10 Emergency Fix-it Items that Belong on Every Boat. Whether you’re a sailor, a fishermen, a cruiser or a watersports enthusiast, if you have a boat, you should. The more the better, but it really depends on the size of the boat/vessel and how many fittings the hull has. Comments about Stay Afloat Emergency Leak Sealant. Montana for my annual trout-fishing trip and was unpacking my pontoon boat so I could start fishing the Missouri. HullSurvivor Emergency Hull Seal by Serene Bay Marine Keep Aboard for Emergency Leaks on Any Boat HullSurvivorTM is a soft yet firm seal designed to fully. Emergency Boat Repair. Underwater epoxy for Emergency hull. Covers how to patch a large hole (this one was roughly 6' wide) in a standard fiberglass boat hull. It isn't very difficult, so you DIY-ers and shade tree. Making emergency hull repair - Ocean Navigator. Jan 1, 2. 00. 3It's a calm, moonlit night, with a steady wind of 1. The miles and hours just click away untilyour midwatch reverie is suddenly interrupted by a hard jolt, the sounds of metal squealing across fiberglass, the uneasy motion of a boat moving contrary to the natural motion of waves and wind. You can hear water running below, and your first mate screaming. Navy taught me that damage control has three objectives: 1. Do whatever you can to prevent damage. Minimize and localize damage that does occur. Accomplish as quickly as possible emergency damage repairs. When you're already up to your ankles in cold seawater it's too late for that anyway. The first priority is to determine how much water is coming in the hole. Flooding means water is coming in faster than the bilge pump(s) can pump it out. Any lesser amount is leakage, not flooding. Though the difference may seem obvious, it is an important distinction. Leaks can be controlled by pumping aloneno other immediate action is required. Flooding, on the other hand, must be stopped or slowedpumping alone will not be enough. Table 1 gives the approximate flooding rates through different- size holes at different depths. In estimating the capacity of your bilge pumps, you must realize that it will be considerably less than the figure marked on the side of the pump. The rated capacity is for free flow from the outlet (i. The rated capacity is determined with a battery at full charge. Supply less voltage, add a hose with a lift of several feet, and the real flow rate drops quicklyusually about half the rated capacity. Compare that to the 4. GPM) flooding rate from a two- inch hole located just one foot below the waterline. Even with a small hole, pumping is not enough. Stop the flooding The first action for flooding, then, must be to stop the inflow. If you can pump at the same time (either turn on an electric pump or have another crewmember man a manual pump), fine; otherwise, stop the flooding, then pump. Try the quick, simple approach first; put something in the hole, or put something over it. Even if the flooding slows but doesn't stop, you have gained ground. The Navy uses wooden plugs (called damage control or DC plugs) to stop leaks. The approach is simple and effective. Even putting a single square plug in a round hole could reduce the flooding to a leak. For example, a two- inch hole, one foot below the waterline, passes about 4. GPM. Drive a tapered square plug into the hole, though, and the rate drops to about 1. GPMnow your 3. 0 GPM electric bilge pump can gain ground on the flooding while you further reduce the inflow rate by stuffing rags around the plug. The cloth tends to keep the plug in place and fills some of the gaps between the plug and the edges of the hole. You can reduce the leakage around the plugs by driving in smaller plugs or wedges, then driving in rags. Cedar shingles work well as a finishing touch. They are easy to split to the right size and swell when wet. If the hole is so large you can't put something in it, put something over it. Even the flooding from a large hole could be almost stopped by a crewmember pressing a throw- able cushion over the hole. For long hull cracks (e. You could probably limp back to port with the first mate holding such a patch in place, but to go any distance, the patch should be self- supporting. Judge what repair material you want to carry by how far you venture from help. The important thing is to think through the process now. Depending on the size and shape of the hole, a skillet or baking pan wedged in place and caulked would be effective. How much water would it take to sink your boat? Multiplying waterline area times freeboard gives you a rough approximation of the interior volume of your boat, which is a measure of the reserve buoyancy. A relatively narrow 4. This yields a reserve buoyancy of about 6. With a flooding rate of 4. GPM, the boat would sink in 4,5. If the hole is big, say five inches in diameter one foot below the waterline, the time is cut to 4,5. Actually, the boat would sink faster because as the boat settles in the water the hole gets deeper and the flooding rate increases. The time is further shortened since sinking boats never go down on an even keel (an optimistic assumption we made in approximating the reserve buoyancy). Also, the flooding will affect your boat's stability. As the water comes over the sole, any motions of the boat will cause the water to slosh around, and that will exaggerate the movement of the boat. With a hole of any size, therefore, it is imperative to stop the flooding. Five minutes go by awfully quickly in the panic that follows a collision or holing. Think about your actions now so you won't spend the first two minutes deciding what to do. Remember, reducing the flooding rate is not as good as stopping the flooding, but it's a start. They may not appear immediately dangerous, but as the boat rolls or settles, they could become submerged and provide a new source of water. Your boat would be easier to salvage in three or four feet of water than it would in 4. Don't worry (yet) about whether the patch will last. Will your temporary patch hold until you reach port? How can you rig a more permanent repair? With the extra drag from your patch, you won't be going very fast anyway. A company called Progressive Products is one of several that market emergency hull repair kits. Their Kollision Mat Kit has a two- part underwater epoxy adhesive and a poly- fabric mat. The two parts of the epoxy are mixed and spread over the patch, then the whole works is applied from outside the boat hull to effect a semi- permanent repair. I tried their sample kit in a tub full of water, applying a patch to a piece of submerged fiberglass. It worked as advertised. In the cold water, the epoxy took a long time to set up (about 1. Also, the bond I got would be watertight, but certainly not structural. Even 2. 4 hours after the initial mix, I could pull a corner of the patch up with my hands. Of course, the conditions were far from ideal. The test piece was dirty, the water was cold. In short, just like it would be in real life. And I'm sure it was much easier in the deep sink than it would be over the side, especially in cold water. Stop the flooding, dewater the boat, then think about whether you need a patch for the trip home. Have everything ready in case the patch fails and you have to do it all again. However, even a complete set of tools is useless without the knowledge required to use them. You and your crew should discuss the particular actions required on your boat for all plausible casualties. Think through the potential problems beforehand, and you'll be calm and cool should an emergency arise. Read, study, think, discuss. Your mastery of the techniques discussed here will certainly give a sense of accomplishment and self- reliance, and may someday save your boat.
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