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Awful Smell in Sunseeker Superhawk

Discussion in 'Sunseeker Yacht' started by sunseekerwave, Jul 6, 2020.

  1. sunseekerwave

    sunseekerwave New Member

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    Hi everybody!

    I'm hoping someone here can help me out.. I have a Sunseeker Superhawk 48' (1999) and there is an awful smell that I can't seem to get rid of.

    Insights:
    • Horrible stench from inside the boat cabin and cockpit.
    • When the engine turns on, it seems like the smell gets worse.
    • Boat hasn't been used very much in two years.

    Has anybody here ever experienced something like this - or have any suggestions to help resolve this issue?

    Thank you!
  2. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    What kind of smell? Rotten eggs/sulphur could be either the holding tank venting inside but that would worst after a flush or the batteries. Check them and look for deformation or heat. That could explain why it’s worst after start as the charger and alternators are recharging what was used during start
  3. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Bad smells on a boat? Yep, from lots of different causes. Follow your nose. likely culprits are your holding tank, sump pump, sea strainers, bilge or a "friend" hid a dead fish on your boat.
  4. motoryachtlover

    motoryachtlover Senior Member

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    Don’t forget about the fresh water. That can smell bad as well but don’t know how that would get worse with the engines on. Good luck.
  5. yr2030

    yr2030 Senior Member

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    Skunk or dead rat in the engine room
  6. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I could be a dead rodent or other creature most anywhere but since the engine makes the smell worse, that's where I'd start looking. When I was young, there was a huge problem with muskrats on the lake. They'd sink boats by eating through bellows, they'd eat the styrofoam holding up boat houses, and people put out loads of rat poison to fight them. Most would carry it off and die somewhere else. I was amazed that not only would all the poison be gone, but the box as well. However, there was one guy who had such a smell in his boat the dealership employees wore masks and gloves to try to find it. Dead muskrat and it had apparently been there all winter.
  7. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Very good possibility. I caution people to tape over all holes in the hull when putting their boats up for winter storage cause I've seen several cases where animals enter there to find a winter home. If a squirrel or whatever crawled inside the exhaust and died that would do it.
  8. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    On the Hudson the boats use a special flap and other devices to keep the muskrats out while berthed. Would a dead animal in the exhaust tube stink inside the boat?? So many odor possibilities, hard to judge from a forum. Is this a new odor no there 2 years ago, or is the boat new to you?
  9. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Even a mouse up the exhaust decaying and then cooking would smell just wonderful, and will grow with the size of the animal.
  10. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    If there was a dead critter in the exhaust you wouldn’t smell it inside the boat.

    even a dead rat or mouse insid the cabin would quickly dry out and not smell after a week or two.

    that’s why I asked about the type of smell. If rotten egg / sulphur i m betting on batteries. Over the years I ve waken up more than once to a rotten egg smell and found a hot, bulging AGM
  11. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Yes, I've had charger go bad and put AC voltage into the batteries and had them grenade when trying to start the motor or had the charger stick on full charge mode (100amp charger), batteries were super hot and the entire inside of the boat smelled of rotton eggs. Holding tank is another source of smell. Water tank can be. Bilges can be nasty. Shower sumps.
  12. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    Agreed. I had one blow apart 2 years ago while the boat was shrink wrapped. The vessel was impenetrable until cleared of the odor and toxic fumes.
  13. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    Sunseekers used have a real smart trick. Where the fabric is tucked under the porthole surrounds, water used to wick into the fabric and padding behind.

    On one Predator 60, the stench got so bad it did smell like dead rodents. The whole interior had to be re-covered.
  14. rtrafford

    rtrafford Senior Member

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    The old Hatteras sulphur stink came from the foam used to install the tanks. Moisture finding its way into those areas of the boat impacted the foam and set off a rot. Not saying that applies here, but tossing it out...
  15. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Doubt it. I have had the batteries sulphur smell on a number of boats... always the batteries except once when it was the holding tank sender plug that was dislodged. Hatteras used foam in a number of places including inside the stringer. It s closed cell, can’t rot or absorb. Even after 50 years like mine