Emergency actions when you hole your boat

[Hydraulicjump]

I know elements of this have been discussed before, but am curious what others do when they are preparing for the unlikely, but awful situation of a major hole in the hull. Most of you have seen this description of a collision with a whale

https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/03/20/sailboat-hits-whale-pacific-rescue/

That quickly sank a boat in the Pacific between the Galapagos and French Polynesia. It looks like the crew did everything they should (including famously staying on and with the boat until you basically step up into the life raft), but the boat sank so quickly they made no attempt to slow the inflow of water through the breach in the hull.

So what would you do and how would you prepare? We keep two things on board based on discussions with others. First is a nerf football. We have good friends who tore out their prop on a rock on the Sunshine Coast in BC (what they describe as a navigational “brain fart”) and began taking water through a baseball size hole. The Canadian Coast Guard showed up within a couple of hours and brought on nerf footballs. They stuffed them into the hole and tore apart another to make for a great seal. Enough that TowBoat could come pick the boat up and tow it all the way to Comox. We now have a nerf football on board.

The second comes from a sailing friend. He takes along a ratty old storm jib. When there is a big hole in the boat you tie off lines on the clews and pull the sail tight over the hole (wrapping it around the hull). That gives you time to do interior measures like stuffing mattresses in the hole and other things. This technique comes from old sailing ships.

So if you are offshore, have no way to get inshore quickly, and have a hole big enough to worry about, other than all the calls to the right people, how do you staunch the flow? I bet there are folks in this forum with real world experience in this. So far, we have been lucky, but we now have a 4’ draft boat, which makes us nervous.

 

[mvweebles]

Saw this in Latitude 38 a week ago. The crews ability to mobilize and decamp to life raft within 15-mins, all while making multiple mayday calls and activating positioning beacons, was amazing. Many lessons to learn from that crew.

From the Lat 38 report, sounds like the skeg and rudder were torn out. Other whale strikes that caused sinking caused keel-hull joint to open.

For a boat with fin stabilizers, nerf football is not a bad idea. Though knowing how they are supported and blocked, I cannot imagine a scenario where they are torn our beyond broken shaft but no sense tempting fate.

Just guessing, but most likely event leading to a non-fire related open-water sinking of a powerboat would be wrapping a line and tearing out a prop strut. Like a fin stabilizer, more likely to bend or sheer, but no guarantees in emergency situations.

Peter

 

[Portage_Bay]

I know of two cases where the fin holed the hull. In one case the fin was still attached to the shaft and had punched a hole in the hull. That was a KK42. I talked with the owner to find out how it happened. I didn't ask how they kept from sinking.

The KK42 was likely a refit and may not have been installed correctly. However I'm not sure the installation was the problem. They had run hard aground on a shallow rock which could have put much of the force on the shaft in a vertical vector. My understanding of the "break away" design of the shaft is the force needs to be a horizontal vector shearing the fin off. The fin was still embedded in the hull when I saw the boat.

The other was a Nordhaven with similar damage I saw loaded on a Sevenstar transport ship.

The Nordhaven fins were likely installed at build and probably installed correctly. The damage appeared similar to the KK42's damage. The owner was not around to talk with.

When having fins installed it is important that it be done correctly. On a delivery during a routine engine room check I noticed the internal block and hull around the block flexing. With the threat of the entire structure failing resulting in a large hole in the hull we secured the stabilizers. Better a rough ride than sinking.

This was an Ocean Alexander a well built boat. But the owner had tried to pinch pennies with a repower, stabilizer installation and electrical upgrades. There were so many serious problems with that boat I should have walked away when we made Morro Bay for the first round of repairs.

For a boat with fin stabilizers, nerf football is not a bad idea. Though knowing how they are supported and blocked, I cannot imagine a scenario where they are torn our beyond broken shaft but no sense tempting fate.

 

[psneeld]

All types of personal defense require an understanding of threats.

When it comes to damage control, no different.

At sea in a trawler you can have a myriad of flooding scenarios. The first defense is a vessel that doesn't suffer from progressive flooding by using compartmentalization.

After that there is water taken above the main deck....from broken windows, hatches, flooded cockpit...etc. These can be an issue if left on their own but usually can be remedied or avoided pretty easily.

