You Can't Beat the Smell of... (boating)

[journeyperson]

Inspired by the other topic currently running.

 

I don't think you can beat the smell of your boat when you step on board after a few days away and open the doors.

 

I am thinking, in my case, of the smell when I open the bow doors and step inside. It is a predominantly wood smell and it never lets me down.

 

If I enter through the stern doors I get a different, engine bay smell which is ok but not as individual as the bow door aroma.

[koukouvagia]

Inspired by the other topic currently running.

 

I don't think you can beat the smell of your boat when you step on board after a few days away and open the doors.

 

I am thinking, in my case, of the smell when I open the bow doors and step inside. It is a predominantly wood smell and it never lets me down.

 

If I enter through the stern doors I get a different, engine bay smell which is ok but not as individual as the bow door aroma.

 

For me it's the smell of the engine room: that heady mixture of diesel, oil, rubber and Brasso.

[nigel carton]

The smell of a bacon butty does it for me! well apart from when I'm delvering a boat and pass a boat with the smell coming out the hatch and I can't do anything about it!!!

[Chertsey]

The smell of coal fires as you walk past a huddle of liveaboards.

[station tug]

i do miss the smell i used to get when i parked the car and walked accrooss the bridge and the smell of the coal fire going..as the years move on i guess it will be mostly derv fires....

[muddywaters]

The smell of coal fires as you walk past a huddle of liveaboards.

Yes I would agree with that one

[ditchcrawler]

The smell of a bacon butty does it for me! well apart from when I'm delvering a boat and pass a boat with the smell coming out the hatch and I can't do anything about it!!!

There can't be anything worse than that, pass a row of moored boats and one is doing bacon.

[MtB]

For me it's the smell of the engine room: that heady mixture of diesel, oil, rubber and Brasso.

 

Rubber? Where does the smell of rubber come from?!

 

 

Mike

[Nightwatch]

As I assume all of similar age to me, stand on bridge and smell the smoke from the steam train.

 

oh! and the smell of bacon.

[cariad]

the smell of castrol R at motor cycle racing events. hot dog stall at the funfair.

[koukouvagia]

Rubber? Where does the smell of rubber come from?!

 

 

Mike

 

The water hoses, the rubber hose that connects the injector pump to the drive, two alternator belts etc. None of these are overheating, but they all add the the mix.

 

BTW, Mike, I enjoyed the videos of your K1 on the Kelvin thread.

[mrsmelly]

There can't be anything worse than that, pass a row of moored boats and one is doing bacon.

 

I love wind ups, everyone likes the smell of bacon even those so called vegetarians........you know the ones with the canine teeth like mine

[alan_fincher]

For me it's the smell of the engine room: that heady mixture of diesel, oil, rubber and Brasso.

What may have added to the mix at Braunston though was the gentle cooking of my elbow on the tall pipe!

 

(The blisters healed surprisingly quickly!).

[stagedamager]

Coal tar and melting pitch in a wooden boat's drydock!!

Regards

Dan

 

ETA: not too close though!!

Edited January 2, 2011 by stagedamager

[koukouvagia]

What may have added to the mix at Braunston though was the gentle cooking of my elbow on the tall pipe!

 

(The blisters healed surprisingly quickly!).

 

Next year I'll do an in depth H&S risk assessment before setting out on the parades.

[twbm]

Rubber? Where does the smell of rubber come from?!

 

 

Mike

 

CarlT - That photo if you please......

[Chertsey]

I love wind ups, everyone likes the smell of bacon even those so called vegetarians........you know the ones with the canine teeth like mine

The ones you use to bring down a passing wildebeest and devour it raw, I suppose?

[Heffalump]

The ones you use to bring down a passing wildebeest and devour it raw, I suppose?

 

Well this is Tim we are talking about!

[Athy]

The smell of coal fires as you walk past a huddle of liveaboards.

...mingling delectably with the marijuana fumes.

[Strads]

ah.. now those "fumes" i get when i go to "local", as the smokers there have a preference for that product, ala 9 out of 10 cats)

 

otherwise, its the wafts of coal smoke on a damp evening, bacon butties first thing in the morning, diesel/oil gently wafting up whilst underway when all is warm (as it should be) below!

 

Brasso - for warm afternoons when buffing the boat.. roll on summer..

[Evo]

Inspired by the other topic currently running.

 

I don't think you can beat the smell of your boat when you step on board after a few days away and open the doors.

 

I am thinking, in my case, of the smell when I open the bow doors and step inside. It is a predominantly wood smell and it never lets me down.

 

If I enter through the stern doors I get a different, engine bay smell which is ok but not as individual as the bow door aroma.

 

I know exactly what you mean..!!! it is a superb smell. My missus though uses that lovely smell as a sort of dampness/state of boat gauge. She said "the day I walk on this boat and it smells like Jims did then thats the end of boating for me".

 

I love that woody smell, to me its far better than bacon, cleaning products, musty engines, or Caastrol R - all of which I think I've OD'd on over the years.

 

Jims boat that she referred to was an ex uncared for 70ft hire boat we used to borrow mid late 80's, with damp bilges, rotting chipboard, ageing mouldy vinyl furnishings, and an old smelly oily millions of hours BMC 1.5. The engine was eventually refurbed but the rest, well it wasn't pleasant.

 

If you prefer to boat alone, you now know the formula.

[Pete of Ebor]

Inspired by the other topic currently running.

 

I don't think you can beat the smell of your boat when you step on board after a few days away and open the doors.

 

I am thinking, in my case, of the smell when I open the bow doors and step inside. It is a predominantly wood smell and it never lets me down.

 

If I enter through the stern doors I get a different, engine bay smell which is ok but not as individual as the bow door aroma.

 

Sad to say, it's diesel does it for me... well, red gas oil then ! As a non-boat owner but regular hirer, it's that moment when you first throw open the rear doors in the morning after a night on the refreshment, and emerge blinking into the gloom and there's just a slight waft of diesel. I've been temped to shout.. "Good morning Birmingham - I lurve the smell of diesel in the morning.." [with apologies to Robin Williams ! ]

 

There's also that unmistakeable canal-water smell that you get when filling/emptying locks...

Edited January 5, 2011 by Pete of Ebor

[andywatson]

I like the oil, diesel and coolant smell from a big engine when it's thoroughly warmed up.

 

Whilst temporarily boatless I've even been tempted put a mixture of the stuff in an old saucepan on the kitchen stove to get a fix. (make a change from lavender flavour Mr Sheen)

How sad is that........................?

[lemontoes]

The woody smell (predominant at the moment because I've been drying kindling that I left outside by mistake), and the coal fire, are the ones that make me feel I'm home. A friend however described the smell when she first came to visit, as a cross between a hamster cage and a caravan. She did however, when seeing my defensive look, say that she loved the smell..... I am still not convinced!

[Naughty Cal]

The faint hint of diesel and the aroma of a freshly opened bottle of Bud.