Secondary escape route

OK, so, prepping for that 3AM moonless walk on water, we all have a ditch bag and PFDs in the cabin or on the foredeck?

This discussion reminds me of the struggle I had with the access panel to all the wiring in the helm cabinet on the flybridge. Horizontal rectangle, a marine starboard panel, held on with four screws, one in each corner. The panel is precisely big enough that I can get my head and one arm and shoulder in there, but not both arms. I have to do everything one-handed, or one hand and my mouth. So far I haven't swallowed a fuse or screw or nut, but I did drop a crimper down the wiring chase. I'm thinking this summer I'll hire a skinny six year old kid or a highly capable spider monkey to crawl in there and retrieve that crimper.

markpierce said:

We all have an ending....

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I'd like to postpone it as long as possible.

We have two escape hatches in our 1978 Hatteras large enough to exit, but I have been researching fire hoods that are designed to provide a short period of air for emergency fire escape. It's not the smoke that kills so quickly when you attempt to exit a fire area but the temperature that can be hundreds of degrees higher at 5-ft than at floor level. Fire hoods can be purchased for less than $35.00.

BelleAurore said:

We have two escape hatches in our 1978 Hatteras large enough to exit, but I have been researching fire hoods that are designed to provide a short period of air for emergency fire escape. It's not the smoke that kills so quickly when you attempt to exit a fire area but the temperature that can be hundreds of degrees higher at 5-ft than at floor level. Fire hoods can be purchased for less than $35.00.

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Order one extra and try it....... Then keep it and practice putting it on once in a while.

Scott Davis, you need to try and see if you fit... I bet you will. Those hatches are bigger than you think.

Good question!

Re our Tolly's forward hatch. I am quite sure you'd best be skinny to exit there. Fortunately our adult kids are thin... but we are not. Luckily we never sleep forward.

Master stateroom has large sized tinted-Plexiglas window/door that opens both out and up with two separately hinged large portions. Would be hard to constrict opening one or both.

Salon has easily accessible slider-doors each side.

Just for S&G next time aboard I'm going to try squeezing through forward hatch... doubt that is possible with my frame.

"The Monk MC 42 has no escape path in the aft cabin. A friend with the same boat stages a hammer in the aft cabins so he can smash out the aft stationary windows to get out.
__________________
Dave Frye
Fryedaze, 42' 1989 Monk"

In Canada (likely the same regulation exists in other jurisdictions) for a vessel 12m (42ft) or longer, a fire axe is required. 2 if over 24m.

When I do safety inspections for our YC, I always look for the fire axe to be located where is can be used to break out of an accommodation space in the event the normal route of egress is blocked by fire.

Nobody needs to break into a burning boat, yet I have frequently found boaters keeping the required fire axe in the lazarette, engine room or other inaccessible places.

fryedaze said:

How old is that reg.? My 1989 boat in no way meets it.

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I would not be at all concerned about the date of a regulation. I would be concerned about being able to escape regardless of any regulations.

The point here is not being able to meet a regulation, it's being able to escape a sinking or burning boat to live another day.

Hawgwash said:

OK, so, prepping for that 3AM moonless walk on water, we all have a ditch bag and PFDs in the cabin or on the foredeck?

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While our boat does have adequate avenues of escape from both cabins, I never thought about having PFD's located nearby. Guess I will re-think that. Thanks

porman said:

While our boat does have adequate avenues of escape from both cabins, I never thought about having PFD's located nearby. Guess I will re-think that. Thanks

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There is an endless supply of "what if" in boating/yachting/trawlering.

Swinging a fire axe inside a boat is probably not possible. A better solution would be an aircraft "crash axe," they have a lot of heft, can be used one-handed but might have to be sourced through a pilot-supply outfit, not your corner hardware store. I keep my crash axe outside as it's much more usable for someone trying to rescue me or for cutting loose from a tow or a dock line that won't give or a weapon?

Have a look at your boat and give some thought to what you want to chop. The only thing I can chop is the windows as my boat is aluminum. Might be different on wood or 'glas but I doubt it.