Next are known holes in the boat that are there by design and protected by secured hoses or through hulls. These holes if breached can have calculated water flow rates and an appropriate array of bilge pumps with redundancy can prevent serious flooding. Also bungs, plugs, various solutions can reduce or stop the flows if the intended valving is disabled.

Holes cause by collision are best addressed by the relatively inexperienced crew not on a warship or well equipped commercial vessel by preparing for abandon ship either before or in conjunction with assessing the damage.

By far the ability to rig a collision mat may be the first and most effective remedy for holes or cracks that are seriously larger than one or several through hull failures (easier said than done inmany cases). Finding and implementing damage control materials to reduce a leak from collision is very difficult once the size and depth of the damage gets beyond minimal.... unless your damage control locker is filled with battery powered saws, wedges, lumber, plywood and you can find enough cushions or other soft materials to stem the inflow(s).

My experience with pumping out sunken boats of all shapes and sizes (though mostly smaller than the average trawler) showed what is possible with what is at hand and what a pro salvage crew needs to " git 'er done".

 

[O C Diver]

Be prepared to abandon ship.

First, accept the reality that in some situations you can't save the vessel, so it's important to have a viable evaluation plan.

Second, as we age, the ability of your body to cash checks that your brain writes becomes substantially diminished. I tend to cruise alone and am 64 years old. One has to wonder about the risk of going into a flooding engine room with a senior's agility. If the bilge pumps aren't keeping up with the incoming flow, it may be a better choice to spend the remaining time onboard sending out Maydays, releasing EPIRBs, launching the dinghy, releasing the life raft, and getting ready for the inevitable.

Ted

 

[psneeld]

Be prepared to abandon ship.

First, accept the reality that in some situations you can't save the vessel, so it's important to have a viable evaluation plan.

Second, as we age, the ability of your body to cash checks that your brain writes becomes substantially diminished. I tend to cruise alone and am 64 years old. One has to wonder about the risk of going into a flooding engine room with a senior's agility. If the bilge pumps aren't keeping up with the incoming flow, it may be a better choice to spend the remaining time onboard sending out Maydays, releasing EPIRBs, launching the dinghy, releasing the life raft, and getting ready for the inevitable.

Ted

You seem a lot younger you cave diving #$%%^&*U*...!

My only comment is most boats have 1/5 the amount of bilge pumping that really could use if the boat isn't well compartmentalized.

 

[rslifkin]

I know of two cases where the fin holed the hull. In one case the fin was still attached to the shaft and had punched a hole in the hull. That was a KK42. I talked with the owner to find out how it happened. I didn't ask how they kept from sinking.

The KK42 was likely a refit and may not have been installed correctly. However I'm not sure the installation was the problem. They had run hard aground on a shallow rock which could have put much of the force on the shaft in a vertical vector. My understanding of the "break away" design of the shaft is the force needs to be a horizontal vector shearing the fin off. The fin was still embedded in the hull when I saw the boat.

The other was a Nordhaven with similar damage I saw loaded on a Sevenstar transport ship.

The Nordhaven fins were likely installed at build and probably installed correctly. The damage appeared similar to the KK42's damage. The owner was not around to talk with.

When having fins installed it is important that it be done correctly. On a delivery during a routine engine room check I noticed the internal block and hull around the block flexing. With the threat of the entire structure failing resulting in a large hole in the hull we secured the stabilizers. Better a rough ride than sinking.

This was an Ocean Alexander a well built boat. But the owner had tried to pinch pennies with a repower, stabilizer installation and electrical upgrades. There were so many serious problems with that boat I should have walked away when we made Morro Bay for the first round of repairs.

For the "drop fin on rock" scenario, I think I'd want to know the fin itself isn't too sturdy. Assuming the shaft doesn't go all the way down, something like a foam cored fiberglass fin should crush rather than getting shoved through the hull.

 

[rslifkin]

My only comment is most boats have 1/5 the amount of bilge pumping that really could use if the boat isn't well compartmentalized.

Agreed. Bilge pumps are time machines when things go wrong. The more water you can move, the more time you have to find and (try to) do something about the problem before it's too deeply submerged to access it and you're forced to abandon ship. Personally, I consider "ability to keep up with failure of the largest underwater fitting" to be the bare minimum for pumping capacity. And most boats have nowhere close to that.

