Break Downs at Sea

[captain58sailin]

I do keep separate logs, engineering log, for repairs and maintenance performed. In the front of that, I keep the details of the different mechanical things aboard, ser#, Mod# year, capacities etc, also the different filters, including the crossover types. I can't afford to wait until something breaks, because that usually happens at Odark thirty in the middle of a 60 knot blow. Plus down time costs me fishing time. If I am 100 miles offshore chasing fish the last thing I want to deal with is a parted hose because it was rotten or hard.

[Strait Shooter]

Originally Posted by JazzyO

manmade things can fail and then what do you do?
Onno

Aren't maps man made?
Does "sodden mess" count as map failure?

[captain58sailin]

Either that or a puppy training event gone wrong.

[carstenb]

This fella here probably needs a bit of instruction
Sail-World.com : Captain Calamity - 15 rescues but he doesn't want saving

[gjordan]

For Ocean Girl and others , electric bilge pumps seem to fail at the worst times. when manual bilge pumps fail from debree it is a 60 second job to pop off the face plate and run your finger through the check valves and put the face plate back on and resume pumping. Every manual bilge pump I have ever seen has a quick release plate so you can clean a check valve. There is a reason for the offshore racing rules to require a manual pump that can be pumped from the helm. A proper strum box goes a long way to preventing bilge pumpe problems. Doing a 60 second cleaning of the check valves requires a little practice at a safe and solid dockside. just another 2 cents worth. _____Grant.

[Mr B]

The only time you want or need a Bilge pump is usually at the worst possible times,

And they dont pump very much water either,

[captain58sailin]

My Father was of the opinion that there was no better bilge pump than a scared man with a 5 gallon bucket.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

My Father was of the opinion that there was no better bilge pump than a scared man with a 5 gallon bucket.

But that saying just like the "stepping up into a liferaft" - illustrative rather than literal.

[captain58sailin]

If you had been with us in some of the skiffs that we have had, you might think it more literal.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Mr B

(...)

And they dont pump very much water either,

Actually, they do.

E.g. Rule makes pumps that will deliver some 4000 gph. There is also a similar pump from Johnson.

Quality manual pump will deliver some 30 gpm.

Why not use them?

b.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Bruce626

- but on closer inspection one could see that the 3/4 inch stainless steel rudder post had corroded through just above the rudder - no corrosion anywhere else on the shaft and grinding showed that the corrosion did not go far either up or down - and the starboard rudder post was fine.

Is the autopilot connected to this rudder?
You can get some severe rapid corrosion problems due to stray current corrosion problems from the autopilot.

To the general question.

Backups for everything you can.
Keep it simple.
Buy the best, not the cheapest.
Shakedown trips should be used more.
Learn to fix as much as possible yourself
If someone else fixes something something watch them whenever possible.

[goboatingnow]

My philosophy is simple, I never worry how complex the systems are , but I


Anything that is critical , I must be able to fix.

Anything I can't fix , I must be able to operate the boat and live , without it

Anything I can't live without , I try an carry as a spare

Anything I can't carry as a spare, fix or live without , I put down to fatalism , I could be run over by a bus/ship too.

Dave

[Lagoon4us]

Knowledge and the ability to make do equals survival, if you cannot effect a repair with items or materials at hand your chances may suffer.

KISS allows simplistic repairs to threatening situations essentially if you cannot make do without the technology you are lost.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Actually, they do.

E.g. Rule makes pumps that will deliver some 4000 gph. There is also a similar pump from Johnson.

Quality manual pump will deliver some 30 gpm.

Why not use them?

b.

For sure use them, just don't rely on them to do much / make any great difference. As a broad rule, if the hole in the boat is bigger than the outlet for the bilge pump then gonna lose the race ......admittedly will lose quicker with a manual pump (or bucket!), but lose nonetheless.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Actually, they do.

E.g. Rule makes pumps that will deliver some 4000 gph. There is also a similar pump from Johnson.

Quality manual pump will deliver some 30 gpm.

Why not use them?

b.

Thats all been argued out on here before,

But I will give one example,

A 2 inch hole, 36 inches below the water line sucks in 20,000 Litres per hour,

5500 Gallons per hour,

Your batterys are usually down low, Water covers them, You dont have power,

How long has the water been coming in before you noticed it, Broken off thru hull,

Your sitting up in a darkened cockpit sailing across the sea, Cruising at 8 knots, enjoying the night, and the lights go out, Thats your batterys gone, = No pumps,

your cruising across a busy harbour, Your instruments fail, Your getting full of water,

The waters ingress has drowned your batterys, Now you know, There is a hole in your boat, And its two feet deep down there, and its full of floating ****,

Your outside steering your boat, your not watching the Bilge to see if its taking on water down there,

Is your boat one of those that will sink with a hole in it,

Can you operate a manual pump and fix a hole in your boat at the same time, I cant,

Now what are you going to do, ???????????????????????