Sunk At The Dock..

[Sid at SailAway]

Woke up to a nasty smell in the marina this morning and walked up to the office to report it. There at the fuel dock was a sport fisher that came in last night and proceeded to sink sometime during the night. No one knows why yet...

Pics are on my blog at www.elcaminoblog.com

Details as they come....

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by Sid at SailAway

Woke up to a nasty smell in the marina this morning and walked up to the office to report it. There at the fuel dock was a sport fisher that came in last night and proceeded to sink sometime during the night. No one knows why yet...

Pics are on my blog at www.elcaminoblog.com

Details as they come....

you know I have seen that sort of thing before. one would think this would happen at sea not at the dock. I have saved more than one vessel over the years with my 110 volt super pump someone gave me years ago. It has a built in switch and takes a 4 inch house. The first time I used it it made that 4 inch collapsible house turn into a pole shooting a jet of water out like a fire hose. That time I used it to save an old cris craft connie sinking at the dock.
thanks for the pix

[Pete7]

Someones pride a joy, very sad.

Pete

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Someones pride a joy, very sad.

Pete

yes. My custom built Wooldridge could have sunk at the dock if I hadn't of noticed the water under the dash. The livewell up front had ample drainage for overflow protection but the aft bulkhead joint had not been sealed so that when seaweed clogged the outlets the water just came into the bilge. If I had tied up at the dock and went for lunch upon my return she would have been on the bottom. This incident also demonstrated that the bilge pumps had no auto setting they were strictly manual another thing that they needed to fix


I can't pass an old wreck without feeling sad.

[JPA Cate]

One could make the argument that what you need is a loud bilge alarm, rather than only an automatic bilge pump, simply because if it's automatic, you may never know when a leak has started, and it could burn itself out without you ever knowing there was a problem.

Ann.

[Pete7]

We have a small bilge pump under the engine, one of the most likely areas for leaks. It discharges into the cockpit so hopefully the crew get wet feet and a wake up when at sea, even at night, before the floor boards float up.

Pete

[roverhi]

It's quite common for boats to sink at the dock, usually from a failed hose or sea cock. Could have sunk my boat at least twice if the solar panels hadn't kept the batteries charged with the bilge pump constantly running.cycling. Fortunately I was staying on board both times when water started back syphoning into the bilge. First instance was the bilge pump outlet that decided after 4 years to back syphon. Kept the pump constantly cycling. 2nd time was the burp hose for the drip less shaft seal getting dislodged and falling into the bilge where it turned into a mini firehose. Don't know how long the bilge pump had been syphoning as I'd been away from the boat for several months when I discovered the problem. Fortunately I'd just installed solar panels so it kept the batteries up. The burp hose had run overnight. On either occurrence, if the batteries had run down or the bilge pump failed, it would have been glub glub for the boat.

[rgscpat]

If you look at Boat US/Seaworthy statistics, you'll find sinking at the dock is extremely common. Some boat owners seem to rely on bilge pumps to keep up with routine leaks... if the power fails or the pump breaks, guess what! Clogged cockpit drains or snow and ice buildup are another classic cause. And, as Zee mentioned, through-hulls (that never get exercised, that aren't protected by double or any clamps, etc., that are ancient, or have corrosion issues, etc.). More rarely, a lightning strike could blow lots of little holes in a hull.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Sid at SailAway

Woke up to a nasty smell in the marina this morning and walked up to the office to report it.

The smell was probably the batteries blowing up under water...rotten eggs smell. Now you know why all our insurance rates are so high.

[gjordan]

Pete7, you might want to rethink pumping bilge water (especially from under the engine) into the cockpit. A little bit of oil in that water can make your cockpit dangerously slippery. Just a thought. _____Grant.

[Strait Shooter]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

One could make the argument that what you need is a loud bilge alarm, rather than only an automatic bilge pump, simply because if it's automatic, you may never know when a leak has started, and it could burn itself out without you ever knowing there was a problem.

Ann.

A cycle counter on a two automatic bilge pump system is easy to put together (if I can, anyone can).
A high water alarm after those (piercing, this from experience) and I feel much better.
Call the number in the window and I'll tell you where the key is.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Sid at SailAway

Woke up to a nasty smell in the marina this morning and walked up to the office to report it. There at the fuel dock was a sport fisher that came in last night and proceeded to sink sometime during the night. No one knows why yet...

Pics are on my blog at www.elcaminoblog.com

Details as they come....

This almost happened to one boat in our marina about two months ago and did happen to another boat a couple of weeks ago. In both cases a split hose to the engine was the culprit.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

One could make the argument that what you need is a loud bilge alarm, rather than only an automatic bilge pump, simply because if it's automatic, you may never know when a leak has started, and it could burn itself out without you ever knowing there was a problem.

Ann.

I have a friend who is working on a combination security system and alarm for your smart phone. It would include motion detectors, but also if your bilge came on and stayed pumping for any significant length of time. I'm going to suggest an anchor dragging alarm but that might be too different than the other technology. I don't know. I don't care much about having a security camera on the boat but I would like it very much if my phone told me the bilge pump was suddenly working very hard.

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

One could make the argument that what you need is a loud bilge alarm, rather than only an automatic bilge pump, simply because if it's automatic, you may never know when a leak has started, and it could burn itself out without you ever knowing there was a problem.

Ann.

I agree. Should be standard on all boats

[Sid at SailAway]

An update...Not much has happened since she went down. A hard boom was put in place as she's still leaking gasoline, diesel and oil. The word around the marina is that she came down from New Jersey. She was damaged in Sandy and 4 holes were repaired. The motors were toast, so they hung two 300 hp Yamahas off the stern. On the fishing deck were six or seven, 50 gallon, blue plastic drums of gasoline for outboards. Not CG approved I would think...

Speaking of the CG, they are here and from what I understand, not very happy. Right now it's a money thing as to what the next step is. Another kinda weird thing is that one side of the boat is blue and the other side is yellow...

More to come....