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carlheintz · 03-11-2016, 09:48

So, my dry-storage neighbor arrives to winterize their boat, crawls aboard borrowing my ladder and wham! Their cockpit is filled with water, due to leaf plugged drains. They drain it and to their immense distress find that the water has gotten into the boat, filled it with 4 " of rainwater.

Ok, so they are in their 60's and I climb up there and bail it out using the whale gusher pump. Now what? I suggested they mop it up as much as possible, then get a bunch of de humidifier tubs ( no electricity here)

What else?? Possible ideas were to rent a generator and use a shop vac to get the rest of the moisture, or run a de-humidifier.... Since this is Michigan, we have only a short timeframe before it's the frozen north.....

As I said, Help!!

mdbrown · 03-11-2016, 09:52

How long has it been wet? Days or months? If months you're going to have to start pulling even the seemingly dry stuff out of the cabin.

hobopacket · 03-11-2016, 09:53

I think you are on the right track. I would towel up what's left. And on the next sunny day, get some battery powered fans and open every hatch you can.

Cheechako · 03-11-2016, 10:00

Yeah, you need fans and driers. Heat the dampness and move air out. Adding a Garboard drain to the bilge would help I suppose. open all floor boards etc.

carlheintz · 03-11-2016, 11:13

Great advice. This thing has been wet for maybe a month... hard to tell...
I guess I will have to get a generator and get some fans going... and maybe a heater to dry it out.

Any advice on the sole (floorboards)?

SV DestinyAscen · 03-11-2016, 11:16

Empty the boat. Anything that can be pulled should be pulled. Ventilate and heat. Start taking moisture readings on the hull. Log it.

Cheechako · 03-11-2016, 11:19

The floor boards may be too swollen to get up, have you tried? Dry them slowly and don't dry one side then the other due to warpage. Don't leave one side in the sun. Roll them over often. Electric heaters or incandescent bulbs around might help. Open everything. So 4" of water might not be too bad... 4" above the floorboards ? or...?
Is power available? Rental places rent fan type equiptment specifically for drying flooded houses...

Suijin · 03-11-2016, 12:09

The floorboards have to come up, even if they take damage in the process. You're not going to be able to dry the boat out effectively if you don't, as many cabin soles are not well sealed underneath, believe it or not. If you can get one floorboard up, you might be able to lever the next one, or at least get a fan with some air circulating under there. If the sole and cabinetry is saturated, you need to dry it out before the first significant freeze or the damage could be extensive.

I would go for a dehumidifier and fans over heat and fans. You need something to actually get the water out, and heat is going to do nothing more than turn the boat into a tropical rain forest.

hellosailor · 03-11-2016, 13:04

If it was a home I'd rent a salamander (big self-fueled heater) from a construction equipment company and probably let it run for a week, because it takes TIME to dry out wet wood. And if left damp, they'll have mold problems that are incredibly hard to correct. A company like ServePro that specializes in flood cleanups might be worth calling, to ask their ideas and costs. But at least, right away today, open all the access, and put one infrared type propane heater (sold for camping and patio use) in the cabin and start cooking the interior, immediately. Cautions about fire safety and ventilation and all that good stuff--but every day that they delay, is going to cost way more than what the equipment will cost TODAY.

Steadman Uhlich · 03-11-2016, 13:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlheintz

So, my dry-storage neighbor arrives to winterize their boat, crawls aboard borrowing my ladder and wham! Their cockpit is filled with water, due to leaf plugged drains. They drain it and to their immense distress find that the water has gotten into the boat, filled it with 4 " of rainwater.

Ok, so they are in their 60's and I climb up there and bail it out using the whale gusher pump. Now what? I suggested they mop it up as much as possible, then get a bunch of de humidifier tubs ( no electricity here)

What else?? Possible ideas were to rent a generator and use a shop vac to get the rest of the moisture, or run a de-humidifier.... Since this is Michigan, we have only a short timeframe before it's the frozen north.....

As I said, Help!!

Coincidentally, I just finished reading a blog entry by another CF Member (Keddy) who once found his boat flooded (4" ) because of leaves blocking the cockpit drains. That is two mentions in one day. And not the first I have heard of this happening to boats stored on the hard.

Who would guess that little leaves could be a problem and causing a boat to flood when the boat is out of the water?

Good luck with your dry out project.

**JPA Cate** · 03-11-2016, 13:39

Quote:

Who would guess that little leaves could be a problem and causing a boat to flood when the boat is out of the water?

Yes, quite so. Fraser Island, off Queensland's SE coast is a sand Island. It has lakes on it. The reason is from the leaves sealing the bottom of the depressions, these lakes some have streams running from them during rains. The leaves do an adequate job of sealing.

Amazing.

**************

I'd like to second hello sailor's suggestion about one of the flood damage companies being involved, if they can afford it. Otherwise it's going to be a massive lot of work and heartache.

***************

carlheintz, GOOD ON YA for helpiing the wrinklies.

Ann

**roverhi** · 03-11-2016, 14:43

A Garboard Drainl should be mandatory on any boat stored on land even for short periods. Too many ways that scupper drains can get plugged and rain water fill the boat right up to the gunwales if it goes on long enough. The classic one is frozen water in the cockpit drains flooding the cockpit and then the boat. I flooded our boat in SoCal in October when the only rain in 6 months caught me with the cockpit drain hose disconnected.

hellosailor · 03-11-2016, 18:25

In places like New England, NY, NJ, this is old news. Boats are normally dry hauled before the leaves fall, and boats are normally blocked with the stern trimmed down a little, to encourage any water to drain out the cockpit drains rather than gather in the cockpit. Some folks cover their cockpits to help discourage clutter from blocking the drains, or put something over them to discourage clogging. And while garboard drains may be out of fashion with shallow bilges, they ain't dead yet. If you DO put in a garboard drain, make sure to put coarse metal wool, CurlyCate (scrubbing metal pads) or something similar in, to keep critters out. Sometimes you'll find the cockpit drains have been blocked from the button, by wasps and other critters that fly up from the bottom and plug them with mud to make nests. Always worth asking the yard what surprises you can expect, if you are new to them.