My boat took on enough water to fill the cabin, engine, electronics etc. any suggestions on steps to restoration?
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
Call the insurance company!
Glen: Call your insurance company. This is what insurance is all about!
Glen: Call your insurance company. This is what insurance is all about!
P
Peggie Hall/Head Mistress
How did this happen?
Anything others can learn from? Steve is right...call the yard AND your insurance co ASAP. Your engine needs immediate attention to prevent internal corrosion.
Anything others can learn from? Steve is right...call the yard AND your insurance co ASAP. Your engine needs immediate attention to prevent internal corrosion.
Sanity Check Sunk
Sorry to hear about your boat, I have only imagined this in my dreams. I have restored 2 sailboats that had sunk. I bought them both, one a 33" SwiftSure and the other a 23 Coronado that was down to the gunwales when I bought it. There are many factors that will determine your course of action. Do you have insurance? Will you do the work your self? What size is your boat,year,model? Do you have a place to take it home and do the work or will you attempt this in the slip/yard? Did it sink in fresh water or salt water? If you are doing the work yourself and will send me a email I will write a paper sharing the knowledge I have however no guarantees will accompany the paper. Big project however you can do it and you will know your boat like never before when you complete the job! My email is jcal@worldnetla.net. Good Luck! Jim
Sorry to hear about your boat, I have only imagined this in my dreams. I have restored 2 sailboats that had sunk. I bought them both, one a 33" SwiftSure and the other a 23 Coronado that was down to the gunwales when I bought it. There are many factors that will determine your course of action. Do you have insurance? Will you do the work your self? What size is your boat,year,model? Do you have a place to take it home and do the work or will you attempt this in the slip/yard? Did it sink in fresh water or salt water? If you are doing the work yourself and will send me a email I will write a paper sharing the knowledge I have however no guarantees will accompany the paper. Big project however you can do it and you will know your boat like never before when you complete the job! My email is jcal@worldnetla.net. Good Luck! Jim
M
Mike
noah's flood
I agree with Peggy, you must tend to the engine first in order to save it from internal corrosion - meaning you must purge the water from the internal parts/spaces of the motor asap or you will wind up with a spare mooring anchor. There are plenty of resources in terms of mags and books about how to deal with a waterlogged diesel. You may have to jerry-rig wiring to get this done. Speaking of wiring. Mostly bad news. If and only IF your electronics were not on - not being supplied power in any way, shape, or form (including no internal back up memory batteries and so forth) - there is a chance that after they completely dry they will still work. The key there is completely dry. If you put power to waterlogged instraments, they will fry instantly to state the obvious. If your boat was in salt water when it flooded, I would remove and soak (meaning immerse in a bucket) your instraments in fresh water for awhile (remove any batteries first), frequently replacing the fresh water so as to completely purge salt residue. Then let them dry for as long as it takes. After that, if you can get at the innards of the gear, I would use a water dispersing electronic parts cleaner and douse the parts inside each instrament. Note some electronics can't tolerate water at all. The above is a lot of work, and it may not bear any fruit. You have a shot at salvaging your electronics if you do this quickly. If your boat was awash for a long period, this gear may be a lost cause. The electrical wiring in your boat may not be ruined per se, but you will see the wiring corrode out very fast if water leached into the insulation, which it probably did. My vote would be to re-wire the entire boat - it's a safety thing. I hope, as the others have indicated, that your boat is insured. If you are determined to hang on to it, you are going spend big bucks making it well again. Like Peggy, I am curious as to what happened to cause the flood. Either way good luck with it. Mike
I agree with Peggy, you must tend to the engine first in order to save it from internal corrosion - meaning you must purge the water from the internal parts/spaces of the motor asap or you will wind up with a spare mooring anchor. There are plenty of resources in terms of mags and books about how to deal with a waterlogged diesel. You may have to jerry-rig wiring to get this done. Speaking of wiring. Mostly bad news. If and only IF your electronics were not on - not being supplied power in any way, shape, or form (including no internal back up memory batteries and so forth) - there is a chance that after they completely dry they will still work. The key there is completely dry. If you put power to waterlogged instraments, they will fry instantly to state the obvious. If your boat was in salt water when it flooded, I would remove and soak (meaning immerse in a bucket) your instraments in fresh water for awhile (remove any batteries first), frequently replacing the fresh water so as to completely purge salt residue. Then let them dry for as long as it takes. After that, if you can get at the innards of the gear, I would use a water dispersing electronic parts cleaner and douse the parts inside each instrament. Note some electronics can't tolerate water at all. The above is a lot of work, and it may not bear any fruit. You have a shot at salvaging your electronics if you do this quickly. If your boat was awash for a long period, this gear may be a lost cause. The electrical wiring in your boat may not be ruined per se, but you will see the wiring corrode out very fast if water leached into the insulation, which it probably did. My vote would be to re-wire the entire boat - it's a safety thing. I hope, as the others have indicated, that your boat is insured. If you are determined to hang on to it, you are going spend big bucks making it well again. Like Peggy, I am curious as to what happened to cause the flood. Either way good luck with it. Mike
D
David Burkhart
How Much Elbow Grease Ya' Got?