 

[SteveK]

Be prepared to abandon ship.

First, accept the reality that in some situations you can't save the vessel, so it's important to have a viable evaluation plan.

Second, as we age, the ability of your body to cash checks that your brain writes becomes substantially diminished. I tend to cruise alone and am 64 years old. One has to wonder about the risk of going into a flooding engine room with a senior's agility. If the bilge pumps aren't keeping up with the incoming flow, it may be a better choice to spend the remaining time onboard sending out Maydays, releasing EPIRBs, launching the dinghy, releasing the life raft, and getting ready for the inevitable.

Ted

Be prepared to abandon ship. Use the time wisely.
Look at this link to see the reality of getting holed. LINK HERE

 

[sunchaser]

As a subset to the question, how many carry a life raft when venturing “miles” off shore? The raft was one of our vessel’s initial purchases when the boat was new with initial cruising waters CA coast to Glacier Bay.

A robust metal hull, eschewing below the water line composite hulls and avoiding groundings are other offshore cruising steps to consider.

A few years ago we spent several days at a pit stop for the offshore Volvo racers. Light weight vessels, +20 surfing knots and 1/2 the time it is dark. The what went wrong stories were astounding .

 

[Portage_Bay]

For the "drop fin on rock" scenario, I think I'd want to know the fin itself isn't too sturdy. Assuming the shaft doesn't go all the way down, something like a foam cored fiberglass fin should crush rather than getting shoved through the hull.

Yes the design and construction of those fin systems could be improved. While I related stories of 3 bad fin systems I don't think that sort of damage is likely to happen. How many fin systems are in use? How many of those have been damaged / broken from impact? How many of those also resulted in hull damage? The the point I'm making in response to post #2 is that however unlikely it can happen.

Back to the original purpose of this thread OP asks what can we do to handle flooding and how to prepare? How to prepare is easier to think through than what to do because that varies so much with the boat, location, conditions and crew experience and training. I have damage plugs to fit any through hull in the boat. Spare hose clamps if the failure is the hose connection at a through hull. Rescue tape if it's a managable leak in a hose or pipe. Sheets of thin flexible neoprene that can be used with hose clamps over the rescue tape add another layer. Splash zone. Fast cure sealant. Some 1/4" plywood. Saws. 2x4s. Hammers. Nails. Screws and screw gun. Drill motor and bits. Any with a bit ingenuity can be pressed into service. I like the idea of nerf footballs. I also would not hesitate to cut up pillows and cushions to jam in the hole. Even bath towels jammed in the hole will slow the flooding. Up thread is mentioned using an old sail to cover the hole. Most of us have plenty of sunbrella or similar that could be sacrifced.

I have my bilge pumps and alarms well set up. Normal bilge pumps with indicators. Do I see them operating more frequently than normal? Find the problem before it becomes unmanageable. A high capacity bilge pump that starts just above the the start level of the normal pumps and a LOUD alarm at the same level.

First defense is routine exercise of all through hulls and inspection of all their hose clamps and hoses. Test the bilge pumps and alarms. Don't just trip the switches, put the dock hose in the bilge and start filling. See what happens. I do those insections and tests regularly.

So, how can I improve on that collection of damage control gear? Put the spare hose clamps, rescue tape, neoprene sheets, plugs, splash zone, sealant and some tools in a 5 gal bucket labeled damage control. Keep it in a handy place. Know where the plywood, 2x4s, screws and screw gun are. I could add a small blue poly tarp with lines attached to cover the hole though as a cruisng couple seldom with additional crew aboard I can't deploying the tarp working very well in all but the most calm conditions.

Ok, I'm as ready as I'm going to be. Now the loud bilge alarm sounds. At this point to frame our response I need to know the layout of my boat, everyone's boat will be different. The low spot in the bilge is forward under the forward cabin sole. I can get access to that in seconds without risk of being trapped. Are my bilge pumps gaining ground? Holding the level steady? Loosing ground? If they are loosing ground my first response is prepare to abandon ship. I don't carry a raft so it will be the swim step mounted RIB. One of us will initiate emergency comms. VHF, EPIRB, cell phone or sat phone. Depending upon where we are in relation to assistance. This will be determined on a case by case basis. The other will gather supplies, break out the ditch bag and launch the RIB. We don't carry a raft.

