J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment my boat stinks

Yes - the old hoses become permeable to the odor. They are made of specially treated material for waste system applications, but it breaks down over time and the odor comes through. Use liberal amounts of holding tank deodorant in the mean time and keep the tank pumped as often as possible. I suggest you want to wait until the coldest day of the year to replace these hoses. Solid chunks are much more manageable than the alternative. I did a total hose replacement on Rhapsody this winter and notice the difference in a "sweeter smelling" boat. Before doing the replacement, fill and flush the holding tank multiple times to get rid of everything you can. It will still really smell bad.... I lined the bilge below the holding tank with a garbage bag filled with rags to catch anything that was remaining that didn't freeze. Nose plugs or respirator highly recommended during this evolution.

Note that the sanitary hose is not real flexible when it gets cold. You'll need a heat gun to warm it, and will need to really warm up the ends to make them pliable enough to fit over the couplings. This is a real s#!tty job!