My Boat Stinks.

[TwoBallScrewBall]

Short Story. Four nice big eels left in the livewell for 3 weeks. <br /><br />On top of that, as I'm cleaning it out today I come to find out that the inlet on the bottom of the tank leaks. So there's dead eel juice all through my bilge. <br /><br />I filled the livewell with bleach and water, cleaned out, and rinsed out as much as I could (by removing parts) underneath the livewell with belach and water. All I smell is bleach now, but I'm sure once my nose regains it's full ability to smell after this barrage of stank, it'll probably still smell in there. <br /><br />Any tips on cleaning it out a little better? There is little to no access to the under livewell area and inner hull, other than to dump a solution in and blindly spray with the hose. <br /><br />Help.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

The bleach will surely get the stank out as long as it was able to come in cantact with all of the affected surfaces.You can do another dose using Simple green this time which will clean everything out and leave a pleasant smell.I would first fill the well that the eels were in with some bleach and water and let it flow through the hole that you found to make sure you get it everywhere.Charlie

 

[TwoBallScrewBall]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Did that, I had the well full and that's when I noticed the dripping sound. SO wherever the eel juice went the bleach mix followed. <br /><br />I'll check out the boat tomorrow morning, it should be pretty easy to tell if the smell is gone or not. <br /><br />Thanks.<br /><br />PS - Clorox can't hurt fiberglass, can it? Not gel coat, just the inner hull layup...

 

[QC]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Did you put the plug in? When I really want a good bilge cleaning I start with the plug in and let it fill as high as is reasonable. Let it soak for a while then pull the plug and run the pump a little too.

 

[Stratocaster]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Bleach will wreak havoc with anything made of rubber. Think bilge pumps, seals, rubber washers, hoses etc.<br /><br />Raritan K.O. will destroy the smell by 'friendly' bacterial action. Dump or spray it in the affected area and let it sit. Drain out but do NOT rinse. This stuff is horribly pricey but really works.<br /><br />The bacteria in K.O. will only go after the stank bugs and eat em up like Pac Man. All that will be left is a cherry-like smell.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Does Febreeze come in 5 gallon pails?

 

[gonefishie]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

What about Pine Sol????

 

[pod184]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Originally posted by Stiff Nibbles:<br /> Four nice big eels left in the livewell for 3 weeks.

Hmmm. I am not sure you can really call it a livewell any longer <br /><br />Bleach should kill about any stink you can muster. It will kill HIV and hepatitis virii on nearly any sureface after 5 minutes, so a little eel juice should be no problem. You could try a bleach solution in a spray bottle and mist over the area around the bilge. Be extra careful with a spray bottle of bleach solution though.

 

[AJ168]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Just imagine if you left a block of chum in the boat too. It could be worse. <br />When I had a bag full of water and squid left in a closed compartment and baked in the sun for a few weeks I sprayed the compartment with as much bleach as possible, scrubbed rediculously hard with a brush and paper towels, and then opened the door and let it all air out. It doesn't stink anymore.

 

[Bondo]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Originally posted by gonefishie:<br /> What about Pine Sol????

That's what I use..........<br /><br />I clean My bilge when I go back home to Maine with the boat,........<br />I Dump in a Gallon of Pine-Sol,+ about 20/30 Gallons of Water,............<br /><br />Then Drive across Vermont,... On their 2 lane Unimproved Goat Trails................ <br /><br />It's always Nice Smelling,+ Clean by the time I get to Chemo Pond........ <br /><br />I suppose that an hours drive in Stop & Go traffic would do Pretty Well............

 

[Chris1956]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Stiff -- You know people dip their eels into bleach and then use them to catch stripers. It is a bit hard on the eels, but the stripers like it! If you had done this, you never would have had a problem!

 

[Richard Petersen]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

If you rode the boat around with the Ell juice in the bottom. You have to put the bleach in the bottom and ride the boat around to spread it into all the same corners and places. Takes time but it will leave. Don't make a stong bleach mix. It can corrode things like hose clamps. Then fill the bilge with straight water to remove any bleach. Only takes time.------ I left a 1# block of squid in a hatchback car, on a 90 degree weekend. AAAGGGGHHHH.

 

[TwoBallScrewBall]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Yeah I did take it out one time. I thought something was going on with the holding tank at first, so I got it pumped out and of course that didn't help. <br /><br />It's much better now, still just smell bleach. I'll put a good amount of bleach mix in the boat when I go to pull it out in a month or two, slosh it around on the ride to the ramp and then let it drain on the trailer on the way home. <br /><br />The boat is docked not trailered so can't pull the plug now without some undesirable results...

 

[craze1cars]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

A couple other thoughts: Activated charcoal is about the best thing for sucking up odors. Baking Soda is another classic method, though somewhat less effective. Both are enviromentally friendly and won't hurt anything/anyone if you leave them in there and/or end up hosing them out onto the ground, into a lake, or whatever.

 

[TwoBallScrewBall]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Checked it out today. Slight odor in the livewell, barely, when I stuck my head IN it. No odor overall on the boat, in the canvas or cabin, and no odor in the inner hull where I can stick in my head. <br /><br />One more cleaning this weekend and I should be cool. Lucky. <br /><br />Thanks!!

 

[KilroyJC]

Re: My Boat Stinks.

Not sure if they still carry it, but galls Police supply catalog used to have a product that was used for de-funking prison cells & the back seats of cruisers that the Fine Upsatnding Members Of the Community befouled with bodily fluids. Might be worthwhile looking into something like that.<br /><br />Again, it's a spray-&-pray application.<br /><br />GOOD LUCK!<br /><br /><br /> -----------------<br /><br />My fishing buddy was just loking over my shoulder and suggested using lime or lemon juice - LOTS of it.<br /><br />If nothing else, you can save some & make margaritas...Have enough of them, & you won't care about the stink...