Bump, scrape, crash!

[Jacomo Sailor]

So there was a Danger bouy in our harbor that marks a shallow obstruction and it went missing after the last big storm. Yesterday morning I was navigating my way through the mooring field under power after a night out and didn't notice I was right where the bouy is supposed to be when I crashed into it. At first I thought I had bumped a mooring ball, but then I felt the keel scrape across the top of the obstruction and crash down hard. Luckily I was not going full throttle and it seems to have only lifted a few inches before dropping. Still, all I could think about was the possibility of a fractured keel pocket.

I'm not planning to haul the boat until November, so no way to really inspect for damage until then. I suspect that if it has been fractured the water intrusion would be very slight. I also suspect that if I do get any, it likely won't show up in the companionway bilge until a significant amount has accumulated. Since the area of possible damage isn't exactly accessible from the inside, where should I be watching for the first signs of intrusion to show up?

 

[KD3PC]

trailer sailor? I would pull her up on the trailer...and look for damage. Any thing less is speculation...60-90 days of wet may damage more than you will save by not looking at the damage now. Assuming that a fracture would allow slight intrusion is flawed assumption.

YMMV

 

[Leeward Rail]

I'd pull all the access panels and look for water.
On my 87, when the depth tranducer was leaking, any water shows up pretty fast at the bottom of the companionway. Can't remember which year your boat is, but it may be the same.

Of course, the best option is to put on a trailer and check it out. Depending on the ramp, there could be no need to lower the mast or anything.

 

[Doug4bass]

Was your keel locked? If so probably no damage. Happened to me.

 

[rpludwig]

crash down hard

that certainly warrants putting it on the trailer for inspection!

 

[Jacomo Sailor]

I looked in all of the holds right after it happened and again the next day and everything was dry. Again, I would expect that a fracture there would result in a slight seepage rather than a full-on leak, which would probably take a long time to accumulate enough to run back to the bilge. The only way I can think of to get a look from the inside would be to reach in through the V berth hold and snake an inspection camera under the floor where the portable toilet sits to look for a wet spot. In thinking about it more, it's always possible that a fracture doesn't go all the way through the hull. This would allow water penetration into the laminate but have no signs of intrusion on the inside. Water soaking into the laminate for any length of time is never good. I suppose my only viable course of action is to pull it for a look-see, which in the grand scheme of things isn't really that big of a deal.