A kick up the eighties.....the scent of a Sigma.

[Cantata]

Many older boats just stink, we've walked away from brokerage boats because of it. Boats sailed only by blokes are the worst. Doesn't have to stink, I have my SWMBO on board most trips and the place is kept clean (not just by her I might add), plus there is a ban on using the bog standing up!!

[michael_w]

Not to mention the SOP with a Sigma 33 rig. Wind on the forestay and the cap shrouds until you can't open the head door.

[lw395]

The things you can fix are fuel leaks, damp and general cleanliness.
Zero tolerance of rainwater leaks is a good start.
Not living on bacon cooked with the hatches closed is another.
Avoiding leaving the boat shut up for more than a week helps a lot.

[capnsensible]

The things you can fix are fuel leaks, damp and general cleanliness.
Zero tolerance of rainwater leaks is a good start.
Not living on bacon cooked with the hatches closed is another.
Avoiding leaving the boat shut up for more than a week helps a lot.

All good tips. But I'm talking about a 34 year old yacht that spent many years on a swinging mooring, was raced hard, delivered to the Canaries and now lives in a marina. Visited rarely by owners and has no shore supply.

Oh, a tip from me. I would avoid Marina Lanzarote on a Saturday night as the disco that you could probably hear in Africa actually shuts at 0537. Boom boom boom.....

[Yellow Ballad]

My boat has old boat funk, a mixture of diesel, salt and damp. It hits you every time you slide the companionway hatch back, I love it... it smells of home from home.

The boat itself is dry inside but I think it's nearly 50 years of use engrained into the upholstery and ply has left it's mark. One day it'll get to the top of the "list" but for now I'll embrace it.

[LittleSister]

Boat smells were never an issue in the days when all sailing folk smoked pipes.

[Cantata]

Boat smells were never an issue in the days when all sailing folk smoked pipes.

:

[zoidberg]

Old boat aromas.....

You ain't seen nuttin' until you've had a whiff of one of the RAF's old wooden 'Windfall' wrecks. Decades of blood, sweat and tears! And fried onions.... You didn't want to stand on the downwind end of one o' they for long....

[FairweatherDave]

Reckon my boat has a bit of old boat funk. Funny thing is I barely notice it. But bring the pillows home after the summer and those pillows are really distinctively funky....not damp/musty but old boat funky. I have to ensure they aren't used for guests

[Bav32]

Having previously owned a Sigma 33, which was previously a "bachelor boat", here are my thoughts.
On the basis that you have not identified a single source the boat probably needs a DEEP clean.

e.g. Wipe down every surface with wet wipe type tissues.
Hot water and sweet smelling detergent in the bilges and under the engine.
Clean all the cushion covers.
If you still have a steel fuel tank, take it out and check for leaks.
Lift the floorboards and clean out all the grot that lurks underneath
Paint the undersides of the floorboards and bilges ( after they are dried out).
The toilet are is a prime potential source due to spillage and leaks.
Clean thoroughly and replace anything that is suspect. Lots of people replace the pipes as they tend to "ooze" odours through the pipe material.
Take everything off the boat that's not bolted down and clean.
Long term, ventilation is your friend. Leave the sink drain open and leave the saloon hatch half open. Clean the fly trap filters in the ventilators.
Best if you keep the boat on a swinging mooring as more often than not, you face into the wind.