Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
How fast will a Bayliner 175 sink with no drain plug?
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 |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Head and Sink Drain | Cruising | |||
The Bomb Under the Sink | General | |||
The Bomb Under the Sink | Cruising | |||
New one on me - Laminate Flooring | General | |||
Bayliner Bashing | General |