Avoiding that Sinking Feeling

[Rich_F]

I woke up yesterday morning, at anchor, with the cabin sole beginning to float. Not good.

After a heavy bout of bilge pumping the situation was back under control (apart from some soggy carpets), and attention turned to finding out where the water was coming from.

The answer was the engine. It's a Volvo Penta 2002, and the alternator belt had worn a hole in the pipe from the water pump.

Lessons learned...
- Check the pipe pipe from the water pump on a Penta 2002 - it might be wearing thin.
- Carry Duck Tape so that you can effect a temporary repair.
- Close the engine seacock - but why do Volvo fit such an awful one on the saildrive?
- Fit an automatic bilgeump.
- Fit an anchor buoy to the masthead, so you can find the yacht if it sinks!

Hope someone can benefit from my experience,

Rich

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[starboard]

Sorry to hear of your near calamity!!! see you dont get that sort of fun on the south coast, all the joys of sailing on the Clyde. Hope we dont have the same problem this week in the middle of the North sea. See you on your return North

Paul.

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Avoiding that Sinking Feeling - More Nasa woes

I can appreciate that, well nearly.

On Saturday we were on a drying wall at Porthmadog and on Sunday morning I thought it would be a nice idea to extract the nasa log transducer to give it a clean, it had been reading a little low. Removed all barnicles and applied a little silicon spray to the paddle wheel. Feeling smug refitted and waiting for the tide. I had a problem getting the rubber ring to remain in place as the transducer squeezed its way down the excuse of a skin fitting.

Following advice on here from recent threads I had glassed in the tube a few weeks ago, which had done a lot to improve stiffness. Well shock horror, when the tide came back in out sprang a trickle of water and ran into the bilge. After a good feel around (very hard to find source due to location of fitting) I couldn't determine where it was coming from, but it appeared to be coming over the top of my new glass tube, this means the skin fitting has failed and the glass tube it what is now holding most of the water out.

I managed to (finally) curtail the leak with almost a full tube of 291 (I had removed my nice tub of putty a few weeks ago). I still as I type have lots of the damn stuff on the back of my hands, how do you get it off?

So this morning after two sleepless nights waking up to check the leak had not returned I had Top Cat lifted into the yard. I have a bronze fitting that I think is the right size but will require machining and polishing inside. I did think about fitting this with just the top cap fitted which should have sealed ok. But between tides, had anything gone wrong, I would have had a 42mm hole in the bottom of the boat.

Lessons learned:

If you have a nasa log fitted and you can, clean it from the outside, limit extracting to emergencies? or when on the hard.

If you have not yet fitted your log, find a bronze fitting now and throw away the plastic piece of potentially boat sinking crap they supply.

Glass your tube in now, I dare not think what my situation might be now if mine was not glassed in, a softwood plug is only of use if the skin fitting breaks away, a leak is easier to stop that a gush of water.

Always carry something to seal a leak, silicon, putty, a grease 'drenched' rag.

NEVER fit plastic below the water line.

Get an alarm fitted to your auto bilge switches, or fit a bilge alarm, on the mooring in 40kts of wind and the boat is vibrating, everything sounds like you bilge pumps when you are in restless sleep.

Don't expect an emergency lift out on a bank holiday, all the cranes are being serviced!

End of vent, what a horrible weekend!


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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Re: Avoiding that Sinking Feeling - More Nasa woes

Just as an addition, I would like to say I really like the nasa head unit and find it very clear and easy to read, it is only their skin fitting which is at fault, I would buy another one, but this time be properly prepared to replace the skin fitting.

It is a shame nasa have still not approached this problem and added a decent quality fitting.

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[Gunfleet]

Re: Avoiding that Sinking Feeling - More Nasa woes

Horrible story, Jools. Are you still sure B&G is more expensive than NASA?!

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[Gunfleet]

One of my kids didn't close the inlet on the head after a late night pee. Slow siphonage begins until I wake at 4 thinking... is that the bilge cover floating. Nah... I'm dreaming. Turn over. Turn back. Ohmigod it is!

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