{"id":277,"date":"2012-10-29T04:30:43","date_gmt":"2012-10-29T08:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/?p=277"},"modified":"2015-07-12T14:08:01","modified_gmt":"2015-07-12T18:08:01","slug":"recover-from-that-sinking-feeling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/2012\/10\/recover-from-that-sinking-feeling\/","title":{"rendered":"Recover From That Sinking Feeling"},"content":{"rendered":"

First published in several Maryland newspapers,\u00a08\/4\/89 \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e<\/span> \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Proper maintenance is the key to staying afloat.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recover from that sinking feeling <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u0004\u000e\u0003by \u0004\u000e\bTom Dove<\/span>
\n \u0004\u000e\u0004\u000eThe popular perception of sinking is the one promoted by the \u0004\u000emovies, in which the vessel goes under in a violent storm after \u0004\u000ehitting a reef. In real life, boats sink more commonly as they rest \u0004\u000equietly in their slips at the marina, usually as a result of a loose \u0004\u000e\u001ahose or a broken dockline.\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

Most boats have through-hull fittings to let water in and out \u0004\u000efor the engine, marine head and sink drains. If a hose clamp \u0004\u000ecorrodes and breaks, the Bay will fill the boat at a rapid rate. For \u0004\u000ethis reason, you should shut off all through-hull openings when \u0004\u000eyou are away from the boat for more than a day.\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

Some boat builders cut the cost (and the price) of their vessels \u0004\u000eby eliminating seacocks or valves on the through-hull fittings. If \u0004\u000eyou have one of these “bargain boats”, install shutoff valves the \u0004\u000enext time it is out of the water. It could save the boat.\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

Ice expansion in winter is the most common cause of sinkings \u0004\u000efrom hose failure but a hose can be knocked loose during warm \u0004\u000eweather, too. Check yours regularly.\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

This winter, be sure the weight of snow on the decks doesn’t \u0004\u000eforce your boat under. If the water rises to the level of an open \u0004\u000escupper or intake, the boat will fill and sink.\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

Small boats are often sunk when they get trapped under \u0004\u000epiers on a rising tide. If a dockline breaks or if the boat is \u0004\u000eimproperly tied, a corner of the boat may drift under the edge of \u0004\u000ethe pier.<\/span><\/p>\n

A storm, heavy rain or a full moon that makes the tide \u0004\u000ehigher than normal will push it under the water.\u0004\u000e The solution for this malady is to check your docklines when \u0004\u000eyou leave the boat to be sure it is floating well clear of the pier.\u00a0If \u0004\u000eothers use your boat, it is best to check the lines yourself after \u0004\u000e\u0013they bring it back.\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

If your boat does sink, you have a lot of work to do. The \u0005\u000eengine will be ruined quickly and must be attended to right away. \u0004\u000eThe upholstery and interior woodwork will be damaged by water \u0004\u000eand coated with engine oil. The electronics will be destroyed.\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

When a runabout with I\/O drive sank in a nearby marina \u0004\u000erecently, the local mechanic knew he had to work fast to save the \u0004\u000eengine. Before raising the boat, he collected the tools and supplies \u0004\u000e\u001che would need to salvage it.\u0004\u000e\u00a0The mechanic knew that corrosion would accelerate as soon as \u0004\u000ethe metal parts were hit by the air, so he left the boat \u0004\u000eunderwater until all was ready. A heavy duty sump pump was \u0004\u000eused to bail out the little vessel.\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

As soon as the boat was floated, the mechanic pumped the \u0004\u000ewater out of the flooded engine. Then he pumped the oil out of the \u0004\u000emotor into containers for proper disposal at a gas station. \u0004\u000e The mechanic immediately filled the entire engine with \u0004\u000ekerosene, including the valve covers and carburetor. The kerosene \u0004\u000ewould lubricate and keep air away from the internal parts and \u0004\u000eprevent corrosion while other repairs were being done. \u0004<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, he removed the alternator and starter and sent them \u0004\u000eto a rebuilding shop for dissassembly and repair. Corrosion had \u0004\u000ealready started by the time air first hit the metal surfaces, and \u0004\u000ethey had been underwater less than ten hours.\u0004\u000e All wiring in the boat was then sprayed heavily with silicone \u0004\u000espray to disperse the moisture and protect the electrical system \u0004\u000efrom further corrosion. The only electronics aboard, a depth \u0004\u000esounder and VHF radio, are probably destroyed.\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

The next big problem is cleanup. When the engine filled with \u0004\u000ewater, oil got on the carpeting, wood trim and upholstery. Luckily, \u0004\u000ethe storm waves abated after the boat sank and the oil stayed \u0004\u000einside instead of spilling out into the marina.\u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

Sinkings are not always fatal nor are they always dramatic \u0004\u000ebut they are always expensive and troublesome, whether they \u0004\u000eoccur at sea or near the shore. The key to successful salvage is \u0004\u000efast action and proper treatment of the systems most likely to \u0004\u000ehave been damaged by submersion. \u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

It could happen to any of us. All it takes is storm tides, loose \u0004\u000edocklines or a broken water hose. Sinking isn’t something that \u0004\u000eonly happens to movie stars in pirate ships.\u0001\u0003\u0018\u0002<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

— The End —<\/span><\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First published in several Maryland newspapers,\u00a08\/4\/89 \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e Recover from that sinking feeling \u0004\u000e\u0003by \u0004\u000e\bTom Dove \u0004\u000e\u0004\u000eThe popular perception of sinking is the one promoted by the \u0004\u000emovies, in which the vessel goes under in a violent storm after \u0004\u000ehitting a reef. In real life, boats sink more commonly as Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":624,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277\/revisions\/624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}