Heartbreaking first launch

[powsmias]

Moment yacht that OAP had spent five years renovating sank | Daily Mail Online

[pete33458]

Not that I don't feel sorry for the guy (I do), but if the exterior is any indication of the quality of the renovations, I can't be too surprised it sank...

Pete

[Group9]

I don't know much about wooden boats, but aren't you supposed to hang them from the straps and gradually lower them over several hours to let the wood swell when launching after the wood has dried out?

[meridian28]

Can take days to swell up

[SV Siren]

One article I read mentions him saying that "the holes must have been larger than I thought" One the wood swells from being submerged...it might be able to be pumped out and will float on her own.

[Pete7]

The boat is back up and now apparently floating, but I do agree what exactly did he do in all those years of re-fitting

Pete

[Papasail]

Seems like he should've at least asked someone to take a peek who knew what they were talking about.
That's just negligent.
I've heard of old timers caulking small cracks by using saw dust as the water flows through cracks, but seriously... five minutes means he should have known immediately.
B

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Group9

I don't know much about wooden boats, but aren't you supposed to hang them from the straps and gradually lower them over several hours to let the wood swell when launching after the wood has dried out?

That is almost exactly what you should do.
Lower it in about halfway and monitor the water inflow, if your pumps can keep up with it, lower some more. Keep going until it is either fully floating or the pumps can't keep up.

Then never remove the straps for at least 24 hours and then only if the inflow has substantially decreased e.g. pumps at less than say 25% of initial rate.

Once the pumps are around less than 10% of initial rate, you wait a week and then start to breathe freely

The next test is when it is heeled up (say going to windward), the water starts to pour in again. Finally it settles down (or doesn't). One carvel boat I had needed two days or more of being heeled before you could stop watching bilge

[Hoosiersailor]

Originally Posted by Wotname

The next test is when it is heeled up (say going to windward), the water starts to pour in again. Finally it settles down (or doesn't). One carvel boat I had needed two days or more of being heeled before you could stop watching bilge

So this is how they came up with the idea of water ballast boats...

[UNCIVILIZED]

(Sometimes) hate to kick a guy when he’s down, but… Another example of Darwinism sadly thwarted.

1) Tradition says that when going to a launching (or re-launching) party, one brings the gift of a bilge pump. It's a tradition which stems from the days of planked boats, for reasons already stated by others.

2) Whenever launching or re-launching a boat, the 1st thing you do is to check for leaks. And you don’t move the boat out of the hoist until you’re certain she’ll stay afloat. Even then it’s good to have it standing by for a good bit just in case. Such is, or used to be common practice.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by Hoosiersailor

So this is how they came up with the idea of water ballast boats...

Nah, I think the water ballast thing was a logical offshoot related to how much beer gets consumed on the weather rail by the hiked out crew

[Liam Wald]

I do feel sorry for the guy. And I can't help but wonder whether the guy operating the crane or the people at the marina had a sense of what was likely to happen?

[Tetepare]

I've seen this happen at launch ramps. I suspect he forgot to install the drain plug.

[Seabeau]

There are several ways that the drying of the planking of wooden hulls can be prevented/minimized or to induce swelling of the planking prior to the vessel's launching. Snuggly drape a plastic tarp all around the top of the hull down to the ground and then keep the ground wet or place large pans of water beneath the hull. Marinas that cater to wooden vessels all use this techniques to stabilize the planking's' moisture content.

[Arthur Garfield]

Feel for the fellow.
When we(siblings,neighbors) were children,swelling our wood boats for the season was first thing we'ld do with garden hose-repeatedly over several days.
This got us past what this fellow experienced.We would still have plenty of leaks but we could bail and not sink.Over time swell would allow less than a trickle.Or,we would stuff kite string and wax into the trickle leaks.Great summers learning !


All the Best