A few years ago one of our test flights crashed on takeoff and the fire-rescue got on the roof and tried to chop their way in through the windshield as they could see the crew inside. Over an inch thick plexiglass, didn't make a dent...watched the crew perish.

Really good idea to think through your options and have a plan. All you fatties that can't get out the hatch? Think of your fat friends and buy them a new hatch.

WesK said:

The diagonal measurement is larger. I suggest trying to see if you can fit through before there's an emergency. You might also put your arms through first.

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Didn't think of checking the diagonal measurement on an 18" diameter round hatch but I will check again.

boatpoker said:

Abyc h-3

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SCOTTEDAVIS said:

Love the loose weight comments, like we are all one size only some are fat.


Next time someone speaks of needing help changing battery's I will suggest to them lifting weight and getting in shape and not being a skinny man.

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Agreed! However, there are other reasons then lack of muscle that can (at least at times) preclude lifting. Boy... do I know that; I'm sure you do too!

makobuilders said:

Hi Scott, what do you think about those fold-up helm chairs? I have a pilothouse which is rather tight, but it's interesting to think that I could reduce the depth of the PH and still have proper seating. I'm losing about 2ft because of the need to walk behind the helm chairs.

Interesting idea. Next time I hit the gym I'll suggest they buy some 8D's instead of the big Eleikos!

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I like them, however I have no idea where you can buy one (let me know what you find) I need to recover mine but it is comfortable and convenient.

I the gym says no just volunteer your services at any marina it seems to be worth a case or bottle of your favorite beverage according to many on here.

Art,

Don't do what I did and use too much Ranger candy (Ibuprofen).

Over did working on the boat then a 1500 mile/ in 36 hours IronButt motorcycle ride too much Motrin = bleeding ulcer. Not fun.

Pain sucks take care of your self.

SCOTTEDAVIS said:

Art,

Don't do what I did and use too much Ranger candy (Ibuprofen).

Over did working on the boat then a 1500 mile/ in 36 hours IronButt motorcycle ride too much Motrin = bleeding ulcer. Not fun.

Pain sucks take care of your self.

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Thanks Scott - I capeesh!


BTW - Grand son Cooper, under my left hand in posted photo above, now measures my height 6'1", turned 15 yrs. this Christmas Day. Coop's my deep-down Bud... lives two doors away!

All this talk about undersized and or nonexistent escape hatches is really surprising.

I suppose that I just took for granted that all boats have this feature.

My Bayliner has human sized hatches.

Well the good news is my Cherubini has a 24" x 24" hatch. The bad news is that I'm going to have to store a ladder. My upper body strength isn't what it was 40 years ago.

Ted

Do what you have to do.

Good Question-

As I
travel by my self on many occasion and some distance from home where cell service or any activation short of the big red button on the radio or on the SPOT, my wife has concerns. To elevate some of her stress I verbally promised to ware one of the new inflatable vest, never use the toe rail space that serves as our side deck, to access the anchor or bow if alone. To make that promise good I created a folding ladder that will fit within the anchor locker in the bow. From that I can unfold and hook to the escape hatch which I fit through fine in full clothing.

I would like to add a second concern and how I addressed it. Falling over board and retrieving ones self. During the above discussion the question of "Okay you did good, now in addressing the anchor, you fall overboard. What preparations have you made for that big boy?" the wife asked.
I had installed one of those folding down three step swim ladders on the boarding step. Fine except during a boating trip I witnessed another boat where the adult male was swimming about and time to climb out he used his similar step. Wow, there was not a handy hand hold to grasp so that the struggle as he made like a seal or sea lion getting on the float or dock made me take a hint. I placed a shackle in the aluminum canopy of the aft cover and tied a knotted line that drops down to the water level.
Now a standard rule, when anchoring, the swim ladder is dropped and the line is released to hang ready.
Cheers,

Al-Marben Pocket CRUISER

When I think of the 1,000 far more likely scenarios for our boat to kill me - including falling off the swim step and whacking my head on the way down after coming back from a good dinner in town - alternative egress from every living space below is not high on my list.

