"Why Boats Sink " ....worth reading

[Peahead]

Was just doing some routine checks on my Grady 228 this weekend. Scuppers, thru-hulls, seacocks, hoses and clamps.....that sort of thing. I had a seacock remote control arm break off the seacock ( attached to open/close lever) for my raw water wash . It broke off with the seacock in the open position so had to get down in the bildge and reach in with a boat hook to get the seacock closed ( I always like to keep seacocks closed when not in use)
I found a place that I can get new control arms to attach to the seacocks ( so I don't have to pull the live well to get at the well and raw water seacocks ( T-H Marine Suppplies is the place that provides Grady White with these control arms- the new ones are all stainless now so should last many more years)

I found a loose clamp on a scuppper hose as well as a small crack in a scupper drain hose . Seacocks looked ok and grey water thru hulls/hoses and fwd deck drain hoses all good.

Since then I did some searching around for info about what failures happen to sink boats and I found this which I thought had some pretty interesting info.

http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/sinking/default.asp

 

[beemer]

Yes thru hulls are important , but it is my experience that what usually fails dockside in the winter are two things , bilge pump floats and battery chargers. Most people seem to test their bilge pump by flicking the switch , you need to physically get in the bilge and flip the bilge float to insure it is working. heavy rains and no float can easily end up with a boat sinking. Boats that have a open back keep the bilge working full time in heavy rain and if the charger connected to dock power is malfunctioning then your battery will eventually go dead.

A part of my job is lifting these boats for insurance companies and I have done most jobs in this area for the last five years. I would dispute the cost of repair being 40% of the value(maybe in freshwater?) all of the jobs I have done have been full write offs by the insurance companies.

If you have this happen to you call your insurance company right away and make sure you are covered (most marine policies do) .Call a LICENSED salvage company and get a quote. You will get every dockside expert telling you its easy , (couple of barrels and a come along no problem) and in some simple cases its true , but your insurance company will not pay for any damage you create trying to lift the boat or to other boats that may "get in the way" .If your boat goes to the bottom while trying to DIY it , you are on your own .

Beemer
C-Tow Victoria

 

[Finished Business]

Peahead, great read. Thank You.

Valuable information there Beemer...Given your line of work, I'd enjoy a "I've seen it all" thread by you of all the simple and not so simple (possible crazy) mistakes people make that leaves them in deep trouble.

 

[lorneparker1]

Seacock

lorne

 

[Foxsea]

Since then I did some searching around for info about what failures happen to sink boats and I found this which I thought had some pretty interesting info.

http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/sinking/default.asp

A lot of discussion of seacocks,etc. on this thread, as well:


http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum...-down-hazard-or-convenience&highlight=seacock