Need some advice. My H34 sank at my dock. Just launched it on Sunday. Didn't see anything when I launched it, but probably a thru hull, AC fitting, etc. Should get it back up tomorrow. Insurance will probably cover the whole thing. Here's the question. Does anyone have any experience with drying out a boat and making it work? My guess is that it's a total loss, but the boat has a lot of sentimental value to my wife and myself. I just can't imagine drying the whole thing out, wood, electrical, engine, cushions, etc. and making it work, but willing to make a stab at it if there is any reasonable chance of success. What do you think? Appreciate your input.
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Fresh Water?
If so, it should not be a problem, and you may wind up with a very nicely reconditioned boat! The hard way, of course. The insurance company and surveyor will know what to do. What a shock! Hang in there and good luck. RD
If so, it should not be a problem, and you may wind up with a very nicely reconditioned boat! The hard way, of course. The insurance company and surveyor will know what to do. What a shock! Hang in there and good luck. RD
Yes, fresh water.
Not much salt water in KS! That's encouraging. I'm not sure that the marinas in the immediate neighborhood are up to the task, but we'll ask tomorrow.
Not much salt water in KS! That's encouraging. I'm not sure that the marinas in the immediate neighborhood are up to the task, but we'll ask tomorrow.
Motor first
Drain the fluids in the engine and trans, then fill with diesel and turn over by hand. Drain the fuel system and pull the injectors. Totsl it and but it back frpom insurance company for about 18 percent. Wiring should be ok but stater and alternator will likely need rebuild. Wood will depend on how long it was wet. Most of it is plywood on that boat so it's likely junk
Drain the fluids in the engine and trans, then fill with diesel and turn over by hand. Drain the fuel system and pull the injectors. Totsl it and but it back frpom insurance company for about 18 percent. Wiring should be ok but stater and alternator will likely need rebuild. Wood will depend on how long it was wet. Most of it is plywood on that boat so it's likely junk
sorrry your boat sank
You will need to do a lot of work as soon as the boat is brought back up, as mentioned "pickle" the engine and transmission.Take all the "soft" goods (cushion,mattress etc) off the boat and clean. you may be able to save the cushions but you will just need to wait and see how they look after drying and being cleaned but you will most likely need/want new. Throw the mattress out. Get a pressure washer and clean the inside of the boat(every nook and cranny).Drain or pump all water out open every hatch and set some fans up to keep the air circulating. After drying you will need to reevaluate your boat condition, I would suggest you have a surveyor there when you pull the boat up and or take LOTS of pictures of the boat inside and out. Take pictures of the boat "underwater". You may be able to purchase the boat back from the insurance company and rebuild. Fixing a boat that has sunk is a huge job. All electrical components are most likely going to be replace (i.e all electronics's pumps,starter and alternator air conditioner water pumps and most likely the air conditioner unit itself etc etc) Fuel tank will need to be drained and cleaned etc etc. You may be lucky because it is fresh water you may not need to replace the electrical panel and boat wiring but this will need to be determined after. Sails will need to be removed cleaned and dried out may as well put them in storage cuz you won't need them this year ! The long and short is this is a lot of work. Hundreds of man hours will go into bring the boat back to usable condition. So ask yourself if you have the time, expertise and money to rebuild it before you purchase it from the insurance company. The other problem here is the insurance company may not let you do all the clean up right away if the "total" it they technically own the boat, so you may want to talk to them first and tell them of your intention to buy it back, not sure what that will do to your claim and there attitude as they may not total it out either. My suggestion is to hire a good surveyor to inspect the boat (not the insurance company's) and get a detailed inspection and a "plan" to rebuild/repair the boat. After all that is done the you need to ask the really hard question. are YOU up to the job ? ? ? There are lots of boat in back yards that have started with good intentions and turned into flower pots ! Good Luck with your decision ! All that being said there is more then a reasonable chance yo can do this if you are dedicated and will have a very nice reconditioned boat when all done. Doing all this will give your all new electronics, interior and all other systems so if fact you have extended the useful life of the boat. All positives, the only negative here is resale will be hurt as your boat has "sunk" and most people will not go near a boat that has been under water. (think about what you would do if you are the potential purchaser) Most purchaser's will ask about boats history and you will need to answer honestly that it sank, don't even want to go near the "legal" issue here. I can almost promise you you will not sail this boat this year so got to ask yourself if it is worth giving up your sailing time etc etc to do all this. Good Luck ! ! Keep us posted on what happens ! !
