I agree about the bilge blower running for at least four minutes. That is easy to do. However, not all boats lend themselves to lifting a hatch and getting a nose full of whatever odors lurk within.
My last boat was a well known pocket cruiser, 26 feet with mid cabin and all the whistles and bells. A 454 I/O was deep in the belly of the hull, covered by a (big selling point) flat floor. In order to access the bilge for a sniff, one had to:
1.) Move all the occupants to someplace else than the rear of the boat.
2.) Remove the aft table top and find a place for it.
3.) Pull out the mounting tubes if they didn't stick in the table top. (find a ..)
4.) Pull up the snap-in carpet and find a place for it.
5.) Pull up the knob on one of the two fiberglass floor panels and lift off.
(try to balance on edge, too heavy to move and no place for it unless
you start throwing people, tables and carpet overboard.)
6.) Now try and lean your hat rack below the floor and breathe in deeply.
( ignore the pain from your twisted back...it will heal......next week.)
7.) Congratulations, you have sniffed the bilge!
8.) Now, recall the words spoken by Clint Eastwood in that great movie,
In The Line Of Fire, when he had to get out of bed quickly and pick all
his weapons up.........
"Now I've gotta put all this s#$&*back on."
