Monohull in ARC sinks, everyone safe!

[Steadman Uhlich]

Since this discussion has turned to some natural speculation about what could cause the flooding of the boat...

And, I think reasonable "speculation" can be good as an exercise in "what ifs" and understanding problems and possible solutions (troubleshooting)...

Here is a chart that gives an idea of how small diameter holes in a boat can flood a boat quickly. http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...1&d=1352065660

Looking at that chart one finds:

A 2" hole 3' below the waterline will flood a boat at 139 gpm.

The question, then, is of how much time you have to find and fight that leak?

That 2" hole brings in 8,340 gallons per hour!

And, that is a LOT of water, weighing about 70,870 pounds!

That is a LOT of weight and that can seriously affect the motion of the boat, handling it, along with what 8,000 gallons of water does to the boat systems (electrics, engine, communication, etc.).

But, I suspect that only a small fraction of that amount of water "over the sole" has a much more immediate affect on the on morale of everyone aboard and is very likely to sink the confidence of the crew, many captains, and thus stimulates the desire to abandon ship.

I hope I never have to face that as captain or crew, but I also hope to have prepared for it mentally and with some forethought helpful gear too (and training/practice).

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Paul L

From a Google translate of Noah's blog. I scanned older entries and didn't see the reference to water in the bilge issues that Polux mentioned -- maybe a translation issue.

I don't wish to discuss this more. There is certainly a insurance claim and I don't want cause any problem to a fellow cruiser in trouble.

[seamountie]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

I think a "Crash Pump" is a good idea for an ocean crossing boat.

I believe the thread and the pump you are thinking of could be seen in this post on this thread, and it is available to be added to an engine.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1289124

I would suggest that a better option would be the Ericson Safety Pump. It can be retro fitted on any shaft driven prop (ie not a saildrive) and happily just pushes air out of the engine room until water reaches it whereupon the water is removed at somewhere near 500 gal/min....yes I do mean /min. Query it for pics

[Colin A]

Originally Posted by Polux

We can see even that it is moving. Last time I checked on a current with 0.7k.

I believe that means the boat had not sunk. It was thought that the boat would sink on the night of the day they were rescued....and that was several days ago. A aluminium boat with an heavy ballast and open water would sunk fast unless a lot of floatability is provided. Can someone explain how that is possible with water entering the boat?

Having worked a few salvages it really depends. Foam if added as insulation adds some flotation. Air getting trapped in parts of the hull adds another. In an aluminum hull the cabin can be fairly airtight when closed that can add a long time to a float. I have seen fiberglass power boats stay afloat for days after sinking. Typically the rear end sinks and the air and other items trapped in the cabin leaves the bow in the air for while.

It really depends on a lot of factors.

[clockwork orange]

Originally Posted by seamountie

I would suggest that a better option would be the Ericson Safety Pump. It can be retro fitted on any shaft driven prop (ie not a saildrive) and happily just pushes air out of the engine room until water reaches it whereupon the water is removed at somewhere near 500 gal/min....yes I do mean /min. Query it for pics

Yes, that's the pump I mentioned in post #50, I had forgotten the name. They are the only pump I am aware of that pumps enough water for a long enough time to give a reasonable chance of finding and stemming a sizable leak although they are not perfect, for example you do need to be in gear with the prop shaft turning to pump and the more rpm at the shaft the more you pump but motoring at full throttle may not be what you want to be doing while searching for a leak as it may make the leak worse.

Steve.