You will need to do a lot of work as soon as the boat is brought back up, as mentioned "pickle" the engine and transmission.Take all the "soft" goods (cushion,mattress etc) off the boat and clean. you may be able to save the cushions but you will just need to wait and see how they look after drying and being cleaned but you will most likely need/want new. Throw the mattress out. Get a pressure washer and clean the inside of the boat(every nook and cranny).Drain or pump all water out open every hatch and set some fans up to keep the air circulating. After drying you will need to reevaluate your boat condition, I would suggest you have a surveyor there when you pull the boat up and or take LOTS of pictures of the boat inside and out. Take pictures of the boat "underwater". You may be able to purchase the boat back from the insurance company and rebuild. Fixing a boat that has sunk is a huge job. All electrical components are most likely going to be replace (i.e all electronics's pumps,starter and alternator air conditioner water pumps and most likely the air conditioner unit itself etc etc) Fuel tank will need to be drained and cleaned etc etc. You may be lucky because it is fresh water you may not need to replace the electrical panel and boat wiring but this will need to be determined after. Sails will need to be removed cleaned and dried out may as well put them in storage cuz you won't need them this year ! The long and short is this is a lot of work. Hundreds of man hours will go into bring the boat back to usable condition. So ask yourself if you have the time, expertise and money to rebuild it before you purchase it from the insurance company. The other problem here is the insurance company may not let you do all the clean up right away if the "total" it they technically own the boat, so you may want to talk to them first and tell them of your intention to buy it back, not sure what that will do to your claim and there attitude as they may not total it out either. My suggestion is to hire a good surveyor to inspect the boat (not the insurance company's) and get a detailed inspection and a "plan" to rebuild/repair the boat. After all that is done the you need to ask the really hard question. are YOU up to the job ? ? ? There are lots of boat in back yards that have started with good intentions and turned into flower pots ! Good Luck with your decision ! All that being said there is more then a reasonable chance yo can do this if you are dedicated and will have a very nice reconditioned boat when all done. Doing all this will give your all new electronics, interior and all other systems so if fact you have extended the useful life of the boat. All positives, the only negative here is resale will be hurt as your boat has "sunk" and most people will not go near a boat that has been under water. (think about what you would do if you are the potential purchaser) Most purchaser's will ask about boats history and you will need to answer honestly that it sank, don't even want to go near the "legal" issue here. I can almost promise you you will not sail this boat this year so got to ask yourself if it is worth giving up your sailing time etc etc to do all this. Good Luck ! ! Keep us posted on what happens ! !
A tragic loss
This is every owner's worst nightmare. If you can, try to get back to us as to why the boat sank. You could save dozens of boats in the bargain. Take care.
This is every owner's worst nightmare. If you can, try to get back to us as to why the boat sank. You could save dozens of boats in the bargain. Take care.
Check out the pictures of my H34 after
Hurricane Louise on Antigua. She sat for 10 months with several thousand gallons of water INSIDE, and she was on the HARD. All because the yard said "Ohhhhh, nooo daaaamauuuge mon". It took six weeks of cleaning to launch the boat. All by me until my wife could get there and help. I feel your pain but would have gladly exchanged situations. (But not boats.
)
Hurricane Louise on Antigua. She sat for 10 months with several thousand gallons of water INSIDE, and she was on the HARD. All because the yard said "Ohhhhh, nooo daaaamauuuge mon". It took six weeks of cleaning to launch the boat. All by me until my wife could get there and help. I feel your pain but would have gladly exchanged situations. (But not boats.
)Boat Sank 2
Boat's up. Hose came off A/C unit. Frankly the whole thing looks better than I expected. We're working on the engine. It's fogged, but apparently the exhaust is plugged with mud because of the way the boat settled in the water. Any experience with how much to expect the wood to swell? What's the best way to try to preserve as much of the inside as possible? We have all the cushions out, fabric looks good, but getting them dry will take awhile. I think that I understand that the wiring may be good, but the circut breaker box is toast. Or should I just take the opportunity to have new wiring run? Suggestions.
Boat's up. Hose came off A/C unit. Frankly the whole thing looks better than I expected. We're working on the engine. It's fogged, but apparently the exhaust is plugged with mud because of the way the boat settled in the water. Any experience with how much to expect the wood to swell? What's the best way to try to preserve as much of the inside as possible? We have all the cushions out, fabric looks good, but getting them dry will take awhile. I think that I understand that the wiring may be good, but the circut breaker box is toast. Or should I just take the opportunity to have new wiring run? Suggestions.
