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Smelly seagrass floor

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ktowntn

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Anyone experiencing or experienced any issues with the seagrass floor having an unpleasant mildew type smell when it gets wet?

Unfortunately we are experiencing that issue with our new 2019 G series Swing Back that we took delivery on earlier this year back in April. Can't tell if it is coming from the marine plywood OR the seagrass flooring. (Mention the marine plywood because I can detect the same smell at times in the gap between the pontoons, wave-shield, & the underside of the marine plywood / deck) There is no odor when everything is dry but after some time on the water with people / kids & dripping bathing suits on the boat the flooring starts to emit an odor once it gets wet. It seems to also be especially prevalent on the swim platform around the ladder most likely because everyone is getting onto the boat there & any water on the boat will usually drain towards the back. We tried hosing down the floor a few weeks ago but that didn't eliminate the smell. We use the boat virtually every weekend and never noticed the smell when we first got the boat. It was only after a a couple months of use that we started to notice it so you wouldn't think it's related to any new materials off-gasing because it would have been prevalent from the start.

Any Ideas?

What expectations should we have of our dealer & Bennington to address & remedy this issue especially if it could be related to defective flooring, the flooring adhesive, or the marine plywood?

As background...our boat is kept at a marina in a large covered slip & also on a lift so it's never exposed to rain or in the water when not in use. We don't cover the boat on weekends when we are using it every day & I always leave the boat uncovered for a day or 2 after weekend use to make sure everything is dry before putting the cover on it. We also don't leave anything wet such as inflatables / towables, etc on the boat.
 
ktowntn said:
Anyone experiencing or experienced any issues with the seagrass floor having an unpleasant mildew type smell when it gets wet?

Unfortunately we are experiencing that issue with our new 2019 G series Swing Back that we took delivery on earlier this year back in April. Can't tell if it is coming from the marine plywood OR the seagrass flooring. (Mention the marine plywood because I can detect the same smell at times in the gap between the pontoons, wave-shield, & the underside of the marine plywood / deck) There is no odor when everything is dry but after some time on the water with people / kids & dripping bathing suits on the boat the flooring starts to emit an odor once it gets wet. It seems to also be especially prevalent on the swim platform around the ladder most likely because everyone is getting onto the boat there & any water on the boat will usually drain towards the back. We tried hosing down the floor a few weeks ago but that didn't eliminate the smell. We use the boat virtually every weekend and never noticed the smell when we first got the boat. It was only after a a couple months of use that we started to notice it so you wouldn't think it's related to any new materials off-gasing because it would have been prevalent from the start.

Any Ideas?

What expectations should we have of our dealer & Bennington to address & remedy this issue especially if it could be related to defective flooring, the flooring adhesive, or the marine plywood?

As background...our boat is kept at a marina in a large covered slip & also on a lift so it's never exposed to rain or in the water when not in use. We don't cover the boat on weekends when we are using it every day & I always leave the boat uncovered for a day or 2 after weekend use to make sure everything is dry before putting the cover on it. We also don't leave anything wet such as inflatables / towables, etc on the boat.
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Sorry to hear you are having this sort of problem. We have not experienced it with our 2017 that has Sea Grass flooring, and I don’t recall having read of any similar problems on here. Hopefully some of our other very knowledgeable members will have some helpful thoughts and ideas. I hope you are able to get it resolved.
 
I have a 2019 S Series with sea grass flooring. When it gets wet and the sun shines on it, I can get a faint 'plastic-like' smell if there is not a breeze or the boar is moving, but not a mildew type smell. If it isn't too inconvenient, I would have your dealer look at it. At a minimum, call or email your dealer and find out how they want to deal with it. I have an issue with my bimini. They said to just keep using it and they'll replace it this fall or next spring when it comes in for winterizing since it isn't something that will cause detrimental harm to the boat.
 
ktowntn, sorry to hear about your situation. Like Vikingstaff indicated, I don't remember anyone mentioning such a problem in the past. I'd agree with Titletown Mike that you should contact your dealer and have them come out and inspect the boat. It sounds like you're doing all the right things so hopefully they can get to the bottom of the issue.
 
We have not had any issue with our 2019 Q with seagrass flooring. Like you, our boat is kept in a covered slip on a lift. The only difference is if we always put the cover on, even if we are going to use is the next day. If we have wet life jackets, we zip them and stand them up on the floor to dry before we put the cover on. No mildew, mold or smells.

I agree with others, the best recourse is to talk with your dealer. Good luck.
 
We have a 2017 GSR with Seagrass, no issues. I agree with above, contact your dealer with your concerns.
 
Me too, I thought I needed a shower then I realized the next day after I know I was sparkly clean, I still smelled a faint odor. Odd...I sure hope this new 2019 Benny doesn't smell indefinitely, not why I spent a ton of money. I felt this was a minor problem or just in my head, but now that you are experiencing same, makes me wonder if there is another underlying issue.
 
