Splash, and Burn :(-gctid380675

[Guest]

With hearts aflutter, slight hangovers and anticipation soaring, my sis and I were at the boat ramp by 8am this morning ready to splash my spiffed up beauty. SPLASH, and she's in!! wooHOO, bobbing happily in the 45* water of Lake Champlain. She started right up and off we went for a slow boat cruise with the music going and singing along with the tunes. After about 45 mmins we pulled into a cozy, windless cove and here I set my first anchor of the season! We made hot tea on the stove and ate warmed up french toast & sausage with delicious Adirondack maple syrup,,,,,mmmmm. Good stuff

2nd tea on the swim platform where sis notices that we are bilging, alot. Hhhmm, I don't like this. So with a heavy heart full of dread I open the cover to the motor and I can hear water splashing in,,,,unmistakeably. Oh NOOOOOOO

I called my mechanic who was still at it this morning and he confirms what I already know: no marina, the boat needs to come out! AArrrgh.

So I decide we're gonna stay for awhile but after an hour my bilge is only turning off for 2 to 3 mins before resuming and I am quite uneasy with this. So we recover the anchor and motor back to the launch & we pulled that baby back OUT,,,,where it now sits at the mechanic's again,,,,under his messy trees while I figure out how to get the $700 to pay for my new repairs.

So,,,,,SPLASH and BURN and the season is off to a rocky start for me..........

_^_

[Guest]

SO do you know what it is yet Sarah?

[Guest]

Sarah,

I read your posts/threads a lot. I don't reply much but I feel your pain. Hang in there it's early in the summer. When you reach the end of your rope tie a knot in it and HANG ON!!!

Richard in Wisconsin ( similar winter conditions with your favorite toy on the hard)

3818 175NA Hinos

[dmcb]

Sorry for your troubles Sarah.

When I was a lot younger I towed a boat to the Keys in Florida. I met up with a retired boater from my marina.

I had a mechanical problem and while it wasn't as much as yours, in the early 70's it was a lot to me.

This old timer said something to me I have never forgot.

Now I am the old timer and I will say the same thing to you.

What's $700 in your young life?

Doug

[FISHIN00]

Sarah...your boating adventures mirror my daughter and her 2004 Volkswagon Beetle "THE MONEY PIT"...my happiest day is going to be when someone else owns it. The problem is my daughter LOVES the darn thing!!!!!

[Guest]

LazyCrusr wrote:
With hearts aflutter, slight hangovers and anticipation soaring, my sis and I were at the boat ramp by 8am this morning ready to splash my spiffed up beauty. SPLASH, and she's in!! wooHOO, bobbing happily in the 45* water of Lake Champlain. She started right up and off we went for a slow boat cruise with the music going and singing along with the tunes. After about 45 mmins we pulled into a cozy, windless cove and here I set my first anchor of the season! We made hot tea on the stove and ate warmed up french toast & sausage with delicious Adirondack maple syrup,,,,,mmmmm. Good stuff

2nd tea on the swim platform where sis notices that we are bilging, alot. Hhhmm, I don't like this. So with a heavy heart full of dread I open the cover to the motor and I can hear water splashing in,,,,unmistakeably. Oh NOOOOOOO

I called my mechanic who was still at it this morning and he confirms what I already know: no marina, the boat needs to come out! AArrrgh.

So I decide we're gonna stay for awhile but after an hour my bilge is only turning off for 2 to 3 mins before resuming and I am quite uneasy with this. So we recover the anchor and motor back to the launch & we pulled that baby back OUT,,,,where it now sits at the mechanic's again,,,,under his messy trees while I figure out how to get the $700 to pay for my new repairs.

So,,,,,SPLASH and BURN and the season is off to a rocky start for me..........

_^_

What happended over the winter that would cause you to be taking on water? Did you hit something at the end of the season or on this maiden voyage of the 2012 season?

[Guest]

This was maiden voyage of the year, no issues end of year except that my bilge was something I heard once in a while but I'd also read that 'all boats leak' and so thought little of it. This year mechanic stated that shift boot was leaking and he thought that he could slow that down some if I hadn't the money for the near $600 job. I didn't really plan on this! Said okay, thinking it be may be better for the short term but for sure I'd hafta save for the job end of season.

Well turns out he was wrong and the leak was bad...........clearly could hear the water running into the boat,,,,not a good feeling relying on a who-knows-how-old pump to keep me floating!

Doug you're right but short term it hurts! That's half my summer money there bud!

So I'll be changing everything while he's in there. An oil line, the bellows, the water intake line, the shift boot too right? Not recalling what else is back there if anything.

ANyway, around $700 he said,,,,,,most of it labor.

Thanks Richard Very nice.

oh well.......at least we didn't sink, right?

But I'll tell ya, I did not like relying on a single pump for bilge emptying.

Nitey nite all

[Papa_Charlie]

Sarah,

I am sorry to hear of your adventure. It hits too close to home.

Our new to us boat, that sat on the hard for three years before we bought it has had its share of issues that we have had to address. The Admiral has not been overly thrilled because of it. Water coming into the bilge is one of them. We are trying to schedule a haul out to handle it.