My unqualified opinion...
Take this time to rewire! make sure you know where and what you have, proper wire sizing, any upgrades etc. I would also hate to learn that you replaced your circuit breaker box repared and replaced all of your obvious damage, put her back together, only to find you've got a short somewhere and have to start undoing your hard work. How long have you had this boat? do you know all the systems and have a schematic of your wiring that you are sure of? Sounds like a fantastic opportunity to get to know her, inside and out!
Take this time to rewire! make sure you know where and what you have, proper wire sizing, any upgrades etc. I would also hate to learn that you replaced your circuit breaker box repared and replaced all of your obvious damage, put her back together, only to find you've got a short somewhere and have to start undoing your hard work. How long have you had this boat? do you know all the systems and have a schematic of your wiring that you are sure of? Sounds like a fantastic opportunity to get to know her, inside and out!
Fantastic Opportunity???
I've had her 10+ years and know her well. This is a fantastic opportunity that I could have done without. However, since its happened, I'll do her better than new. I just figure that I'll have new wires pulled. The owner who had her before me had somewhat of a "hodgepodge" of wiring at the batteries that I always promised myself that I'd replace. Now seems like a good time. Before I get started I'm going to study several of the H34 projects and see what seems to make sense for me. I plan to keep this boat at Lake Perry, but refridgeration, A/C, etc. would be nice for those hot Kansas days and nights. Suggestions from everyone would be appreciated. Thanks.
I've had her 10+ years and know her well. This is a fantastic opportunity that I could have done without. However, since its happened, I'll do her better than new. I just figure that I'll have new wires pulled. The owner who had her before me had somewhat of a "hodgepodge" of wiring at the batteries that I always promised myself that I'd replace. Now seems like a good time. Before I get started I'm going to study several of the H34 projects and see what seems to make sense for me. I plan to keep this boat at Lake Perry, but refridgeration, A/C, etc. would be nice for those hot Kansas days and nights. Suggestions from everyone would be appreciated. Thanks.
Great news Dale. You're in fresh water, right?
Sheeze, relax a little. Get a can of WD40 and spray everything. I don't know about the circuit breakers but the terminals should be easily savable. And what makes you think the exhaust is plugged with mud? The engine not turning over? That's usually caused by water inside the combustion chambers. Open the compression releases and crank it ASAP. But don't be reading this stuff! You need to be on your boat. But your insured? And spend a few bucks on a decent bilge pump!
Sheeze, relax a little. Get a can of WD40 and spray everything. I don't know about the circuit breakers but the terminals should be easily savable. And what makes you think the exhaust is plugged with mud? The engine not turning over? That's usually caused by water inside the combustion chambers. Open the compression releases and crank it ASAP. But don't be reading this stuff! You need to be on your boat. But your insured?
And spend a few bucks on a decent bilge pump!deck question
Fred, I've got a boat yard coming to look at the boat right after the 4th of July. They are questioning how saturated the deck might have gotten in the two days the boat was underwater. Any ideas? I am insured. We've released the compession and taken off the injectors. But the engine is still getting water in it. The bow lines held and the boat sank stern into the mud. I'll know more tomorrow. I'm going to need a lot advice and suggestions from you as I rebuild my boat. Thanks.
Fred, I've got a boat yard coming to look at the boat right after the 4th of July. They are questioning how saturated the deck might have gotten in the two days the boat was underwater. Any ideas? I am insured. We've released the compession and taken off the injectors. But the engine is still getting water in it. The bow lines held and the boat sank stern into the mud. I'll know more tomorrow. I'm going to need a lot advice and suggestions from you as I rebuild my boat. Thanks.
Standing by,,
But like I said, relax a little. Fresh water isn't bad if you 1. fog the engine right away and 2. WD40 the wiring terminals. Even your electronics have a chance of coming back. ( never apply power until they are dry) But LCDs are a problem. And the problem with moisture between the deck and liner is from CONSTANT leaks. Your boat should be fine. Get a couple of big fans too. And your boat is built with marine plywood. That means it'll stay together. Hell, you can build a hull out of it.
But like I said, relax a little. Fresh water isn't bad if you 1. fog the engine right away and 2. WD40 the wiring terminals. Even your electronics have a chance of coming back. ( never apply power until they are dry) But LCDs are a problem. And the problem with moisture between the deck and liner is from CONSTANT leaks. Your boat should be fine. Get a couple of big fans too. And your boat is built with marine plywood. That means it'll stay together. Hell, you can build a hull out of it.
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