Follow the money.
And who thinks adding ethanol to gas is a great idea? Midwestern corn farmers.
Unsafe At Any Speed - No, Not the Corvair
- Thread starter Maine Sail
- Start date
And who thinks adding ethanol to gas is a great idea? Midwestern corn farmers.
I've been through this too. You put the least significant person on the VHF. In this case your wife could have been in touch while you were doing actual work. Anyone from the marina could have been in touch and if the bilge was as dirty as you say you were creating a sheen on the water by bailing and pumping and so actually it was the proper thing to get the Coast Guard involved. I'm not telling you not to help, I'm saying that the Coast Guard should have been notified and if and when they arrive it's their call as to what happens.If we had waited for the USCG to get there, the boat would have been on the bottom and there would have been a diesel sheen over the entire harbor. Some of us prefer to sit back and rubber-neck the train wreck others prefer to help out. I guess I am in the latter group, as were about ten others on Saturday night.
Call the USCG? That's a a great idea but it really means just let her sink....I purposely DID NOT hail on 16 because we did not have the time to deal with 15 minutes of inane questions rather than a rapid response.
What is your position?
How many people on board?
What is the nature of the distress?
Do you have an anchor?
What color is your dog?
Is everyone wearing a life jacket?
How old is your mothers, mother?
Do you have working bilge pumps?
Do you have a cell phone?
etc. etc..
Uncledom, you are talking about your daddy's Coast Guard. These days you call the Coast Guard and they'll mobilize a commercial tow agency...while tying up the radio collecting statements and issuing securites about a reported boat sinking.
Good job, it also made for a good story with a lesson for all. Will not judge the owner's capacity or intentions.
Smokey,
After reading this I am also motivated. While I do know where my Wooden bungs are, My 1983 H31 does not even have a manual bilge pump installed. or any clues that there ever was one. However, I have a brand new one in a box under the V-berth. I think it may be time to install it.
Anyone have any suggestion on where to put one on a Hunter 31? I have seen some in the lazzarette, but I am not sure that is the best location.
Depends on the pump type, some are front mounted through a perforation in a panel with a flush cover, typically close to the helm. Others are bulkhead back mounted. I wouldn't mount it in a lazarette if it meant keeping the hatch open. An easy solution would be mount it to a piece of plywood and stow it with the proper length hoses ready to deploy anywhere on board. A longer handle makes these things work a lot easier.
The politicians, with their infinite wisdom, ALWAYS fail to ask the question: " And then what happens?"
As Gunni describes, mine is mounted in the Port Lazarette with a front mount through a hole and a flush cover close to the helm (below the removable step through transom seat. It has a discharge hose (1 1/2 inch) that goes directly overboard so there is no opening of the hatch involve. The 1 1/2 inch suction hose goes down into the bilge.
where to mount? think about the task. mount it in a location were you can man the pump for hours while trying to save the lives of your love one. lots of elbow room. standing comfortably is best. then go buy a second pump and install it. pumps are like fire extinguishers, when you really need it it's never enough.
i have mine mounted, one in the middle of the cockpit with lots of working room, the other on the steps to the companionway. the pump handle goes through the steps. the people will have good chance at doing this manual labor.
i have mine mounted, one in the middle of the cockpit with lots of working room, the other on the steps to the companionway. the pump handle goes through the steps. the people will have good chance at doing this manual labor.
buckets, it is amazimg how much water a scared human full of adrenaline can throw with a bucket. good, high quality buckets on board are a must
I have my two largest bumpers stored in Homer buckets in the lazarrette, that way I always have a bucket when needed, and the bumpers don't migrate as much.
Excellent! If you can stand in the saloon and reach the companion way with a bucket you can easily move 30 GPM with a 5gal bucket. Clean your bilges regularly. All that hair and debris can stop up a bilge pump. The new boats seem to have a lot of sawdust remaining in the bilges. Ream your limber holes.
OK maybe I read too many adult mystery books last winter sitting under palm trees. This is pretty much the description leading up to the demise of a character who is somehow involved in a government conspiracy. Now arrives our lead character who stumbles into sinking boat only to find the soon-to-be-corpse tied up in the Vee berth bleeding from multiple stab wounds and in a stupor. Our hero saves the boat but regrets saving the scoundrel who makes his life miserable by constantly asking him for advice on fixing his boat. By the way Maine I need to ask about my charging system and solar panels I want to add.
All U Get
All U Get
As long as you didn't mess with the mooring lines or slapping halyards you should be OK. Hard to imagine the shaft log hose clamps being that loose without human involvement and thus intent. If you said they were crappy steel that corroded and broke it would make sense but taking 15 turns to tighten one? They generally don't unscrew themselves.
If he were trying to sink the boat I could understand the inoperable automatic bilge pumps, but the broken manual ones seems more like negligence than malice. If he were trying to sink it he'd probably hope no one was going to notice until it was too late. Assuming someone would try to save the boat, then give up upon seeing the failed pumps, rather than getting a bucket, seems like a stretch.
In any case, thanks to Maine Sail for the write up. I'm sure it stimulated many thoughts about how we can make our own boats safer. On our previous boat we kept the bilge pump handle in the cabin rather than near the pump. Our current boat has it close to the pump, and this is a good reminder as to why.
In any case, thanks to Maine Sail for the write up. I'm sure it stimulated many thoughts about how we can make our own boats safer. On our previous boat we kept the bilge pump handle in the cabin rather than near the pump. Our current boat has it close to the pump, and this is a good reminder as to why.