In October I was nosing around the engine compartment with flash light in hand when I noticed that one of the two hose clamps (original) connecting the exhaust hose to the waterlock (upstream side) had rusted through; it was just hanging there. Happy me; I had averted a potential "disaster" by catching it while at the slip. Of course, I installed a new one and logged the repair as I typically do. Fast foward to December when the Admiral and I were heading out for the Christmas-New Year's break, the immediate destination Channel Islands Harbor. We were motoring, both in the cockpit, when we started to hear this intermittent (few seconds apart) beeping. At first I thought the GPS below was signalling poor coverage or some other message when my astute first mate (a.k.a. Admiral) asked if it could be the bilge alarm. I doubted b/c it was intermittent but went below to check the bilge. Sure enough, the recently installed bilge alarm was sounding off for the first time at sea.
I quickly found that water was entering from astern, near that waterlock; so, I backed off the RPMs, installed the handle for the cockpit-mounted whale pump (i.e., mechanism for the manual bilge pump), radioed Channel Islands Harbor Patrol to advise them we might need assistance at the Harbor entrance (we were nearly there), that the boat was taking water but that it appeared to be due to exhaust water spilling into the boat, and then started pumping. (In our boat, the bilge alarm goes off b/f the water reaches the electric bilge pump.)
We get escorted to the HP dock; they were ready with a high capacity water pump. Then together we inspected the boat. Surprise!--another hose clamp-- the one on the downstream side of the waterlock--had also rusted through and broken off. Exhaust water had been pouring into the boat to the point of filling the bilge and setting off the alarm. It was intermittent b/c of the rocking of the boat, but ultimately would have remained on as the bilge flooded. Off course, one could not see, from any angle, the portion of the hose clamp that was rusting out by looking into the engine compartment. You'd have to take it off to inspect it. So, when one goes others might not be far behind. (Everyone knows this; even I !) If you cannot see the entire hose clamp, loosen and rotate it around where you can. Public service announcement!!
KG
I quickly found that water was entering from astern, near that waterlock; so, I backed off the RPMs, installed the handle for the cockpit-mounted whale pump (i.e., mechanism for the manual bilge pump), radioed Channel Islands Harbor Patrol to advise them we might need assistance at the Harbor entrance (we were nearly there), that the boat was taking water but that it appeared to be due to exhaust water spilling into the boat, and then started pumping. (In our boat, the bilge alarm goes off b/f the water reaches the electric bilge pump.)
We get escorted to the HP dock; they were ready with a high capacity water pump. Then together we inspected the boat. Surprise!--another hose clamp-- the one on the downstream side of the waterlock--had also rusted through and broken off. Exhaust water had been pouring into the boat to the point of filling the bilge and setting off the alarm. It was intermittent b/c of the rocking of the boat, but ultimately would have remained on as the bilge flooded. Off course, one could not see, from any angle, the portion of the hose clamp that was rusting out by looking into the engine compartment. You'd have to take it off to inspect it. So, when one goes others might not be far behind. (Everyone knows this; even I !) If you cannot see the entire hose clamp, loosen and rotate it around where you can. Public service announcement!!
KG
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