As for you single pump. This may be a great time to spend just a little more and install a second bilge pump instead of replacing the one you have. I have always liked duplication and back up systems on a boat. Especially on automatic systems that I rely on to keep me afloat. Your old pump is working. It may be older but it obviously works. So have a second, new pump installed that would have the float switch placed higher than the other one. That way if the other pump could not keep up with a bad leak or the other one quits on you, you have a back up. You can always replace the old one later if it should fail.

Also, if you do not already know, you need to find out how to check your pump for operation from your mechanic. I check mine often.

Hope all works out well for you and our best wishes to you.

[Guest]

Sarah this sounds like me only a few weeks ago when I was taking on water and almost sunk the boat. I have a whole thread in the technical section if you feel like reading.

One thing most said was to install a high water alarm and a bilge pump (second or third) that is high powered.

[Guest]

Hi Sarah,

I feel your pain, last year I had the same thing happen to me after I paid a mechanic to replace all the bellows and a new used bravo 2 leg.

My first time out anchored in a beautiful bay, i could hear water running into the bilge, not good.

When I stuck my head down I could see water trickling in from in behind the engine,

I had to pull the boat out with a boat mover the next day and the mechanic found that it was the hokey clamp mercruiser sends with the replacent shift cable bellows that is a clamp type, he installed another sort of cable clamp on it and that fixed the problem but it does not give me the warm and fuzzies, and it cost me the additional haulout to fix so hopefully this does not re occur. I will be checking those before I launch in the next few weeks.

Make sure he uses something better than the unit that came with the bellows kit, and chalk it up to another day in the life of a boater.

Frode

[Guest]

Sarah, sorry your first splash didn't turn out well. I am however, somewhat puzzled. You knew you had a leaky shifter bellow (shift boot) but still decided to take a chance and take the boat out on the water? What if there was a failure rendering the bilge pump inoperable? Your boat could have literally sunk or have enough water intrusion to cause extensive damage. Water could have filled up your engine compartment without you being aware of it until it was too late.

If there is an issue you are aware of (especially a leak), plllllleaaaase get it properly repaired before taking the boat out and placing it yourself, and others in danger. I know this sounds somewhat harsh, but you knowingly took someone out on a boat with a leak. Your abiity to stay afloat and operational depended on that bilge pump. If you had shared the issue with your sister prior to launching the boat -- stating your ability to stay afloat will depend on whether your bilge pump continues to be functional, I am pretty certain she would have had second thoughts about being on the (45 degree) water.

[Guest]

Hi Sarah,

Pat makes some good points. Launching mine last Thursday I hit the manual bilge pump swich, the little light came on but no pumpy. The boat stood with the winter cover off and we had over 7" of rain in 10 days. I have an automatic pump but it is high water and I like to pump out the bilge each time I run. I'd put in a second pump.

Richard

[Guest]

Astral Blue wrote:
Sarah, sorry your first splash didn't turn out well. I am however, somewhat puzzled. You knew you had a leaky shifter bellow (shift boot) but still decided to take a chance and take the boat out on the water? What if there was a failure rendering the bilge pump inoperable? Your boat could have literally sunk or have enough water intrusion to cause extensive damage. Water could have filled up your engine compartment without you being aware of it until it was too late.

If there is an issue you are aware of (especially a leak), plllllleaaaase get it properly repaired before taking the boat out and placing it yourself, and others in danger. I know this sounds somewhat harsh, but you knowingly took someone out on a boat with a leak. Your abiity to stay afloat and operational depended on that bilge pump. If you had shared the issue with your sister prior to launching the boat -- stating your ability to stay afloat will depend on whether your bilge pump continues to be functional, I am pretty certain she would have had second thoughts about being on the (45 degree) water.

Yes, I suppose that I deserve a little chiding for this decision. It was based on the following:

- I was under the impression that all boats leak to some degree

- I was also under the impression that it was going to be better than last year if it still leaked at all.

What can I say? Turns out to have been a stupid decision, a small amount of which was prob my mechanic's doing also.

But you're right,,,,intelligence & common sense were nowhere to be found.

My BAD

[itsabowtime2]

Sorry the first splash was not a smashing success. But look at the bright side, not many Americans get to enjoy what is the boating lifestyle.

And may I suggest getting a larger bilge pump. Not sure what you have now, but this is one of those bigger is better scenario's.

[Guest]

LazyCrusr wrote:
Yes, I suppose that I deserve a little chiding for this decision. It was based on the following:

- I was under the impression that all boats leak to some degree

- I was also under the impression that it was going to be better than last year if it still leaked at all.

What can I say? Turns out to have been a stupid decision, a small amount of which was prob my mechanic's doing also.

But you're right,,,,intelligence & common sense were nowhere to be found.

My BAD

Sarah,

My tag line is "Always Learning." There are many personal reasons why I use that! This is one of those experiences for you. Don't beat yourself up too bad. And trust me, you are not the only one that can look back with hindsight and say it was a bad decision.