happened to the wet keel when it froze in OH winter?
 
Inside heated storage. The bilge was dry when we put it away. I think the marina didn't reconnect all the hoses correctly when they "summerized" it. I will have it fixed soon. Thanks for the concern.
 
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