Once those immediate goals are accomplished I can again look at the water level. How much has it come up? Is it safe and do I have time to locate the source of the flooding to evaluate what if anything I can do. What I can do will be in no small part determinbed by where the failure is. Can I get to it without risk of being trapped or getting stuck? Can I reach it without having to stick my head underwater?

Sometimes the response can be unconventional. In the case of the KK42 fin damage it occured about 0.25 nm from a dock or gravel beach. Were it me I'd have headed straight there before doing anything else. It's just minutes at KK42 speed. If the situation gets out of control we just walk off the boat onto solid ground.

 

[rslifkin]

Sometimes the response can be unconventional. In the case of the KK42 fin damage it occured about 0.25 nm from a dock or gravel beach. Were it me I'd have headed straight there before doing anything else. It's just minutes at KK42 speed. If the situation gets out of control we just walk off the boat onto solid ground.

I agree, if the sea state is reasonable and you happen to be near a friendly enough shoreline, beaching the boat should definitely be considered as an option. Particularly if the bottom slope near the shore is shallow, where you may be able to get the whole boat aground (or in shallow enough water) where you can work on the problem without risk of the boat sinking further.

 

[Hippocampus]

Have had the floorboards floating with water over the batteries due to a failed through hull. It failed at the flange so a plug would not work. No ships radios nor pumps. Boat prepped for Bermuda race qualifications so had whale in cockpit and one just under a floorboard. Don’t expect to be pumping those for long or quickly. Exhausting. Ended up 15-20m per person. Not very effective.
Above posts make several excellent points.
1. Do not expect your bilge pumps to be much help at all. They are inadequate to keep up with a 3” hole if it’s much below the waterline. Unless you have an extremely large volume pump running off your main engine and it remains functioning it’s unlikely the usual array of bilge pumps will keep you afloat. Also keep your bilge spotless. For 2 years after having a new boat built for us had wood shavings, pieces of wire, nuts and other debris find its way into the bilge as we bounced around. Just a small plastic sandwich bag will clog a pump.
2. Before every passage would post and review several charts. One was the location of every thru hull, another every fire extinguisher, another where emergency supplies where, another location and order for abandon ship. Before leaving all were reviewed with crew and assignments made.
3. You are safer in the boat then in a raft from what I’ve been told. Yes, launch the raft and collect ditchbag, comms etc. but continue to try to save the boat. But when you are convinced it’s a losing battle leave.

We are now in a coastal setting
Foam and wood plugs, several roles of rescue tape, several sets of in date flares, rescue epoxy putty, thin dyneema line, hacksaw (manual and battery), battery drill/screwdriver hydraulic shears, several pieces of thin plywood , various screws and sealants. All this in two areas easily accessible. One in nav station other guest stateroom right next to it.
Raft and ditch stored in salon next to back door.

Offshore followed the prep rules as required in various ocean races or rallies and Safety At Sea. Although aimed at sailboats think they are worth reading as most is applicable to power in my view. There’s also hosts of lists available on the internet from very thoughtful and experienced small boat voyagers. While on sail I did add various things after reviewing those lists.

My boat has several deficiencies as compared to my last sailboat. No real collision bulkhead, no manual bilge pumps, it’s not double bottomed, no engine driven pump, no alternative rudder nor way to steer the boat except drogues, single source propulsion (twins are single source unless getting fuel from different isolated tanks and running through different racor set ups imho).

Although coastal now all these factors plus concern about fire has lead me to keep a raft on this boat. Remain surprised not more coastal folks do. Continue to believe a dinghy is totally inadequate for many reasons. Even true for a Portland Pudgy. See a Portland Pudgy or a solid dinghy as having only one advantage. Unlike a raft it doesn’t need to inflate. Been told a surprising number of rafts (and pfds) don’t inflate. We manually inflate our pdfs and leave them inflated for 18h as recommended at least annually. We maintain them and the raft as per manufacturer instructions. I watch the raft inflate when inspected and repacked. I want to know now they will work when needed.

