Nice post dude! - thanks !!
"Chuck Tribolet" wrote in message
...
Current boats 20' have to have "level floation". That means the
Bayliner
wouldn't sink, but an awful lot of stuff would get wet.
A couple of motivated guys with buckets can stay ahead of the
the drain plug. Several years ago this blonde (no kidding) launches
her boat (one of those low freeboard V8 ski boats that were popular
about 1980), ties it up, and heads off to park the truck and grab a
burger. We were hanging out on the dock while a couple of folks used
the head on shore. A few minutes later we noticed that her boat had a
list
and was kinda low in the water. We couldn't find the hole the water was
coming in (turns out there was drain way under that V8), the bilge pump
switch didn't make anything happen (hardware store wiring with those
really
dumb ScotchLock splices), so we grabbed the
bailing bucket off my whaler and another bucket from somewhere and
started bailing. We were gaining on it when she showed up, put the
plug in, and sweet talked the marina mech into bringing down a bilge pump
with jumper cables on it to fiinish the dewatering job.
And before some wise ass Bayliner driver asks "why a bailing bucket on
a Boston Whaler, I thought they are unsinkable":
1. Required to pass the USCGA Courtesy Marine Exam each year.
2. Useful for dumping a bucket or two of water on the mutt to cool him
off,
3. It's also the trash bag (one of those behind the passenger seat auto
trash bags).
4. They really are unsinkable, but if you get complacent, Neptune will
find
a way.
"Mr Wizzard" wrote in message
...
Not that anyone would set out to actually "test"
this, but I wonder how long it would take for
a new bayliner 175 bowrider to sink if one were
to launch without a drain plug. Anyone know ?
Ok, ok, so I need to come clean here... Yeah,
I'm stoopid, I launched without a drain plug. Yikes.
I always leave the plug in, and never take it out,
and I got complacent and haven't been doing
due diligence in checking the stupid drain plug.
Went in salt water the day before for the first
time, so I had to hose the thing out late last night.
Let it drip over night, and never thought to check
it - it's been absent from my regular routine. So,
local lake, public fishing launch area (seperate
from main rat-race launch lane, requires the
state Vehicle Use permit for fishing). Dumped
it in, tied it up, ran the truck up to park it, walked
down, untied it, got it, started it, and started to
pull out. Engine sounding a little funny, idle a
little weird, (Merc 3.0L I/O), acceleration all
weired, mushy, and just slugish. I look over
my sholder at the engine compartment, and said
now thats odd - water splashing out of the edge
of the engine cover on the bottom near the carpet.
Thought, humm, fan must be picking up water
left over from last nights hose-off, and throwing
it around the inside of the engine cover. No big.
DOH! 2.5 seconds I realized, Whoa! - I ain't
not fan - this ain't a car engine (well it is, but)...
Hol-Lee **** buckets - it sank it (no pun) that
I left the plug in. Panicsville!. Wham! - reach
over the steering wheel with both hands and
throw ALL switches upwards cause I ain't got
time to read each one to see which is the pump.
Engine chugging pretty good by now. Boat starting
to head into rocks - depth finder shows less than
2 feet. I can't let it stall, I can't let it stall, thats
all I kept saying to myself. Bang it into reverse
and jump up on that throttle and get her out from
the rocks a bit, whew, now in about 10 feet of
water just out from the launch a bit. Think quick.
Bingo, the plug is teathered (to the oil drain hose).
Without thought, wham, swan-dive off the back
of the boat, keys, smokes, rolaids, pockets full.
Flailed around the bottom, felt the plug dangling,
and fumbled around, but got it threaded in, and
hand tight. Whew, gonna need that cold beer
after THIS one I thought as I grasped the ladder.
(too bad I won't have any dry smokes, eh).
Anyways, get back up in the boat, bilage pump
pumping like a big dog, and I'm drifting towards
the rocks again. Damn. Throw her into gear,
get out more in the center, and catch my breath.
Engine still chugging and not running good at all.
Afraid to open engine cover, but I know I gotta.
Open her up, and hol-lee-****.... My engine is
drenched, water up to, and maybe past the crank,
holey f-ing crap, I just can't believe this has happened.
Sun. Sun is good. Sun is "hot", Sun dries **** I'm
thinking. Leave the cover off. Keep her running,
I can't let it stall I kept thinking. Water level. Do
I see the water level going down? No!... wtf?
Water coming out the side? yup, rolling out like
a big dog. Dang, whats taking so long then?
Calm down. Crack that beer, it'll be Ok. Smokes?
nope - all soggy, dry ones up in the truck. Balls.
Hey! - engines sounding better! (is it the beer ?)
hell no!, I just opened it. Water level ? Ahhhhh
who da man, huh? - look at dat! - water goning down.
I'll just hang out here, and let that water quit spurting
out the side. Dang, isn't it been like a half-hour now?
Andway, but the time the bilage pump was done, the
engine was bone dry from the sun, and hot enough
to fry an egg on (from the sun on that Phantom black).
Close we up, sop up the water on the carpet, and
go have fun. Dang, that was close I thought.
...or was it? 2-3 hours goes buy, the 24-oz Bug Lite's
gone, and time to start heading in. Replaying the
whole thing in my mind, I got to wondering just how
long could I have let that plug out? what would happen?
water would fill up the engine compartment to the point
that it was overflowing on the main deck, and carpet.
At whcih point, what, drain into that center section
with the door where you keep the life vests etc?
Was that pit already full? - I didn't check that while
the engine compartment was full of water. I'm thinking
that due to the design/layout of this boat (with all of
the sections/compartments and such, that it might not
sink as fast as one might think. Ideas, thoughts ?
Thanks
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