"The bad news is that I'm going to have to store a ladder. My upper body strength isn't what it was 40 years ago.

FIRE !, FIRE !, FIRE !, FIRE !

can be a great motivator.

It was always the sounding of the general quarters alarm that got my heart pounding and the adrenaline flowing...

...."fire in the XXXX" actually started the brain after the short freeze.

Nothing like emergencies to see basic performance improvements in humans.

Stacking up survivors in the back of a helo often brought out the old joke..."yep, wet, cold, scared people are a lot smaller when they all have to fit"

fryedaze said:

How old is that reg.? My 1989 boat in no way meets it.

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I believe it came out in the late 90s. I know Catalina changed some models in roughly the '99 timeframe to include a hatch in the aft cabin.

Al said:

As I
travel by my self on many occasion and some distance from home where cell service or any activation short of the big red button on the radio or on the SPOT, my wife has concerns. To elevate some of her stress I verbally promised to ware one of the new inflatable vest, never use the toe rail space that serves as our side deck, to access the anchor or bow if alone. To make that promise good I created a folding ladder that will fit within the anchor locker in the bow. From that I can unfold and hook to the escape hatch which I fit through fine in full clothing.

I would like to add a second concern and how I addressed it. Falling over board and retrieving ones self. During the above discussion the question of "Okay you did good, now in addressing the anchor, you fall overboard. What preparations have you made for that big boy?" the wife asked.
I had installed one of those folding down three step swim ladders on the boarding step. Fine except during a boating trip I witnessed another boat where the adult male was swimming about and time to climb out he used his similar step. Wow, there was not a handy hand hold to grasp so that the struggle as he made like a seal or sea lion getting on the float or dock made me take a hint. I placed a shackle in the aluminum canopy of the aft cover and tied a knotted line that drops down to the water level.
Now a standard rule, when anchoring, the swim ladder is dropped and the line is released to hang ready.
Cheers,

Al-Marben Pocket CRUISER

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1) Never wear your PFD when inside a cabin (unless it's a manual inflatable). A PFD would cause you to float in a water filled cabin and make it very difficult to get out.

2) Every boat should have a workable way of getting aboard from the water. A swim ladder usually works but it has to be deployable from the water and as you mention, just the ladder may not be enough. You have to be able to actually get onto the boat and you should test this feature.

We discovered how difficult it was to climb our swim ladder and get onto the swim platform so I installed a grab bar made for this purpose on the transom. It only cost about $30 and looks like it came with the boat.

We actually tested it a couple years ago when my wife decided to sit on the same side of the dinghy that I was already sitting on. Two people and one puppy went for an unplanned swim. I told my wife to deploy the swim ladder an we climbed back aboard.

O C Diver said:

Well the good news is my Cherubini has a 24" x 24" hatch. The bad news is that I'm going to have to store a ladder. My upper body strength isn't what it was 40 years ago.

Ted

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Sean won't build one for the forward hatch? You could use one of those telescoping swim platform ladders and latch it out of the way when not needed?

WesK said:

2) Every boat should have a workable way of getting aboard from the water. A swim ladder usually works but it has to be deployable from the water and as you mention, just the ladder may not be enough. You have to be able to actually get onto the boat and you should test this feature.

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Our swim ladder was tied in the up position which would never work in an emergency. Envision a ladder with the steps hinged to the swim platform. We added one of the release under pressure clips that are used on harnesses and a cord which reaches to just above the water. Pull the cord, opens the clip and allows the swim platform to be lowered by someone in the water.

stubones99 said:

Sean won't build one for the forward hatch? You could use one of those telescoping swim platform ladders and latch it out of the way when not needed?

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Have a 3' "A" frame utility ladder that may do the trick and could be relocated to the master closet.

Ted

I turned down many boats when searching do to lack of secondary exit from main cabin. Center cabin express boats seem the worst as there is usually a hatch in forward or aft cabins.


IMO this is a critical problem with modern boat designs.