That all too familiar smell

[Reilly, Mark]

I've got a 1963 36 ft chriscraft sport fisher. Its mahogany plank and the rear deck is raised over the engins and storage space. Its a mildew machine below and the cabin has its own special smell that is not a hit with the wife.

Its been suggested that I drop a few cups of bleach into the bilge before taking her out, letting it slosh around a bit and blowing it out when the pumps kick in.

There must be another plan. We clean regularly, but its a powerful presence.

Any suggestions?

Mark

[ssor]

Ventilation is the key, all other efforts will be temporary. Wash the interior with bleach, rince, and wipe with a strong borax solution to get rid of most of the mildew colonies.(don't rince after the borax wipe). I have a didicated 5 watt solar panel driving 12 volt computer type fans for positive ventilation and never have a hint of stale or musty air.

[Chadd Hamilton]

Mark, just as ssor said, you need some ventilation. I have a small daysailer that I keep moored out and I have a small fan running all the times. I use a solar panel to keep my batteru charged and this system has served me and my little boat well.

I found a very cheap solar panel that won't overcharge your battery. It's used by VW to keep the battery charged on new cars while they are in transit. They can be had on ebay for less than $20 and can be wired right to the battery.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2 F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=vw+solar+panel&c ategory0=

Chadd

[Reilly, Mark]

Thanks for the suggestion. I am assuming that you are talking about outside ventilation and not just moving the air around in the sealed cabin. Do you install the fan in a hatch or am I missing a simpler solution?

Thanks again,

Mark

[ssor]

I put the fans in cowl vents. You need two for each compartment. One powered for exhaust and the other serves as the air intake. Your engine room surely has vents so all you need is an exhaust fan in one of them.
The fans that I use are about three inches square and about an inch thick, rated at 24 CFM. The two in the cabin provide about five air changes per hour. The one in the lazerette is the same size but since the space is smaller changes the air about eight times per hour.

[ 09-08-2005, 07:46 AM: Message edited by: ssor ]