Worst Case Scenario: Hitting A Sunken Container - What To Do!??

[neilpride]

In the night? all depend how serious is the crack or gap in the hull, and how accesible is the bow area in question, many boats are fited with liners inside making inspection very dificult, if weather is fine , flashlight in hand , snorkel mask and that kind of collision bag to put in the gap or crack, or a sleeping bag lol, or whatever you have onboard suitable to plug a serious crack ,,, last resort the liferaft.....

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by neilpride

In the night? all depend how serious is the crack or gap in the hull, and how accesible is the bow area in question, many boats are fited with liners inside making inspection very dificult, if weather is fine , flashlight in hand , snorkel mask and that kind of collision bag to put in the gap or crack, or a sleeping bag lol, or whatever you have onboard suitable to plug a serious crack ,,, last resort the liferaft.....

I have a foam plug that I bought at a boat show. It's shaped like a cone, but flexible enough that you can force it into irregular shapes. I think I paid $10 for it. As I say that, it dawns on me that the cabin is full of cushions made of foam. There's a lot of foam on this boat that could temporarily plug irregular cracks. Hmmm...

[bazzer]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I have a foam plug that I bought at a boat show. It's shaped like a cone, but flexible enough that you can force it into irregular shapes. I think I paid $10 for it. As I say that, it dawns on me that the cabin is full of cushions made of foam. There's a lot of foam on this boat that could temporarily plug irregular cracks. Hmmm...

Nerf balls are the ticket, cheap too

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by bazzer

Nerf balls are the ticket, cheap too

I heard a story where a racing boat lost her rudder and shaft, and water was rushing in the hole. A crewmember took off his inflatable PFD and jammed it in the hole, then pulled the ripcord. It plugged the leak pretty well.

As for containers sinking, it depends. Even with the dissolving plugs, if the contents have enough buoyancy the container will still float.

I've sailed many thousands of miles at night on the high seas, usually going fast. The odds are reasonably OK. Sailing in coastal waters, or here in the Puget Sound area, I'm going to go very slowly at night, or not sail at all, especially in the winter or spring. There are way too many floating logs in these waters. It's tough enough to avoid them during the day!