 

[rslifkin]

Personally, I don't consider a lack of manual bilge pumps to be a flaw. Unless you have a large crew, there's nobody available to operate a manual pump when it's most needed. With a 2 - 3 person crew, there's a more useful task each crew member could be doing (damage control, launching life raft, etc.).

As far as bilge pumps keeping up, the math says mine will keep up with a lost shaft, rudder, or engine intake thru hull, but not with a lot of excess capacity (and because of the physical size of the biggest pump, the water level will be maintained higher than I'd like). Total real-world pumping capacity on my boat is ~55 gal/min and I still don't think it's adequate. I'd like to add a 3rd pump to the engine room at a level between the existing 2, the aft bilge needs a second (backup) high capacity pump, and the forward bilge could use a second pump (that'll have to be a second small one similar to what's already there due to space constraints).

 

[SeaDogAK]

Two things should be added about the loss of the Raindancer. First, although it wasn’t in the Washington Post story, the captain did try to plug the leak with a tarp, but ultimately gave up the effort after a few attempts when he decided he needed to focus on getting the crew and himself into the raft.

Second, the role of Starlink in organizing the rescue is worth noting. Apparently the captain activated his EPIRB and got off a distress signal to a family member by Iridium Go. That person then posted on a Facebook group I belong to (Starlink on Boats) and got referred to the Boat Watch Facebook group where the rescue was organized. Multiple boats in the area who were online with Starlink responded on Facebook, including the one that ultimately picked them up.

I suppose they would still have been rescued without Starlink, but it certainly got them help faster.

 

[rgano]

Check out the HullSurvivor patch and the True Plug.

 

[Hippocampus]

Agree manual pumps may not move significant volumes of water and take one person away from the action. I mentioned them as several races require them. Electrical failure is apparently not that uncommon. You may stop the leak but still need to dewater the boat without available electricity. That’s exactly what occurred for us. The scared man with a bucket is a lot more work. We had one person disabled by cold water immersion fixing the leak. He was kneeling mostly. Not fully submerged. I can see why having two manual pumps may have justification.
Agree even with a bono fide ships Satphone having some form of handheld satellite comm makes sense in open ocean. Had occasion to be lying too 100-150nm north of the Bahamas waiting out a front. Lightening all around. We weren’t struck but have heard of through hulls blowing out or direct holes in the hull from lightning. In that setting unless you had handheld devices in a faraday box (stove or be in a metal boat with way to isolate antennas and such) your ships electronic devices maybe toast. Over the years used a Spot (don’t like them), Go( pretty good) or a handheld Satphone (best). Haven’t investigated Starlink but sounds great. Please educate me. Is there a handheld version?

 

[SeaDogAK]

Haven’t investigated Starlink but sounds great. Please educate me. Is there a handheld version?

Starlink gives you a WiFi signal from its router, you’d still need a device (which could be a smartphone) to communicate. It might fail in an emergency, because it requires electrical power.

 

[Hippocampus]

Thanks so a handheld satellite phone or Go .

 

[rslifkin]

Thanks so a handheld satellite phone or Go .

Yes. I don't think Starlink replaces anything like that (due to reliance on having the boat floating and powered), but it can be a handy thing to have if it's still working, as being full internet access, it opens up more communication options.

 

[Simi 60]

EPIRB

https://beacons.amsa.gov.au/about/h...06 MHz distress,be transmitted with the alert.

I have had sat phones not work for several hours before
And Starlink is not really an option either, if raining heavily or offshore.

 

[backinblue]

Be prepared to abandon ship. Use the time wisely.
Look at this link to see the reality of getting holed. LINK HERE

Thanks for the link. This is pretty telling. A two-inch hole that is one foot below waterline can fill a 55-gallon drum in 42.4 seconds!

I can't imagine my 3 bilge pumps filling a drum that fast, though I've never put that much thought into it.

 

[psneeld]

Thanks for the link. This is pretty telling. A two-inch hole that is one foot below waterline can fill a 55-gallon drum in 42.4 seconds!

I can't imagine my 3 bilge pumps filling a drum that fast, though I've never put that much thought into it.

3 - 2000/gph bilge pumps will slow that down, maybe beat it. The point is to have bilge pump capacity to allow you to find the leak and slow it below your bilge pumping capacity.

