I have a poly hulled, Necky Alsek with fore & aft bulkheads and storage spaces which hermeticaly seal. In warm weather, even when freshly washed out with soap and rinsed, as soon as I close the hatches, after a few hours there's a nasty smell when I open them up again. I tried washing them out with soap and water, a few ounces of mouthwash dropped in before closing the hatches, but nothing seems to really work well.

--Anybody have any ideas?

--Also, I'm worried about damaging the material used to glue the bulkheads in place if I try some exotic kind of anti-bacterial/anti-fungal chemicals --- are these concerns unfounded?

I have used a mild solution of bleach and warm water to wash out the storage compartments on both my plastic and fiberglass boats. I have found the best way to stop odor is to leave the hatch covers off when I am not using the boats, This lets the air ciculate and dry everything out good.

I'd try a mixture of vinegar and water. Are you leaving anything else in the holds which may be causing the smell.

Cheers

Bill

No, the compartments are completely empty except for perhaps a teaspoon or three of sea water that leaks thru from spray in lumpy water, but I rinse that out with fresh and towel it dry, but even with all of that, even after a few hours of being close up, in warm weather, it makes a smell. It's not an utterly horrible smell, but still, you cN TELL THERES SOME KIND OF MOLD OR BACTERIA THAT HAS SOMEHOW PERMEATED THEse spaces (sorry, didnt see caps lock was on).
Still, an ounce of mouthwash I find really does help -- but then, this is a many-year-old plastic kayak that I bought used, 12 months ago, so I guess some of this is to be expected.

But you figure vinegar and/or bleach is worth a shot? You think vinegar or maybe bleach is better than mouthwash? Easier on the sealant used to hold the bulkheads in place? Good enough --- I'll try it, and thanks for the suggestion.
Anything I put in these spaces is either in it's own hermitically sealed bag/container, like my sleeping bags, clothes, etc, or it's canned (like food), so it's not THAT big a deal, still, its an unpleasant odor and I'd like to be rid of it although I guess that might not be impossible in this old of a 'yak.

Yeah, bleach is a good idea --- lethal on bacteria and mould --- I just hope it doesn't ruin my bulkhead-glue.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I use vinegar to kill off the nasties in my drink water bladder or hydration pack. It should'nt do any damage to your seals. You could also try vanilla essence in water to mop out the hold afterwards this tends to absorb smells.

Cheers

Bill

I agree with Bill's suggestions. That has worked for me.
Only other thing I've done is keeping them open as much as possible. Even have put a few drops of that NilOdor stuff in when things get ripe.