"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 5 Oct 2009 16:41:19 +0200, "Edgar"
wrote:


This facility is available on some small boat inlet strainers that I have
seen but I think it is a bad idea as you do not want to put dirty bilge
water through your engine, as a modern engine has very small cooling water
passages and any blockage there means big trouble..

It would only be used when sinking. The strainer should be kept
clean. Can be tested with a clean bilge.

Moreover, the capacity of an engine cooling pump is pretty small in
comparison with a decent bilge pump, which is another reason against such
an
arrangement.

That was my thought too. Didn't bother to check various engine water
pump GPH capacities.
The cited article did seem to indicate the diversions kept them from
sinking.
Personally, I'd go after patching the hole one of the first measures.

If you want to use the engine to pump your bilge, rig a belt driven high
capacity low head pump that will really shift some water.

That was one of my first thoughts, but it's a bigger project.

--Vic


Vic,
I met a guy that had holed the hull on a 22' fishing boat (rebar on new
county ramps), drove the boat out to thier (Central Florida, Atlantic side)
bottom fishing spot on plane (hull hole above water). It was a calm, flat
day.
Once at the fishing spot, boat drops off plane and water starts coming in.
They (owner +2) had time to get and write down a position fix from the Loran
(this was late 80s), call the Coasties on VHF, disconnect and pack
electronics and fishing gear in a big cooler and don life jackets before the
boat sank.
2 of the 3 were sport scuba divers. I'd have jumped in and plugged the hole
with t-shirts/extra life jacket/neighbors cat/whatever, bailed and kept
bailing while motoring home. But then, I'd hope common sense would have led
me to putting the boat back on the trailer to see what the heck all the
noise was from when launching and hitting the rebar.
He didn't admit it, but I suspect copius amounts of beer was involoved. I
hoped there was an excuse for this dumbassedness.
I don't think it was for insurance, the owner wanted my shop to recover the
boat, old hull with a new motor and all the bolt on gear. He offered the
hull in exchange for the offshore salvage.
I told him to go find the boat and mark it with a bouy and then we'd talk
about what it was going to cost but we weren't going to do it for an old
hull with a hole in it.
He never came back. Don't know if he found it or even tried to.