We had been fishing for about 3, maybe 4 hours in the pouring rain and the water around my feet in the port transom was nothing unusual as it usually washes around there. Being a self-draining deck and continual rain, there was no need to worry. Tui. However, my tackle bag, at least 1m forward was now starting to float (with three trays of jigs and jigheads plus the rest). Anyway, time to move anyway. Skipper says port bilge pump not working properly so will I skip the boat to the next spot while he opens the hatch in the motor well to see if he can get it working.

Unfortunately as he moves his frame of 20kg more than mine to the stern and I move to the wheel, the list to port becomes significant. I realise something is amiss and try and get the boat on the plane. No such luck! I have the motors at almost full revs which means the skipper at the stern cannot hear me shouting at him to move forward. I ask other fisho on port to move to starboard. He doesn't hear me and after me shouting accompanied with a not so gentle tap on his shoulder, he moves to starboard very pissed off with me because the bilge pump is now working. (He was totally oblivious of the danger of the  situation at the time.) We slowly come out of the hole and up onto the plane as the skipper now finished in the motor well moves forward. The scuppers can now at least drain the half-flooded deck. The skipper related later that he realised we were in the **** when he looked forward after getting the bilge working and seeing the steep deck angle between the port stern and the rest of the boat.

 

While we were at rest, there was no visible problem but the shift in weight distribution caused all the water in the port hull to run to the stern. Who knows how much water but we drove around for 20 minutes pumping water like a fountain at full bore from that 3/4 in. pipe. 400 litres of fuel on board certainly would not have helped.

 

Lessons learned:

 

Find and fix that bloody leak!!!

Check hulls regularly for water while at sea.

Keep cellphone or comms mechanism at hand or in your pocket. (All comms device were in the cabin out of the rain and VHF is fixed.) We would have been in the water without any comms in very poor visibility despite not being far from land (between Matiatia & Motuihe channel).

 

You hear of boats sinking very quickly without any opportunity to radio and you wonder how. I know how.

glad you guys are ok , good to hear someones not scared of a bit of rain ,dunno about a boat that always has water washin around your feet tho ,time to trade it in on a pontoon !

 

And I wouldn't think that grit jamming the bilge pump makes a boat unseaworthy.

I always prep the boat at home before I leave and launch the same way but because we were away from home the normal routine got thrown out of the window.  Lesson learnt.

 

Glad it turned out ok Keith..

I didn't realise the boat was filling up at all, it was only when I saw the water in the bilge that I realised. (Just thought to myself to check an oil resourvour I just replaced - otherwise wouldn't of noticed until much later)

I wouldn't be harsh on anyone wether it was a leak or a bung. Like everyone has said, you don't realise until it's like "holy crapola .... lets get this sorted"

 

Thanks for the tip regarding a fast idle to drain a boat  sufishent- hopefully won't have to use it.

 

2 X two-year old 115HP pushing an excellent sea-going Australian hull. When the motor don't get you out of the hole, you know there is a problem.

 

As pointed out earlier, the water came from above and not below the waterline. The leak is obviously somewhere on deck.

 

When the boat was acquired, instead of the duckbills, it had flaps over holes about 2 X 2 inch for draining the wet deck. There was then more water continually sloshing about on deck. I grew up fishing only on wet deck/self-draining deck so water at your feet is nothing unusual for me. A self-draining deck was regulatory to get a sea-worthiness certificate.  Built in flotation was also mandatory.

 

The thought of taking a green one over the top onto a NZ boat with bilge pumps instills more fear than the water on top that can run off a self-draining deck. Many boats back in RSA also had low transoms in order to allow water to run off and cabins had to have a sill to preferably tall enough to stop water flowing into the cabin and causing the boat to sink bow down.

 

Have to say Damo its a bit harsh calling Keith an idiot. He's a well respected member of the forum, and one of the most safety-conscious guys I know on the sea.

 

CapnHook , my only hope with the post is that we can all take lessons from it. Especially significant for me was that the water seems to have come in from the deck at a yet to be determined location. Deck inspection hatch not tightened, crack, who knows? Also the speed with which the list happened. The fact that the conditions were benign and the craft would be considered seaworthy with all the necessary safety equipment made no difference.

lol

 

Merry Xmas Damo