Smoking odour in the boat

[chasfgr]

I fear that whilst the smell may stick to hard surfaces, that are easy to treat, the worst will be soft furnishings.
With my boat recovering the saloon seat-covers and curtains were necessary to finally get rid of the smell.
If I have smokers on the boat, I ask them to smoke in the cockpit, put in washboards and close the mainhatch.
This not only obviates lingering smell but signals my disapproval.
Interestingly cigars are much less obnoxious.
I will confess to being an ex-smoker.
Surprisingly cigars are no problem.

[skipperpete]

I have the answer.... but you won’t like it. I bought a Morgan OI that was owned by an Olympic standard smoker. The white interior lining and deckhead was uniformly a light caramel color and it REALLY smelt foul but it was a cheap boat in otherwise good condition and no one else wanted to buy it. I did the usual cleaning stuff mentioned in this thread to no avail..... then the 2004 Tsunami arrived and she spent 2 weeks on the bottom of the marina. I salvaged her and water blasted the mud out of the interior and finally the tobacco smell was no more.
The boat is now on land as an interesting nautical theme Airbnb.....

[George DuBose]

I just use glass cleaner to clean the cooking grease, cigarette tar and smoke odor off of the overhead and bulkheads. I also use a little Dometic air cleaner that I let run during the week when I am not aboard.

[Quadrille in JB]

A lot of excellent answers already. After you have cleaned the boat as well as possible use an ozone generator.
As a former air conditioning contractor we were often called in as a last resort to remove odors. Of course smoke is one of the hardest but the greatest challenge was from a realtor who couldn't sell an otherwise pristine home due to the nauseating smell left by the former owner after she died in her bed and wasn't found for 2 weeks. And this was in the summer in south Florida.
We used an ozone generator, circulating through the fan system of the Air Conditioning system, not in the cool mode, in addition to fogging the ductwork with a product called Sani-Duct. This product used to be manufactured in St. Petersburg, Fl.
This did the job.
Although a word of caution; do not use the Ozone generator for over several hours at a time as it will break down vinyl and rubber. I would not recommend using it around your isinglass without testing it on a small piece first. And stay out of the boat when using it as it can get pretty strong and cause breathlessness.
Good luck

[Tupaia]

Take up smoking and maybe you won't notice.

[Moretolife]

Thank you so much for all your answers and information
That’s really a tough one.
We like the boat, the owner seems to be a very nice person, and we have very good chemistry. But I guess that’s not enough for buying a boat…
I’m going to contact a restoration company and see what they say. I’m guessing this might help us making the right decision before we get ourselves into this journey.

[JPA Cate]

Just one thing, Moretolife, make sure they are willing to work to whatever estimate they give you. Folks in marine service industries are notorious for not completing on time, and whatever you sign should have penalty clauses. And you might offer a bonus for early completion, which, of course they won't get if they aren't on time.

Ann

[rwidman]

There are professionals who do this sort of work in homes, cars and boats. Find one and pay them to take care of the problem with their specialized chemicals and equipment (and experience).

[ixnax]

I bought a car from a dealer that was driven for one week by a sales manager who smoked heavily. They ionized it and cleaned it with everything at their disposal. When I picked it up it smelled like a freshly detailed car. The agreement was that if the smell came back within a week I could return it no questions asked. 3 days later I returned the car and they agreed it smelled like stale smoke. Smoke intrudes everywhere and a boat has a hell of a lot more nooks and crannies than a car. There is no way I would believe anyone who claimed they could permanently clean a boat of smoke smell. So unless the price is so good you won't mind smelling stale cigarette smoke eventually I say walk.

[ixnax]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Wipe it all down well with a white vinegar and fresh water solution and follow up with a recommended vinyl restorer where appropriate.. the hard plastics should be fine and any wood surfaces a good polish should be adequate.
Smoking in the cockpit alone would not result in what you say is the problem.
Do not use on the windows..
A smoker..

Smoking in the cockpit alone would not result in what you say is the problem.

Hmm... As a delivery Captain who smokes why would you make such a claim? So you know, the tars from cigarette smoke attach to surfaces even in semi open areas.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by ixnax

Smoking in the cockpit alone would not result in what you say is the problem.

Hmm... As a delivery Captain who smokes why would you make such a claim? So you know, the tars from cigarette smoke attach to surfaces even in semi open areas.

Well for one I smoke where the wind takes the smoke aft.. for another I keep my boat clean and tidy and not one boat of the 15 I have owned has a prospective buyer.. or non smoking guest ever said my boat smells like an Ash tray..
Come to that, even customers who have wives with extremely sensitive odour detectors have rehired me to deliver their boats.
Like everything in life.. its not what one does, rather how one does it that counts..
If your lazy and wind shy however and huddle in the hatch for your smoke, all bets are off.

[Tupaia]

You may have to on your boat soon anyway. Oxfordshire became the first UK county to ban smoking "outside" in public place. Seems there are plans afoot to ban smoking country wide by 2030.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

You may have to on your boat soon anyway. Oxfordshire became the first UK county to ban smoking "outside" in public place. Seems there are plans afoot to ban smoking country wide by 2030.

So that's why the Tories are raising NI and other taxes, make up for the coming shortfall in funds..

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by boatman61

So that's why the Tories are raising NI and other taxes, make up for the coming shortfall in funds..

Of course, but they will have you believe it is the quest to ban fosille fuels and being carbon neutral.

[boatman61]

Naah.. They're claiming its in the cause of improving Social Care... but that's a Crock of ***** else they would not be removing the Triple Lock on Pension increases and starting to tax them..