Why Boats SINK [And How To PREVENT It] | BoatUS

Nothing strikes fear into the heart of boaters faster than a sinking boat (or the thought of one). But have you ever wondered why boats sink? Did you know that your bilge pump is unlikely to help keep your boat from sinking if you have a burst hose or you hit something? If you find yourself in a situation where unwanted water is coming in your boat, do you know what to do? BoatUS Magazine contributor Mike Vatalaro goes over some critical info that every boater NEEDS to know.

Special thanks to
--The TowBoatUS fleet for supplying B-roll video footage

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[toddturowski]

as another note; once did the right-to-passage forgetting of the plug. a guy at the launce said "i'm not trying to crack wise, but i think you forgot the plug" due to the water shooting from the bilge pump outlet. I was very grateful, because i never would have noticed and we had a boat full of people. never avoid telling someone, even if they get ticked at you..could save a boat.

[rannyrobertson]

Some years ago, I was at the helm of a 37' Richardson cabin cruiser in the middle of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay with 5 or 6 people on board when one or two of them moved from one side of the boat to the other and the engine stopped at the same time. I asked them to move to the other side so I could open the hatch to check the bilge and the other engine stopped. I found that the water coolant line from the engine to the exhaust pipe had come loose at a joint and the engine coolant water was being pumped into the bilge and shorted each battery as we moved people from one side to the other. Well with both engines now dead no more water was flowing in but we had considerable water in the bilge. I had repaired the connection and the USCG vessel dropped a hose into the bilge, and we were dry in about a minute. It would have taken our bilge pumps hours to do the same. All turned out well thanks to the USCG.

[erickmartinez]

The presentation was excellent, providing valuable information. While boats can sink at times, the issue often arises from being reactive rather than proactive. This leads to infrequent checks of our bilge pumps. With various boat remote monitoring systems like Siren Marine or Locmarine available, avoiding this problem should be simple.

[fredpayne]

On my Bristol 35.5 sloop in installed all new seacocks right after purchase, wired a bung to each one, and put a rubber mallet in easy reach. I exercise the seacocks every couple of months. I installed a Whale Gusher10 manual bilge pump at the helm and a 2000gph automatic bilge pump. The old 350gph automatic pump is still in place and always on auto for safety at the dock. Our harbormaster patrols the dock daily and will call if anything is amiss. I visit my boat at least once a week and always check the bilge. I'll buy a tarp and attach lines for quick deployment.

[andrewgillis]

One thing you can do is to prepare by having the appropriate sized plugs for through hulls, and a small tarp (for hull breaches) on hand. In winter, drain any water inlets and close the valves. Always check those drain plugs. Twice. Do a haul out inspection as recommended. 😉

[toddturowski]

re-floored a tri hull years ago. because the boat is very low to the water, and we swam and got in an out of the boat while soaking wet, it was not unusual for the bilge pump to kick in...but the next handful of times out on the water we noticed the it kicking in more than usual and pumping more out than usual. after more careful inspection, i had cut a slit through the bottom of the boat while removing the old floor. you couldn't see it if the trailer bunks were blocking it. was only 1/8" 3" or so, but man that let the water in!! luckily never any issues though, and very easy fix. still have the boat and have re-floored it again since lol !!

[C_Dizzle]

A cracked baitwell pump casing about put my boat on the bottom of the lake during the very first time I had it out with the family. Thankful that the first thing I did after purchasing it was install a new bilge pump. Noticed it responding sluggish, stopped and noticed a filled ski locker. Booked it back to the ramp as the pump ran continuously. Got her on the trailer within a few minutes and haven’t had an issue since. Will NEVER forget it though!

[rickeyholtsclaw]

Thank you for mentioning a warning light connected to the bilge. I do believe it will be worth the time to wire a light to my auto bilge switch. Thanks again.

[rfenton]

I bought a new Beneteau flyer 9. It was delivered with a cracked fitting in the AC cooling water line and the through-hulls all open. I came down to my boat the next day to test the 120V systems on shore power and noticed the bilge pump running. Luckily the broken fitting held long enough to close the through-hull. When I loosened the hose clamp the fitting bard fell off. So I almost sank my boat at the dock within 24 hours of taking delivery. I am very against plastic barb fittings with female threaded connections. Plastic not great in tension when you tighten them. The folks at Beneteau put so much teflon tape on it that when they tightened the threaded wall cracked. Bronze fitting cost 5x as much, but your boat won't sink. The fitting walls on the bronze fitting are also about 4x thicker than the plastic one. Close your through-hulls when your boat is sitting at the dock. It is good to exercise them anyway so they don't freeze.

[robertkey]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but if one ever finds oneself in such a situation and plugging the hole isn’t an option, , don’t forget that grounding a boat on a sandy, muddy or gravely bottom is way better than sinking.

[jeremiebranton]

The top half of my bass boat hull separated from the bottom half. When I throttled up to get on a plane, the aft squatted, exposing the crack to water intrusion. I thought the plug came out. I beached the boat and let the bilge pump pump out the water. It wasn’t until the second time I attempted to get on plane that I realized what was going on. I got everyone except myself off the boat and trailered it. That’s how I ended up with a new boat.

[rodgersavory]

Recently had water filling the boat above the floor level, a few miles offshore, it didn't make any sense, but the bilge was working flat out for 15 minutes as we headed back to shore. 1 inch hose connected to the bilge. Up on the trailer we found a tiny 3/8 inch drill hole below the water line. Must of been an incorrectly filled hole where a fish finder was previously installed. The 40% figure is dead on real. The boat really was filling fast once the hull was full of water even though the hole was tiny.

[mikewelch]

Good information especially about how much faster water comes in when breach is below water line.

You said most boats sink at the dock. A slip neighbor's boat sunk a couple months ago, and ive heard other stories. Would like more information on how this happens and what to insoect to make sure it doesn't happen to me!

[pttoc]

I installed a @locmarine system.. Affordable and reliable...

[garywarlick]

I have a 2006 Sundancer 260. I left the marina and everything was fine. I got about 200 yards from marina and engine began cutting out. I headed back to marina and docked. When I opened the engine hatch I could see the hot water heater hose fitting had corroded and broken loose. This is the hose that circulates hot water from the engine. So as long as the engine was running it would continue to pump water into the bilge. It overwhelmed the bilge pump which then shorted out and tripped the breaker. I am lucky it happened so close to the marina! If I were more than a mile away the boat would have sunk in a couple of minutes. After that I disconnected the hose from the hot water heater. I don't need hot water when underway that bad!

[HarryHafsak]

A wild guess before the video starts. Does boats sinking have to do with them filling up with water?

[southerngs]

Excellent presentation, but when you wear those shades, you really prevent us from getting a full video experience of who you are.

[chezreagan]

Captain Obvious. I gotta get one of those jobs.