How We Eliminated Boat Cabin Odor ~ Ep. 105

5 steps to create a great smelling boat cabin. Get rid of those musty smells from mold, mildew and head odor. These are the steps we took when we bought our sailboat 21 years ago and we wanted to share what has worked for us.

[@hamachi21]

Another absolutely excellent video. I have to do all of these steps.

[@tcsadventures]

What type of boat do you have and how long have you had it?

[@sailingslapshot]

Great tips, thanks! I just purchased a '88 Cal 33 and thankfully it has no signs of mold/mildew, but did smell of diesel. Like you did I took everything that I could home to clean, wiped down every square inch of the interior (oil/lemon wood cleaner, and household cleaner for rest), and later wrapped the cushions in silk film before putting the washed covers back on. Boat has zero smell now. Lastly I bought and ran a small ozone generator in there for a couple of hours to try to kill off anything that might yet be present.
I've wondered if the silk film might not let the cushion breathe properly and be a problem later, but I'm inclined to think it will help more than hurt, and just knowing it's separating me from any possible nasties that might still be inside the cushions is comforting. Oh, no vent fans on the boat, but it does have two dorade box vents which remain open year round- they must be sufficient since no mold or mildew. (boat is in NJ just FYI)
I'll try your head tips. I hope to later reroute and dedicate the smaller fresh water tank to the head in the future, hoping it's not too difficult. Thanks! -Jim

[@tcsadventures]

Congrats on your Cal 33! Sounds like your boat was in a lot better condition than mine when I bought it. I haven’t heard of using silk film… but you’ve got everything in great shape! Enjoy your new boat and your comment is much appreciated (I don’t get many lol). Thanks for watching!

[@aaronmcclure1289]

We bought a Hunter 38 that smelled like an old stone basement. We tried everything that the other boaters recommended. In the end on a chance at Ace hardware we boaught a gallon of Odoban ™. It was the only thing that worked. Now all we have to do is keep the boat dry and it's been over two years, all is well.

[@tcsadventures]

I think an old stone basement would have been a big improvement from what my boat smelled like when I bought it, lol! Did you just spray the Odoban on everything or did you scrub/clean everything with it? I’ve never used it.

[@aaronmcclure1289]

@@tcsadventures Hello, We soaked the cusion covers in a bucket with the Odoban mixed in. It was instant. They went under water smelly and came back up free from odor. We also mixed up some for a spray bottle and used that to wipe everything down.

[@tcsadventures]

I’m glad it was successful! Enjoy your Hunter!

[@quantumtechcrypto7080]

Thee old ship Schwack? Eh?

[@jesuscraig2187]

𝕡𝐫ｏ𝕄ｏ𝔰𝓶 😔