I am looking at buying a 14 X 62 foot Sumerset. It is powered by 2 deisel inboards. Problem is that it has not been used in about 2 years only to visit. The motors leaked a little fuel and now the interior smells like deisel fuel. Is there a way to remove this smell without gutting boat?

Use a strong solution of detergent degreaser and water to remove all the diesel...a power washer can be very useful for this kind of job.

Febreze (it may take repeated applications) should get rid of the residual diesel odor in carpet, drapes and othe soft goods.

Don't even think of installing an ozone generator...none of the retail units are capable of producing enough ozone to be more than over-priced air fresheners, but that's still enough to be highly destructive to hoses and rubber parts in pumps, toilets etc.

Lack of use is far more destructive to equipment and systems than continuous heavy use because seals, etc dry out...lubrication settles in sealed motors etc... so be sure to make any offer on a boat that's been sitting "subject to survey and sea trial." You want a full pre-purchase survey, not just the cursory "condition & value" survey required by lenders and insurance companies...and you want to hire the best surveyor you can find (NOT one recommended by the broker or seller!) You'll also want a separate engine survey from a mechanic certified by that engine mfr...especially in light of the fact that the engines are leaking oil. Any fuel in the tank(s) is likely to be contaminated after sitting for two years too...diesel fuel, unlike gas, grows "critters"... so that's another issue you'll want to make sure has been handled BEFORE any attempt is made to run the engines or generator...'cuz 90% of diesel engine problems are fuel related.

Thanks for the quick response.  What do you mean by critters in desiel fuel?

Bacteria and fungi. There are all kinds of products that claim to prevent/eliminate/cure the problems caused by it...the opinions on how well any of 'em work aren't very high. If you intend to own a diesel powered boat, I suggest you do a bit of research into diesel engines and fuel system maintenance...and what happens to fuel that sits in tanks for extended periods. Talk with a diesel mechanic--any mechanic, doesn't have to a marine engine mechanic.

If the boat hasn't been run in 2 years don't even start the engines until you open the tanks and suck the water and contaminants off the bottom of the tank. Suck from the lowest point in the tank and dont stop until you get clear diesel. If you don't know how to do this email me. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thanks for all your advice. I will let you know what happens if we decide to get serious and make offer.

That's enough if the fuel is gas, but there's a bit more to it than that for diesel. Since most sailboats have diesel engines that aren't used much either, I asked some experts there what to do with diesel that's been in the tanks for at least two years...this was one of the answers:

Simple answer: open the tank inspection port and swab the tank walls with a cloth. If the cloth has crud on it, you need to clean the tank. Old fuel polymerizes, forms gums & varnishes; bacteria will grow between the water _layer_ on the bottom and the oil. The degradation rate is dependent on how old the fuel was when uploaded, temp. of the tank, amount of water in the original fuel, etc. etc. Swabing the inside walls will tell how much gooooo has formed.

If there is gooooooo ...... Empty the tank, give away or burn the old fuel, open the tank and mechanically scrub out all the crud. Partly fill the tank with new (fresh) fuel and recirculation-polish filter it until - when viewed in a glass container held between the eyeball and VERY bright light- there is no cloudiness nor haze present. A visual haze (when backlighted) will indicate ~5µM particles. Most 'fussy' oil burners require 2µM.

You can read the whole thread here:

http://forum.cruisingworld.com/forums/genlmesg/index.pl?read =374288

I'm sure more will be added to it.

Pegie, some diesel tanks do not have inspection plates. I have had several diesel boats and none have had the plates. We use a pump with a diesel filter and run it thru until it clears in these situations. seems to work well, I just did 900 gallons on a 58 ft Hatteras.