 

[Fletcher500]

Personally, I would not rely solely on Starlink for my emergency communications. I recently installed it, and it's great, but its future use for us boat owners who are on the RV plan is a bit murky.

Regarding holes - I have the red spongy conical plugs that are similar to Nerf footballs. I like that story btw.

 

[Simi 60]

3 - 2000/gph bilge pumps will slow that down, maybe beat it. The point is to have bilge pump capacity to allow you to find the leak and slow it below your bilge pumping capacity.

We have 3 X 3500 gph installed set at slightly different levels - highest one is alarmed
Plus 2 X 1850 gph 240v pumps installed that can come on at the flick of a switch

If that can't keep on top of it time to activate the EPIRB I reckon.

 

[psneeld]

We have 3 X 3500 gph installed set at slightly different levels - highest one is alarmed
Plus 2 X 1850 gph 240v pumps installed that can come on at the flick of a switch

If that can't keep on top of it time to activate the EPIRB I reckon.

That's great, especially if they are all properly installed.

Loss from voltage drop, pumping head height and poor discharge hose kills a lot of installs (not reflecting on your install, just passing the issues for a poor install).

A gasoline or diesel trash pump would be great but a lot of people shy away from that concept even though it may save their boat.

The real trick for true collision damage is.... the possibility for any set of bilge pumps to win is low until significant damage control is performed.

 

[Hippocampus]

I too have occasion the handheld Satphone didn’t work(globalstar) and the SSB did. As well as the converse. But the Fleet One always worked. Unfortunately it’s a ships unit not a handheld. Also have had missing breadcrumbs from both a Go and a Spot. Assume that means no signal got through. Our program was to have a land based family member follow our breadcrumbs and when available the rally we were in. So do believe regardless of what else you have to carry or on the boat some form of independent emergency signaling is wise. Either a combined AIS/GPS 48h ships unit or if near shore/coastal several AIS/GPS personal units. Also think even if you’re never going to do a race where it’s required if going offshore/ocean doing the Safety at Sea course is very much worthwhile. I never did a Yachtmaster but heard very good things about that as another choice.
PS is right you need a big ass pump or pumps for self rescue. Given the difficulty in terms of space, power, expense don’t think the average cruiser does this. Perhaps SAR can drop one to you in time if you’re within range. Power vessels unlike sail will likely have the engine running. Putting in a Y valve to have the engine intake redirected to the main bilge is a viable option but not as good as a dedicated pump. But even with that perhaps not. Get a raft. Train.
If doing an ocean boat from scratch would like all tanks built to serve as double bottoms. Would like valves to close/open flow between bilges including the crash bulkheads. Would like the ability to compartmentalize and/or have either external or internal close cell foamed or air spaces to float the boat. Multis have a leg up on this. They may turn turtle but to my knowledge it’s rare that they sink.

 

[Cargile]

........Most boats have 1/5 the amount of bilge pumping that really could use if the boat isn't well compartmentalized.

Well that piqued my interest as the bilges in my boat drain through to the engine room/space where the bilge pump is located. Is there a chart of some sort for recommended pumping capacity?

 

[rslifkin]

Well that piqued my interest as the bilges in my boat drain through to the engine room/space where the bilge pump is located. Is there a chart of some sort for recommended pumping capacity?

Personally, I'd look at the hole size vs depth chart. Take the water flow for a failure of the worst-case hull penetration on your boat (shafts, rudders, thru hulls, etc.). I'd consider that to be the minimum pumping capacity you should have (look at the pump output vs head charts and calculate their real output with the hoses attached and then de-rate the capacity a little further for safety margin, slightly low batteries, etc.). Personally, I want to see at least 10 - 20% more than the worst-case through hull as a minimum pumping capacity.



As far as real world pump capacity, I consider the small 650 gal/hr pumps in my boat to actually move somewhere around 350 gal/hr as installed (so ~6 gal/min). The big 3700 gal/hr pump is considered to really move about 2400 gal/hr (~40 gal/min).

 

[CharlieO.]

I am actually planning on doing a real world test of my bilge pumps capacity on my boat. I plan to catch and measure the water the comes out the thru hull. I am just interested in what my 800 gpm and 3400 gpm pumps actually discharge. I also want to measure how much water is pumped out on a single cycle of the float switch.