2005 Rinker Fiesta Vee SMELL

JohnnyD

I recently purchased this boat. Soon after we started smelling something bad in Engine compartment.  The smell is also up in the dash where I removed broken Loran. The smell is awful like sour milk. I  pumped out waste tank twice.  I've used 3 recommended chemicals like Campacam.  Nothing takes smell away. I'm thinking waste tank and all hoses need to be changed out.  Reading posts its recommended to check vent hose.  I cant find it.  Can someone tell me where it is? Is it the little hole by waste cap?  Boat is great otherwise but its embarrassing. 

JohnnyD

Rinker 250

laureniac1

It could be foul water in the fresh water holding tank. You have to add bleach to the fresh water or it will stick very bad

Liberty44140

Sounds like your bilge, neither your ac nor your shower should drain there. If they do, start by correcting that. 

JohnnyD

Boat doesn’t have AC and shower never used.  Hard to figure out where smells coming from because entire engine compartment smells.  Doing medium speed not so bad once slowed down you get hit with smell.

JohnnyD

Thanks for suggestions.

Dream_Inn

Any water left in bilge will make it smell very bad.  I suggest using something like purple power and clean the entire bilge first.

J3ff

I had the very same issue with mine when I first got it. 

My advice would be to get it out of the water, get the bow up high and remove the plug and run water through it for an HOUR at least. I basically did that. Also stopped the AC from draining into it, but that shouldn't have really caused it. 

I'm not sure why, but the smell just went away... I did spray EVERYTHING down.

When I first got the boat the engine even had to be swapped (and they claimed they cleaned the bilge), the smell remained through that!  LIke I said I'm not exactly sure what happened but I was in your situation too. Ran lots of bilge cleaners through it, etc.. I'd also FILL and pump out the waste tank a couple times... as I have done that as well (not on purpose)..

davidbrooks

@JohnnyD I have a 2003 342 and am experiencing something similar.  Mine is not as powerful as you describe yours but still there.  In order to get to my vent hoses i had to crawl into the port storage area under the seats in the cockpit.  i had portholes there to the fuel tank and holding tank sensors.  I put in a BigO filter but this is really only going to help you when you flush.  Then i started up front in the cabin and started pulling panels and openings to get at every nook and cranny. Started with the Anchor locker.  Mine does not drain.  So cleaned it through opening in cabin.  Then cleaned hull under forward berth.  Then pulled the access panel in the shower.  Check behind any faucets you have.  If they start leaking you wont know it and you will build up mold.  This was happening on my shower hose.  Had to clean and then replace the pull out hose.  Then moved to mid berth and cleaned that.  My mid berth bilge always seems to have some water in it.  At this point i am going to have to wait till winter and look at pulling the through hulls.  It is dry forward of that.  Then i got a pump bug sprayer with a bunch of mold and mildew cleaner and tried to soak all around my holding tank and gas tanks.  

The hole process made a difference but like you i still feel like my holding tank may be "infused" with the smell and the only way to get rid of it is to replace tank and hoses.  It is bearable right now so i will wait till winter for this one.