 USCG Auxiliary
By Captain Walt Reppenhagen
How to avoid
that sinking feeling
With the advent of modern fiberglass boats, mariners
are no longer nagged with fear that a weak plank or rotten rib will
send their vessel to the bottom. Hull integrity is no longer the
concern our predecessors worried about just a few decades ago. Yet
every year, tens of thousands of boats sink, making this one of the
leading causes of large insurance claims and one reason you pay too
much for your insurance. Sadly, most of the time it is entirely
preventable.
 Why
do boats sink? Some sinkings result from collisions with other
vessels, submerged objects, groundings, or fixed objects, such as a
pilings. Another cause is overloading or not properly balancing the
load inside the vessel, causing it to take water over the gunwale
and swamp or capsize. Sometimes it’s just neglect, such as
permitting a boat to fill with rain water in a storm, forgetting to
install a drain plug, allowing scuppers to become blocked, or a
poorly secured anchor striking the hull.
Bad design can also contribute to the problem. In
small boats, cockpit decks are often placed near the waterline to
provide adequate height at the gunnels and prevent crew from falling
overboard. This low deck placement allows water to enter through
scupper holes, particularly when flappers are worn or encrusted.
Under normal conditions, water will wash in then run back out, but
when overloaded with fuel, water, people, and equipment, or if the
boat is improperly trimmed, the deck will sit below the waterline,
inviting more water and disaster. Is your deck less than four inches
above the waterline with full tanks? Try putting three adults in one
corner. Does water run in? If the answer is yes to either, you
should plug your scuppers and add redundant bilge pumps.
Deck hatches with broken or dirty seals also
contribute to the problem. Always assume that a sealed compartment
might become “unsealed,” and make sure it either contains a bilge
pump or drains to a compartment that does.
Inadequate transoms, or non-sealing transom doors,
invite water to rush on deck in heavy seas, rough inlets, or during
sudden stops. Boat owners with these configurations should consider
carefully where, when and how they travel on their boats.
Internal systems can also be accountable for sinking
vessels:
• Improper overboard plumbing will allow
reverse-siphoning of water into the boat.
• Inadequate or faulty bilge pumps, switches, wiring,
or batteries will compromise this vital safety system.
• Damaged, corroded, or worn through-hull fittings,
hoses, and hose clamps provide an easy entry point for seawater.
• Worn rubber boots connecting muffler exhausts, or
surrounding out-drive cutouts exact their toll as well.
So, now is a good time for some routine maintenance.
Check your vessel for seaworthiness. Remove rags or other objects
that could wash around in the bilge and clog the bilge pump. Check
hoses, clamps, fittings, seals, scuppers, batteries, pumps, and
switches. Sailors with only one bilge pump should consider a backup,
such as a Rule 3500 for extra protection. Also check those sink and
head drains to ensure they don’t take on water while heeling.
One trick to remember in a dire emergency for inboard
vessels: the raw water hose can be cut or disconnected from the
through-hull (as you close the valve) and used to suck water out of
the bilge through the engine’s raw water pump.
Remember, the Coast Guard Auxiliary offers free
Vessel Safety Exams to help you stay safe on the water.
For information on obtaining free vessel safety
checks, safe boating courses, Coast Guard Auxiliary membership or
other recreational boating matters, contact Flotilla 10-2 through
our website –
www.savannahaux.com. |