@KTurturro.... as much as it "stinks" (pardon the pun) ... it is good to hear that someone else with a 2019 is experiencing the same thing & we aren't crazy. When did you take delivery of your 2019? We got ours in mid April so I wonder if it can all be correlated to a batch of manufacturing / assembly material(s) that used something which is now giving off that odor. (Like the Chinese drywall issue or hurricane Katrina campers) It was so pungent at times the other week that we thought a fish had gotten caught-up between the wave shield & the marine plywood / deck board.
 
ktowntn said:
@KTurturro.... as much as it "stinks" (pardon the pun) ... it is good to hear that someone else with a 2019 is experiencing the same thing & we aren't crazy. When did you take delivery of your 2019? We got ours in mid April so I wonder if it can all be correlated to a batch of manufacturing / assembly material(s) that used something which is now giving off that odor. (Like the Chinese drywall issue or hurricane Katrina campers) It was so pungent at times the other week that we thought a fish had gotten caught-up between the wave shield & the marine plywood / deck board.
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We took delivery 2 weeks later than you, so yes, sounds like same manufacturing timeframe.
 
If I don't rinse off our seagrass, after coming back from the lake, the whole garage will stink. Now , before parking the boat inside, it gets a fresh water wash down. The seagrass, anchor and rope, life jackets and lily pad all get rinsed off. The doors are left open and the cover is open on both ends so air doesn't stagnate. The bunks on the trailer are rinsed off too. So far no more stink. I leave the seats open too
 
KTurturro said:
We took delivery 2 weeks later than you, so yes, sounds like same manufacturing timeframe.
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We took delivery of our 2019 25SSBXP in May here in MN and have experienced the horrible pungent sea grass smell all summer. Every time the floor got wet it just wrecked our whole day. Our pontoon is kept on a covered lift so it dries out after every use. Has anyone got any answers yet from their dealer or Bennington? I have been calling our dealer since June and still have not got an answer. Very disappointed right now! Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
@Jim.... not yet and we are experiencing the same thing which keeps getting worse as the summer went on. People getting on or around our boat even comment asking "what's that smell? It's like a dead elephant or dead fish". It appears we are all experiencing the same flooring issue from the same batch / timeframe of manufacturing & associated flooring material. This was supposedly the first year that they used a new material for the Sea Grass flooring. Please call Neal at Bennington customer service to report your issue so we have records of how many folks are experiencing the same thing. He called the flooring manufacturer & was doing some other digging to see if it turns-up anything. 574-264-6336 ext 652 is his number.
 
UPDATE - 9/18/19 - Bennington provided an authorization to have our dealer ship our 2019 boat back to the factory for re-decking & re-flooring. I would recommend as was mentioned in my last post above that anyone who is experiencing a similar issue as we did on the new 2019 Sea Grass flooring with an unusual & unpleasant odor should contact Neil Massing in the customer service department at Bennington 574-264-6336 ext 652 or nmassing@beinningtonmarine.com. I am so very thankful that we chose a Bennington especially because they have such a great warranty & stand behind the quality of their product.
 
ktowntn said:
UPDATE - 9/18/19 - Bennington provided an authorization to have our dealer ship our 2019 boat back to the factory for re-decking & re-flooring. I would recommend as was mentioned in my last post above that anyone who is experiencing a similar issue as we did on the new 2019 Sea Grass flooring with an unusual & unpleasant odor should contact Neil Massing in the customer service department at Bennington 574-264-6336 ext 652 or nmassing@beinningtonmarine.com. I am so very thankful that we chose a Bennington especially because they have such a great warranty & stand behind the quality of their product.
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David, Thank you so much for your reply and assertiveness getting us some concrete answers. I will be calling Neal shortly to get our Pontoon on the list. Again Thank you so much David! My dealer has been a real disappointment and maybe their hands have been tied. This is great news!
 
Sorry all of you have to deal with this problem until it is replaced. I love my seagrass flooring, but mine is from 2017 without issue. Good luck...and hopefully they can solve your problems during your off season.
 
I know this post is old, but it was an absolute life saver! I have a 2019 and have spent more money and time trying to get the smell out of the floor than I’d like to admit. Getting scheduled with Bennington to have the floor replaced this fall. Thank you!!
 
Kenter said:
I have a 2017 with Seagrass flooring and no issues, no smell at all.
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There was something up with a bad batch of the stuff in 2019. Us 2017 folks, and others, seem to be okay.
 
wow. just seeing this thread. we have this issue on a 2019 and it has been driving us nuts!! does anyone have a current contact at Bennington for this issue? Neil M is no longer there or at least the email is disabled .....
 
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