Hunter 260 Flooded

[LarryH]

After having my air conditioning serviced to get ready for some summer overnight stays at our marina in Stuart Florida, my 1999 hunter 260 flooded with approximately 2500 gallons of water. This all happened slowly overnight as somehow the repairman left it running. I purchased the boat last summer and never had the AC running before.

The marina called at 7am that the boat was about to sink, and i called Seatow, who arrived promptly and the boat and pumped out to the tune of $4500 for less than 2 hours work.

Im still dealing with insurance as I have a lot of electronics on the boat including two invertors, battery charger, auto pllot, TV, microwave, two batteries. All the cushions were floating, the flares were soaked.

I dont know if the boat is worth salvaging as it value is $18,000. I have talked to several electronic experts, who state the boat will never be the same, i will be dealing with mold and unpleasant odors for years to come.

My plan is to put the boat back on its trailer, jack up the front to drain remaining water to the bilge and run a dehumidifier for a week. I will then have the boat rewired and compenents replaced.

If any one has advice id love to hear, im thinking of redoing the compression post at this time as i think its the source of a small leak, i tend to get a small amount of water under the dining seats every time i sail.

Bummed out in Florida,

Larry

 

[peptobysmol]

Wow, what a bummer. I guess I don't know the particulars of how the AC works on a boat and why leaving it running would fill it up. If it was left running by the installer/repairman I would think he'd be culpable to some degree. I hope you can get it back in the water without any unforseen pain. Keep us updated please.

 

[isaksp00]

If it is at all like the marine A/C units I have seen on other boats, it should never flood the boat. Is it a "central air" system, in which the heat exchanger is cooled with sea water that is pumped out a through-hull? Have you found yet where the water actually came from? It seems inconceivable that condensate from just running it could have produced 2500 gals in less than 24 hrs, and your bilge pump should have easily handled any condensate.

I'd look carefully to see if the repair person made a mistake, such as cutting or leaving loose one of the seawater hoses (if you have them). If so, I hope he or she is from a company with good insurance...

 

[Forrest15112]

I've had a good bit of water in my 23.5. It was rain water that leaked in and was primarily in the bilge area. I had the tongue of the trailer up and it did get the rear berth cushions wet at the far aft end. My point is that the water was probably in there for a month, as best as I can guess. Everything cleaned up and there is currently no odor or mold - maybe a little in the deep recesses behind the aft berth. There was mold on most everything and it delaminated all of the plywood bilge access panels. If your 260 is anything like the 23.5, most everything below is plastic and can be bleached clean. Good luck and definitely make a claim with the repairman's insurance. You might consider speaking to a lawyer even if it looks like they will cover some or all of it. There are time limits and other things that they could stall you on.

 

[Bob 04 H260]

Larry a sad story, too bad this happened. We all have this in the back of our mind I guess.
I think the boat will be fine with your plan to dry it out. The electronics and AC may need to be replaced. There should not be a mildew issue if you can dry the boat quickly enough.
You have a nice area to sail in and a great boat I'm sure you will be back on the water soon.
Let us know the reason the boat sank, why the bilge pump could not keep up and how the insurance deals with this.
good luck, Bob