Sinking mobo

Csail

Csail

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At the YC yesterday after boat jumble went to a mates boat for a coffee, noticed a mobo on the pontoon opposite low in the water. In the time it took to walk over (100yds) it had completly sunk! poor owner.
What is the best way to save a boat that is sinking?
Sorry no pics. i was busy thinking of ways to get her up.
 
Get a salvage pump onboard or failing that, start pumping the bilge pump. (Contact the owner and find out if any work has been done recently that may indicate source of leak?).
 
if you can catch it in time, then a large diameter bilge pump, but if a hose had come off or something major, you will have a difficult time trying to stem the flow, unless you can get access. (what size boat was it.?)

a couple of years ago i visited a marina for the night, and wandering around the marina pontoons saw an 8 metre sailing boat with its cockpit full of water within an inch of the washboards, so informed the marina to get the owner or empty it out.

they arrived about an hour later and pumped it out for the guy as he lived over the over side of the country, i would have thought that the marina staff would have had a look over the boats once a week or so, but obviously they don't. (by looking over i don't mean to board every single boat and check all is ok, but you can see quite a bit by just wandering up and down the pontoons and fingers)...
 
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i would have thought that the marina staff would have had a look over the boats once a week or so, but obviously they don't. (by looking over i don't mean to board every single boat and check all is ok, but you can see quite a bit by just wandering up and down the pontoons and fingers)...

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I thought that folk keeping a boat in a marina were paying a lot of money for that kind of peace of mind. Obviously I was wrong.
 
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I would have thought that the marina staff would have had a look over the boats once a week or so, but obviously they don't.

[/ QUOTE ] Some do, watched Cowes Yacht Haven staff check every boat late last night. Not only mooring lines but the boats as well with huge great torch to assist. It was a 'orrible wet night but that didn't deter him taking his time making sure everything was okay.

Pete
 
Long ago, in a previous life, I was an "assistant harbour master"for a bit.

I saw a boat coming in to our pontoons and tho' it was obvious to me it was sinking it weren't so to the proud skipper.
Fortunately for him and his boat I was just about to "pump out" some holding tanks with a big "Drum-bug" - a large vacuum tank like wot is used on septic tanks. It was fully charged and raring to go.

I casually waved him over, stuck the hose in his bilges and opened the valve.

"Soooooook" - and about 200 gallons was wheeched out. I suggested that he gently beach her before she sank. In amazement he did as I suggested and she settled gently on the shore. Gunwhales still above water. I switched the battery isolator off.

He gave a glowing testimonial to my boss - "must be psychic" - "saved us all from certain death" etc etc. (total crap btw)

I laughed. The problem was that his super modern toilet system had thrown a wobbler and a bloody great electric whale gusher toilet pump had stuck "on" filling the holding tank and then the bilges.
How did I know?

We had the same system on two of our passenger cruise launches and the blasted things were forever doing it. With some hilarious results from time to time.

5 minutes to sort the problem and one more "sook" from the drum-bug and she was ready to go again.
In fact, by the time he came back down with my boss you would never have known there had been a problem.
Takes me back............ Happy days....... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
They do at Kemps Quay on the Itchen. We were there one evening this year when the boss man there came running over to ask if we had a spare battery as they couldn't start their pump. The boat next to us did and the sinking boat was saved. They pumped it out and likfed it out onto blocks for safe keeping. I don't know if they charged for the lift out though. I suspect the owner would have been pleased enough to pay that though.
 
Night patrol at Troon Yacht Haven phoned me at home to say the bilge pump was running. I fact it was the water-cooled fridge, but it shows they do the right thing.
 
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