Carver Owners Forum

I am a happy new owner of a 1988 Mariner 32. Still figuring things out. I am having a waste tank pump tomorrow and hope that alleviates the smell in the cabin. It does not smell like sewage however it is stronger than when I have that hatch open. Any advice or recommendations would be great.

Welcome. Check around for any possible leaks in hoses and holding tank. One thing that could be causing additional smell is the waste hoses may have become permeated and holding odor. You can test this by getting a rag and soaking it in hot water then wrap it around one of the plastic waste hoses and leave it there for a bit and then when removed check the smell, if bad then you may need to replace waste hoses.

Welcome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome aboard. I second what g36 said on permeated hoses, pretty common issue on older vintages. Also check your macerator for leaks if you have one, and check that you're not getting any backflow in your toilet. That would be an indication that a duckbill/check valve would need to be replaced. Check that there is no break in the pump out hose or the tank's vent hose.

Is the pump out hose hooked up toward the bottom of the tank or on top? And if you have a macerator for overboard discharge, where is that hose hooked up to on the tank? If any hoses are hooked up below the top of the tank, you can be sure they are permeated if they're original hoses. Same goes for the hose from the toilet to the tank. Unless you have a Vacuflush system, this hose will always have some waste in it which causes the hose to permeate faster.

100% agree with G36 and Viper. If the odor is not coming from those hoses, and is just an odor coming from mildew/mold forming in the structure, then you can try using a Kanberra Gel deoderizer. A 2 oz container is around $20, but a 4 oz will last longer. Set it in the salon area for a day or 2 and the air will be fresher. I use these all the time as the admiral has a million candle power nose. Welcome to the forum! Good luck! er

Welcome aboard!

Welcome Aboard. Good luck with your Carver.

Good advice above on the hoses. We replaced the hoses with PVC for the same reasons, solved in a day, needed only a few feet of new hose for the connections & a few $$ of PVC.

those are shit jobs....

good that you already are happy with the boat including the odour....

After all of the above, do some effort to keep the boat as dry as you can. And the engine room as clean as you can too. These are - to my opinion - the biggest smell sources after that notorious holding tank and attachments. Moist keeps and grows mildew. Kill it and keep it away by drying it out. Oil and fuel are next and do not need to be there to waste the nice coffee smell in the morning.

by the way: ground coffee on a few plates absorbs some smells. As does vinegar. But the first is nicer.