Undeniably Double Trouble

We had a sport fishing charter boat sink in the small boat harbor this last week. The vessel Double Trouble seems aptly named now. After insuring there was no risk from oil pollution by placing an adsorbent boom around the boat, harbor personnel removed the vessel from the water.

An investigation revealed the failure of a flexible bilge pump hose connected to a thru hull fitting located a couple inches above the waterline at the stern of the vessel. Once the weight of a recent snowfall forced the boat lower in the water, the broken hose allowed water to enter the boat.

More information on damage control and the maintenance of thru-hull fittings is in the article titled Thru-hull Fitting Emergencies. A few hints include:

• Install thru-hull fittings made of corrosion resistant material
• Use a quality marine sealant during installation
• Replace existing hose clamps with new corrosion resistant clamps annually.
• Use two clamps at a time on the thru-hull fitting.
• Inspect thru-hull fittings every few months.

Tags: Boating Safety, Vessel Maintenance, Damage Control

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