I went down to the boat last week to get things ready for our annual spring cruise up the Snake River. In checking things out I found the AC/heat system was not putting out any water over the side. Then I remembered that I had closed the thru-hull fitting. This fitting and strainer sits all the way at the stern, down in the lazarette.
When I opened it there was a flood of water coming into the lazarette. I'm not talking a little stream, I'm talking a HUGE jet of water.
Well, being the unusually astute guy that I am it didn't take me long to realize that was not a good thing, nor was it the usual SOP. So I closed it again. On further inspection I realized that the glass sight bowl in the strainer had apparently frozen and broke, allowing the water to enter when the thru-hull was opened.
This winter was unusually cold (temps well below freezing) for an unusually long time (a couple of weeks). It must have been during this period that the sight bowl froze. Thankfully I was smart enough to close the thru-hulls on the boat or my boat might have ended up on the bottom like the one that sank behind me.
During the past week I've had a marine mechanic on the boat to replace the sight jar and do a couple of other things for me. I can't wait to get back down there to check it out and make sure everything is ready for our trip.
NOTE TO SELF: Next fall, be sure to drain the sight bowl after using the heat in the Christmas boat parade and after the New Year's Day cruise. Also, put a heater in the laz.
When I opened it there was a flood of water coming into the lazarette. I'm not talking a little stream, I'm talking a HUGE jet of water.
Well, being the unusually astute guy that I am it didn't take me long to realize that was not a good thing, nor was it the usual SOP. So I closed it again. On further inspection I realized that the glass sight bowl in the strainer had apparently frozen and broke, allowing the water to enter when the thru-hull was opened.
This winter was unusually cold (temps well below freezing) for an unusually long time (a couple of weeks). It must have been during this period that the sight bowl froze. Thankfully I was smart enough to close the thru-hulls on the boat or my boat might have ended up on the bottom like the one that sank behind me.
During the past week I've had a marine mechanic on the boat to replace the sight jar and do a couple of other things for me. I can't wait to get back down there to check it out and make sure everything is ready for our trip.
NOTE TO SELF: Next fall, be sure to drain the sight bowl after using the heat in the Christmas boat parade and after the New Year's Day cruise. Also, put a heater in the laz.