Bilge odor

I have a question about bilge odor. In the center of my boat I have a storage area which is presumably for ski's and other misc items that are OK getting dirty/wet. Well, there is a tube running from this storage area directly back under the gas tank to the bilge. If condensation builds in the bilge as it is sitting in my garage, and I pull the boat forward and put it on the back of my Jeep, the condensation that formed in the bilge rolls forward into the storage area.<br /><br />I have 2 questions.<br /><br />First; do you guys think it is ok to plug that tub so none of the bilgewater rolls into the storage area? That way I can put more "precious" items in there like excess lines or PFD's.<br /><br />Second; the storage area occasionally has a very VERY faint smell of gasoline. When I stick my finger in the water that pooled in the bottom of the storage area and smell it, it does not smell like gasoline. In your experience, does a bilge just tend to have a hint of a gas aroma? It is nothing that is strong enough that I have a huge concern... but just for informational purposes - is that the case?<br /><br />Sean

Re: Bilge odor

Water can enter from the front to the middle of the boat, I believe. If you were to plug those holes up the water won't be able to get to the back and be pumped or drained out. I used diapers to try to absorb up some of the gunk that can build up in there.

Re: Bilge odor

Hi ee,.....<br /><br />1)......I might store lines there,.. But Not PFDs...<br />Nor would I plug the drainage.......I Can't Believe that much Condensation is forming in a bilge, in a garage,..??...<br /><br />2)......That sounds like Either,.....<br />The Fuel System Has Leaked before,.. Or is Now......<br />I'd be doing some Serious Investigating......<br /><br />Any Gas Smells in the Bilge is a Bad Thing.........

Re: Bilge odor

Thats what was weird... the water was forming in the bottom of the boat from Feb-April. The boat had never even touched the water yet. And, I had emptied the water out of it twice. <br /><br />The floor of my garage has the tendency to sweat when the humidity is high... everything in the garage gets healthy coating of dew - so I have been assuming the water was coming from that condensation, and since the tank was in that area as well I figured it was just condensation that formed on the tank and developed into water.<br /><br />Here's another thing that is interesting. The odor isn't in the engine compartment as much as it is in the storage area. I wonder if it is possible that the PO stored a small tank of gas in the storage area.

Re: Bilge odor

Could be ee. I had a failure years ago with my last boat. The drive pumped all of the gear lube into the bilge along with a bunch of water. It got into the ski locker and that stinky smell remained no matter how often I threw soap in there and tried to clean it up. Could be remnants of anything. I agree, don't plug it. If you take on water you want it to find it's way aft. Even drip dry from people going in and out of the water will end up in that locker . . .<br /><br />BTW, if that happens in your garage, I'd put a blow dryer in there and flip it on every few days on low for a coupla hours. My .02

Re: Bilge odor

Thanks for the info QC. Just to be safe, I'm going to investigate it a little bit further. I gave it a twice-over when I first smelled the gas. Everything looked Ok.<br /><br />But just to be safe... I'm going to check it out once more.<br /><br />Sean

Re: Bilge odor

Check your Tanks Fill,+ Vent hoses..........<br /><br />They tend to Dry Rot,+ Weep.......