Normal Cuddy smell?-gctid396416

[Guest]

Ok, so being new to the whole cuddy boating arena, Im curious about what the normal smell is inside the cuddy? After I open the vent hatch, the smell cleans up and is normal, but when I first open her up it smells fairly strong. Hard to describe the smell. Its not a gas smell. I just dont know what a normal smell is inside the cuddy.

[Guest]

Mine too will smell when closed up. I think the odor comes from the cushions. Smells like a chemical odor, like when plastic gets hot. I have a deodorizor hanging from the light to help mask the smell.

Jeff t

[Guest]

Resqme49 wrote:
Ok, so being new to the whole cuddy boating arena, Im curious about what the normal smell is inside the cuddy? After I open the vent hatch, the smell cleans up and is normal, but when I first open her up it smells fairly strong. Hard to describe the smell. Its not a gas smell. I just dont know what a normal smell is inside the cuddy.

Moisture, stale air, foam, glue, fiberglass resin, etc.

Best thing you can do for your interior is to keep some circulation going!

[Guest]

Not sure what a normal smell should be either......but the fact is that most boats have some kind of smell. It's not unusual for them to smell musty from being in a damp environment all the time.

Try to find any mold or mildew and clean it well. If there's any way to leave a window or hatched open (with out getting rain water in) so fresh air can circulate, then that will help also. Those Canaberra wax oder absorbers work pretty good----try one.

OH YEAH---hang a DampRid moisture absorber in there also. You'd be surprised how much water they pull out of the air.

[Guest]

If you have a forward bilge in your boat you can get odors from stagnant water sitting in there. If my boat sits for a while I will spray a mixture of bleach over the pump, float and any residual water left in there. This usually keeps the odor away. I also flush my anchor rode locker drain with this mixture and it flows to the forward bilge. I spray and wipe all my forward stowage compartments with a slight bleach mixture to kill any bacteria or mold that may wait to make a home.

If you get a chance while on the hook wipe down your anchor storage compartment with a good sludge killer as this is probably where most of your smell comes from; the bottom of the lake/ ocean.

[FISHIN00]

Remove your porta pottie,when your done boating for the week!

[Alaskanmutt]

His anchor locker does not drain to the bilge, it drains through the chrome clamshell on the starboard side bow,

I had the same boat, mine smelled like funky fishermen, bait and oil (thye kept 2 stroke oil under the step for the kicker), but some chlorine water in the compartment under the step and in the compartments under the cushions, then drop the front of the trailer as far down as it will go, leave for a few days then crank up as high as it can to drain (all the bilges in the older 2002's feed to the stern through 1/2 limber holes) When that is done, take the cushions out and frebreeze the dog snot outta them then let them air out in a garage. Finally use the spray auto carpet and upholstery cleaner on the monkey fur, scrub lightly with a soft brush and use a shop vac to remove the excess. It will smell chemically for a bit but then it will smell just like a boat.

[Guest]

Poking around in there today, I noticed that there are void areas connecting the anchor locker to the cuddy. Im thinking of finding a way to seal that off as I also noticed the anchor locker has a similiar smell. The more I look in the cuddy the more I notice it is not a sealed compartment. lol. There are void spaces to see toward the rear of the boat on either side and the two voids on either side of the anchor locker. I am definately going to do the auto spray on the monkey fur and going to find a way to clean the cushons. I think the new floor will help. Luckily everything that was kept in there was non chemical and clean (life jackets/tackle boxes/ coolers ect....). The guy that had it before me took pretty good care of it. (minus the cuddy floor rot).

[Guest]

So, from what I am gathering it is normal to have your cuddy smell. My big concern is/was mold or mildew as I dont want to breath that in while overnighting. The smell goes away once I open her up and is just concentrated when I first open her. There isnt any visible mold or mildew and the cuddy is very dry. Im sure it will stay even drier with a damprid deal.

[Guest]

Install a ventilator to keep good air circulation in the cuddy:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=11151&partNumber=11974599&langId=-1&searchKeyword=solar+ventilator

[Guest]

Thats actually not a bad idea. I was toying with the idea of getting a small 12 volt fan that draws next to nothing and just let it run a couple times a week. I also noticed tonight as I peered through my cover to the inside of the boat, it is a very similiar smell, just stronger in the cuddy, which is enclosed. Makes sense. Thorough cleaning and ventilation coming up.

[Guest]

The solar powered fan will change the air out several times a day and not drain your batts. I had one on a 30 foot racing sailboat I owned. The interior got pretty funky due to wet sail storage, wet, nasty smelling men, beer and food funk.

Walk away from a foul smelling boat and come back to the sweet, fresh smell of fiberglass. A little air freshener strip doesn't hurt either.

[Guest]

Resqme49 wrote:
So, from what I am gathering it is normal to have your cuddy smell. My big concern is/was mold or mildew as I dont want to breath that in while overnighting. The smell goes away once I open her up and is just concentrated when I first open her. There isnt any visible mold or mildew and the cuddy is very dry. Im sure it will stay even drier with a damprid deal.

If you have rot in the floor----then you have mold and mildew also. A good shot of bleach might kill it (and help with the smell) until you can make the repairs.

[2850Bounty]

There should be some good ordor eating enzyme cleaners that will solve a problem like this. These cleaners go right after the molecules that are causing the order.

Check with a carpet installers tool supplier, or perhaps an upholstery shop supplier.

You might try spraying everything down with one of these chemicals.

You could also douse your cushions with a diluted solution.

They should be able to air dry on a nice hot day or two.

.

[Guest]

Wow! So I got a 12 volt car fan that moves some decent air and clipped it in the cuddy and let it run all night. (Still going strong). I also got the walmart mondo tub of damprid with an RV/Boat odor eliminating gel and set on the floor. I also got some fabreeze and sprayed the monkey fur and cushions with a light mist. This morning was a HUGE difference. Not sure yet if its the fabreeze or what, but it was a light fragrance smell and really nothing else. I also cant believe how long that fan is running on the boat battery. lol.