Glen, Sorry to hear about the situation. However, after doing a complete refit of a 1968 Venture 21 (Dryrot) I decided that the best way to buy a boat is to find one that's been down...so to speak. I am currently reworking a Hunter 23 that sank in 40 ft of water by the previous owner. I've pulled everything except the wod panels for the benches and v-birth. Power washed and plan to rewire, and bring up to date the interior and rigging. Sailed her for the first time last Sunday, At least I know when she's done, what I really have and can take pride in knowing I did the work myself. So....what kinda' boat and how big? There must be a few other fools like me that are willing to sacrifice a little time to save a bundle in cash! But I suggest if you are capable, keep her in the family and use the bragging rights to your satisfaction when she's done! Dave
Glen, Sorry to hear about the situation. However, after doing a complete refit of a 1968 Venture 21 (Dryrot) I decided that the best way to buy a boat is to find one that's been down...so to speak. I am currently reworking a Hunter 23 that sank in 40 ft of water by the previous owner. I've pulled everything except the wod panels for the benches and v-birth. Power washed and plan to rewire, and bring up to date the interior and rigging. Sailed her for the first time last Sunday, At least I know when she's done, what I really have and can take pride in knowing I did the work myself. So....what kinda' boat and how big? There must be a few other fools like me that are willing to sacrifice a little time to save a bundle in cash! But I suggest if you are capable, keep her in the family and use the bragging rights to your satisfaction when she's done! Dave
P
Paul
Article in 1998 Cruising World
This happened to a boater at Port Milford (here in CT) and he wrote an article in "Cruising World" about it. His boat sank in its slip when a section of the raw water intake hose ruptured below the seacock. His number-one task, the thing he spent absolutely the most time on, was getting the salt water out of his engine. Refloating the boat was obviously the first job, but repair and cleanup of everything else was left until later. He drained the water, then changed and drained the oil at least 4 or 5 times, with some manual turning of the engine in between. He eventually got the engine restarted, and claimed that it continued to run, though not as well as before the sinking.
This happened to a boater at Port Milford (here in CT) and he wrote an article in "Cruising World" about it. His boat sank in its slip when a section of the raw water intake hose ruptured below the seacock. His number-one task, the thing he spent absolutely the most time on, was getting the salt water out of his engine. Refloating the boat was obviously the first job, but repair and cleanup of everything else was left until later. He drained the water, then changed and drained the oil at least 4 or 5 times, with some manual turning of the engine in between. He eventually got the engine restarted, and claimed that it continued to run, though not as well as before the sinking.
J
Jon Dodge
One step at a time
I purchased a 1985 Hunter 31 fourteen months ago, it had about three feet of brackish water in the cabin and had been that way for several months. I left a sump pump on in the bilge and pressure washed the cabin of the boat. I then closed up the cabin and ran a dehumidifier in the boat for several weeks. I also had to scrape oysters off the hull about two feet above where the waterline was supposed to be and give it several acid baths - I assume yours was not under that long. If your engine was not under water too long that should be your first priority, unfortunately mine was not close to salvagable. Personally, the engine flushing and rebuilding is something I would job out to someone else. I have only had time to work on my boat about 1 weekend a month but I plan on putting the new Yanmar in this weekend. I have done some carpentry work and much of the wood is still solid and does not need replacement, though it is not as pretty as it once was. Everything has been cleaned and metal items have been sprayed with rust inhibitor and or replaced. Every single last piece of wiring that was wet has been replaced with tinned wire. I have done this type of work in the past, if you have not and you don't think you will enjoy restoring the boat it may be prudent to take a loss and sell it to someone else. It is a lot of work but if you like it is also rewarding. Good luck. -Jon
I purchased a 1985 Hunter 31 fourteen months ago, it had about three feet of brackish water in the cabin and had been that way for several months. I left a sump pump on in the bilge and pressure washed the cabin of the boat. I then closed up the cabin and ran a dehumidifier in the boat for several weeks. I also had to scrape oysters off the hull about two feet above where the waterline was supposed to be and give it several acid baths - I assume yours was not under that long. If your engine was not under water too long that should be your first priority, unfortunately mine was not close to salvagable. Personally, the engine flushing and rebuilding is something I would job out to someone else. I have only had time to work on my boat about 1 weekend a month but I plan on putting the new Yanmar in this weekend. I have done some carpentry work and much of the wood is still solid and does not need replacement, though it is not as pretty as it once was. Everything has been cleaned and metal items have been sprayed with rust inhibitor and or replaced. Every single last piece of wiring that was wet has been replaced with tinned wire. I have done this type of work in the past, if you have not and you don't think you will enjoy restoring the boat it may be prudent to take a loss and sell it to someone else. It is a lot of work but if you like it is also rewarding. Good luck. -Jon
J
Jim Hague
C
Colin
Pickle the engine!
Apparently the best way to rvive an engine after flooding is to imerse the whole thing in a large tank of diesel fuel for a day or two. Then drain the engine and do a conplete service. Make sure you crank it over slowly by hand prior to attempting to start it. Good luck!
Apparently the best way to rvive an engine after flooding is to imerse the whole thing in a large tank of diesel fuel for a day or two. Then drain the engine and do a conplete service. Make sure you crank it over slowly by hand prior to attempting to start it. Good luck!
- Status
- Not open for further replies.