Scary few moments

[maintenanceguy]

Last weekend, we were out in the salt marsh on my boat. I was heading to the bay and traveling close to 30mph as we wound our way around the many bends and turns in the salt marsh creek. I throttled down for a sharp turn and my son noticed a lot of water flow forward to the bow of the boat. He said "Dad, there's water in the boat". I turned around and the stern of the boat had several inches of water in it.

I stopped and started frantically digging around looking for the source of water. Water was flowing out from under the battery. I keep a full tool kit on the boat but removing the battery to find the leak would take time. We were about 5 miles from the ramp. I decided to try to make it back to the ramp.

I announced that I was heading back to the ramp and everyone should hold on. I flipped the switch for the bilge pump and pushed the shift lever to full throttle. I was scanning the marsh trying to come up with a strategy to ditch the boat in the reeds if it started getting too low in the water.

My wife then spotted the issue. When under way, water was spraying up from the motor and coming over the transom - a lot of water. I stopped again to reassess the problem.

Turned out not to be the emergency I thought it was. We had been traveling for several miles with reeds wrapped around the motor. Water was being deflected up and over the transom by the bundle of stuck reeds. When I had stopped, water was still running down the inside of the transom behind the battery box. That looked to me like water coming up from under the battery.

It took only a few minutes for the bilge pump to empty out the boat and for me to get the reeds unwrapped from the motor. We continued on and had a nice day on the water.

But for a few minutes I was panicked.

Some take away:

• We always wear our life vests while underway. I've had times when I considered not doing that. I'll continue to do it now.
• I boat where there are very few other boats. If we did have a problem we're on our own.
• I have a VHF radio and each of us is usually carrying a cell phone. Cell coverage isn't great but one of our phones should work in an emergency - until the boat sinks and the VHF radio and all of our cell phones are under water. I don't really have this issue figured out yet.

 

[DaleH]

Glad you are safe!

Consider getting one of those waterproof bags for 1 or 2 of the cell phones, you can even use them through the bag! The ones for the youngest one even has a ‘life jacket’ feature attached to it, to keep it afloat.

That’s what I insist my kids use when they are on the boat ... or else the phones get put away in my boat bag.

On bigger boats I always run a Johnson brand ‘high water’ bilge alarm! Or on any boat that has a solid floor where you can’t see into the bilge easily.

 

[jethro]

I have my critical paperwork, a survival and first aid kit and VHF in a waterproof Pelican box that is in a very easy to access hatch. If the boat is going down, I plan on making that the one thing I need to grab.

 

[DaleH]

I have my critical paperwork, a survival and first aid kit and VHF in a waterproof Pelican box that is in a very easy to access hatch. If the boat is going down, I plan on making that the one thing I need to grab.

Good idea!

FWIW I use the floating ACR Ditch Bags myself, only $25 here, albeit it appears to be new but old stock: https://www.ebay.com/itm/ACR-RapiDitch-Express-Bag/193636556580.

As in simulated USCG water tests, bags were easier to maneuver and get things out of vs. hard boxes, at least without losing other items. Even cheap nylon/foam/collapsible 'coolers' can make an inexpensive floating survival bag for a small boat - I'd just suggest getting a bright color. FWIW the Glostah Mass Coasties had a great orientation day for lubbers like us years ago ... to test and try out various safety gear, like even trying to don an offshore survival suit in < 2-minutes, whilst in the ccccold water no less.
.

 

[jrl5678]

Still kitting out the boat. A soft dry bag with a water radio and a dry phone. Adding those to the list.

 

[jethro]

As in simulated USCG water tests, bags were easier to maneuver and get things out of vs. hard boxes, at least without losing other items.

That makes sense. A box would be more cumbersome. I had only been using it to keep all that stuff bone dry on my boat while it sits outdoors all season. Might have to go the soft bag route instead.