The Hall of FAIL

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Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,759
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Hi All,

I've been asked many times over the years to compile some pics of the failures I get to see on boats. This article will be a moving & living document and will get added to from time to time.

The images you see are only a small sampling of what I actually have. It is actually hard to pick what to publish.....

***WARNING*** Some strong opinions are polluting this article. Please read at your own risk.. ;);):D



Enjoy...

The Hall of FAIL
 
D

dave lundy

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Nov 24, 2007
36
hunter 34 venice
Maine,
Thanks for sharing that. I saw several places where I have to improve on my own boat. Time for a thorough inspection of all wiring and connections.
Dave
 
R

rufus1138

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Mar 6, 2012
357
Hunter H33 (limited edition cabin top) Bayou Chico
maine, have you been able to tack down how long those primer bulbs last working with diesel? would it be acceptable if changed out annually? every 6 months?
 
Scott T-Bird

Scott T-Bird

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Oct 26, 2008
6,432
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Love it! This is a positive sign for your business, no? I've been employed for the past several years investigating and correcting builder's shortcuts, errors, omissions and poor workmanship. I do appreciate the effort they have made to keep me busy!
 
Kite Runner

Kite Runner

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Apr 21, 2010
50
Hunter 36 Vancouver
Maine Sail said:
Hi All, I've been asked many times over the years to compile some pics of the failures I get to see on boats. This article will be a moving & living document and will get added to from time to time. The images you see are only a small sampling of what I actually have. It is actually hard to pick what to publish..... ***WARNING*** Some strong opinions are polluting this article. Please read at your own risk.. ;);):D Enjoy... The Hall of FAIL
Click to expand
Nice work putting the 'Hall of Fail' together! A must view & read...somewhere we've all installed / assembled something on our boats without having a complete knowledge of the application and if lucky we caught our mistakes before it turned catastrophic. Read up, educate yourself and if you have a stupid question...ask an expert or contact the manufacturers...it sure beats making the stupid mistake that could ruin your day 10 or more miles offshore.

Again, nice contribution! It boosted my safety awareness and consciousness.
 
lehighsail

lehighsail

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Feb 21, 2008
418
Hunter 33 Metedeconk River
Great Stuff.....don't think I'll ever go on OP boats again without at least a cursory electrical inspection.
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,759
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I added some more gems late last night. I have so many it is hard to pick and choose..

If anyone has any Hall of FAIL worthy images feel free to send them along: compassmarineservices at gmail dot com

Must have:

Full back story
Boat, model & brand
Equipment brand model etc.
Good description of how the FAIL was discovered
What was the cause of the FAIL

You will get full credit for your FAIL submission...
 
rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,938
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Thanks Main...

The pic of the pile of spahgetti wires in the "Kit Boat" looked a lot like my boat when I first got her. I'm not quite done with the rewire but I've pulled most of the old stuff out.
 
ggrizzard

ggrizzard

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May 27, 2004
2,059
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
Main, You made a powerful point about slotted hose clamps. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything else. Can you provide a pic or brand name and supplier?

Thanks
 
Doc_holiday

Doc_holiday

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Nov 19, 2011
1,489
MacGregor 26S Hampton, VA
Whew!! I was glad to see I wasn't listed in the wall of shame or wall of fail or whatever. Another bullet dodged.
 
Argyle38

Argyle38

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Mar 23, 2011
30
Down East Yachts Downeaster 38 040 Milford, CT
I think I have a new favorite thread ever! Those pictures are awesome.

I never knew there was an issue with fuel bulbs used below decks. I have one in my system, but I have it isolated between a pair of shut off valves, so if it did let go, it would be a few ounces at the most. Haven't seen any problems with it though. Any idea what made the one fail that you pictured. Looks like it was sliced by a razor blade.
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,759
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Argyle38 said:
I think I have a new favorite thread ever! Those pictures are awesome.

I never knew there was an issue with fuel bulbs used below decks. I have one in my system, but I have it isolated between a pair of shut off valves, so if it did let go, it would be a few ounces at the most. Haven't seen any problems with it though. Any idea what made the one fail that you pictured. Looks like it was sliced by a razor blade.
Click to expand
It just cracked. There were no signs of chafe or any other notable issues. The bulb itself was pretty brittle. When I squeezed it after removal it split even more...

I suspect the last time he used it the split happened but he never noticed and the fuel slowly began leaking...
 
DougM

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
Maine:
I must be missing something here. While viewing this thread on an iPad I don't see any additions to the original seven pages. This is really interesting and reminds me of some disasters I have seen. The good ones include wire "splices" made in the middle of a length of wire, and then left bare besides.
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,759
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
DougM said:
Maine:
I must be missing something here. While viewing this thread on an iPad I don't see any additions to the original seven pages. This is really interesting and reminds me of some disasters I have seen. The good ones include wire "splices" made in the middle of a length of wire, and then left bare besides.
Click to expand
The hall of fail is an external link.. It was updated with a number of additional images after I posted the original link...

The Hall of FAIL
 
thinwater

thinwater

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Mar 26, 2011
3,965
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Hoses and "clamping air."

Not only can this push the hose off, as Mainesail explained, it also commonly slices the hose off over time. In my company this particular "fail" has been the cause of one minor fire ($50K damage caused by leaking 3" gasoline transfer hose--the leak had been repaired with duct tape, enough to take me 10 minutes to unwind to investigate) and one large spill (10K gallons oil, over $2mm cost in fines and restoration).

It is critically important to look at the barb before installing the hose. Often there are specific lands (low areas) between barbs where the clamp should be. The clamp should not be on the barbs, if avoidable, since this can also cut the hose). Try to place clamps on the pipe side of any barb and at least one clamp width from the edge.

Perhaps the most common cause of hose failure is a sharp bend off a fitting, which a 45 or 90 could have prevented.

Mixed metals.

Most tank failures I have seen are due to either mixed metals or stray current. Either can ruin a tank in a year. I've seen a copper float eat through a 1/4" steel floor. I'm currently repairing a tank that that perforated through 3/8" steel in 2 years due to a low-voltage electrical goof 100 yards away (ordinarily the ground rods would have reduced the impact, but someone stole ALL of the grounding rods in the facility at about the same time). Certainly mixed metals are not completely avoidable, but be very careful low in the tank and use an inhibitor.
 
Sailm8

Sailm8

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Feb 21, 2008
1,751
Hunter 29.5 Punta Gorda
A special thanks to MAinSAil for his Hall of Fail. It got me to check my shore power cord and found it had fused together. I took his suggestion and bought the SmartPlug. A great piece of equipment that takes about 2 hours to install. (No connection to SmartPlug) I would suggest everyone take a look at one for their boat.

Thanks again MainSail
 
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