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The white dust is almost certainly a result of construction debris. There is a lot of cutting, drilling, and sanding, and dust is everywhere during construction. Some of the residual is easily seen when the boat is finished, but a lot is located in places that are not visible and not reachable. Numerous folks have discovered that a good cleaning of every area you can find is helpful. This includes washing out the entire bilge quite thoroughly. Not only will you reduce potential bilge pump clogs, but you may also discover places that water can be trapped. It is better to discover this early, at the dock, than some time later in heavy weather.

As for the smell, it is probably not coming from the engine directly. However, the engine heats the surrounding space and drives off various volatiles remaining in the fiberglass and other materials. The standard molded parts are probably fully cured, but there numerous applications of putty, tabbing material, and paint that may not be fully cured.

Our boat, which is now 4 years old, retained a "fiberglass smell" for a lot longer than our previous new Catalinas. I recently discovered that the plywood panels covering the under-sole water tanks were covered with a sticky and stinky combination of fiberglass resin and paint. I suspect there are other spots where incompletely cured materials exist.

Probably not much can be done beyond thorough cleaning (the white dust can smell as well) and good ventilation.

Regards,
Gene Fuller
Yorkshire Rose, C42 #870