Terrible smell issue and solution

[Tim_M]

Hi everyone.

I thought I would post something here because I ran into a problem that I've never seen discussed.

I had an issue with a terrible chemical smell in my cabin that was so bad that my kids didn't want to go inside (and I found it pretty unpleasant as well). It wasn't sewage or rot or fuel which comes up a lot on in other discussions of boat smells.

I initially thought it was coming from some gooey black residue inside one of the lockers - no idea what what it was. Spent a lot of time scrubbing it with no change in the smell.

It turned out it was the unfinished fiberglass inside the interior port and starboard storage lockers. I gave them a couple of coats of lacquer-based primer/sealer and the smell went away. It was awkward painting job because you can't see what your doing.

[Roamer]

Years ago, I had a brand new fiberglass boat that had a strong styrene odor... but after it sat out in the sun and rain for a summer, the smell disappeared. Are you talking about a new (not San Juan) boat?

[Tim_M]

No. This is hull 1841. New to me the season before last. I gather that some boats came without the holes cut out for the lockers. I wonder if mine had been cut out later in the boats life, exposing the unfinished material inside. Perhaps if they were cut at the factory the insides would have been painted?