Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

[BigDog98]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

that makes no sense at all.

anyway, water never hurt a boat; it's accumated water that doesn't drain that kills them, on land and at sea.

It is essential either to have an open drain plug or a functioning bilge pump on a float switch, and the latter is too fragile to rely on when the boat is on the hard.

The bilge pump was on. The weather was so cold that when the ice turned into water and made its way into the boat because it was so cold in the boat it turned into ice as soon as it got to the bilge. Other wise my bilge pump should have taken care of it. But the investigation is still ongoing on how the water got there in the first place.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

I had the same exact thing happen to me many years ago on our 24ft searay weekender. Put an electric heater in and it will melt the ice. The ice did no damage to anything on our boat and it was halfway up the engine.

 

[BigDog98]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

I had the same exact thing happen to me many years ago on our 24ft searay weekender. Put an electric heater in and it will melt the ice. The ice did no damage to anything on our boat and it was halfway up the engine.

For how long should i put the heater in there? I mean i don't want the boat to catch fire. And thanks for giving me hope.

 

[Fun Times]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

But the investigation is still ongoing on how the water got there in the first place.

That's should be an easy one to figure out. As I recall last year when you drained the engine, you never was able to get all the water out of the boat due to you gave up on getting the drain plug out against our better advice.

If your battery is low or dead, then your bilge pump is not going to work properly.

Don't forget you still have a lot of work ahead of you to get your engine running properly as you are still down on lots of power.

Good luck.

 

[pckeen]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

Damaged boat? No idea at this point - too early to tell. You may be just fine.

Don't beat the ice. That will damage the boat. The blows from the beater will be transmitted to the hull, stressing it further, and with the ice frozen into the floor of the boat, you may start beating chunks out of it.

Get the plug out so that water can drain when it begins to melt. If you can't beat it out, you might try drilling it, but you will have to be careful not to drill the surrounding fiberglass or aluminum.

An electric heater should have a thermostat, switching it off if it gets too hot.

If the heater isn't enough to melt the ice, get the boat out of where it is and put it in a heated garage or heated storage. If you leave it at this time of year, there will be both melts and thaws, which means the ice in your boat will be repeatedly partly melting then freezing, which will place additional & repeated stresses on your hull and components.

Once you have charged or replaced the battery & replaced the oil in the engine, look for corroded connections before you think about replacing the starter. Check for leaking oil - your oil pan may have been cracked or damaged. Jasoutside bought an engine that your problem had happened to - there was a horrendous knocking noise when he started the engine - turned out the oil pan had been warped upwards, so the pistons were hitting it repeatedly when the motor ran (it was a cheap fix - all that was required was a oil pan replacement) - the motor was fine otherwise.

Water sitting in a boat will often corrode the connections - taking apart the connectors, and sanding them till you get bright metal may be the fix. Don't start replacing components like the starter until you have checked that.

Good luck!

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

bilge pumps don't work in freezing temps unless the water all comes in suddenly... otherwise you get 1/4" of water that can't be pumped out and freezes solid locking up the impeller of the pump... then another 1/4" and so on.....

don't bother trying to chip out the ice... as it melts it will drain... the carpet and floor are already saturated... that is a done deal... take a drill and a 1" hole saw with you and if you can't properly remove the plug DRILL A HOLE IN THE BOAT.... As scary as that sounds you can easily epoxy the hole later but but right now your patient in in cardiac arrest and you are fighting to save her life.... MAKE SURE that as the ice melts it can drain... ALSO make sure you drill a hole through the ice to your drain hole... the absolute last thing you want is melting and re-freezing cycles.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

bilge pumps don't work in freezing temps unless the water all comes in suddenly... otherwise you get 1/4" of water that can't be pumped out and freezes solid locking up the impeller of the pump... then another 1/4" and so on.....
.

also the float can freeze down then additional water freezes on top of it--one reason I say the bilge pump is too fragile a system to rely on for an unattended boat (one you can't check on at any time, and don't check on weekly). But even a garboard polug hole can get blocked by something like a leaf and same probem--which is why you have to check on them.

 

[BigDog98]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

Well my plan for next weekend is to take the plug out. The way i will do it is by taking out those Philips screws at the plug and just replace it with a new one. My only question is what do you guys mean by garboard polug? Where is that located?

 

[DBreskin]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

My only question is what do you guys mean by garboard polug? Where is that located?

Let me google that for you

 

[superbenk]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

Check the wood in the transom in the plug hole while you have the plug mount out. Hopefully it's nice & dry. Note, it's probably installed with adhesive in addition to the screws & might be hard to get off.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

Well that really sucks man, but i agree with most of the reply's, you gota get her thawed out and drained first and foremost... asap. Maybe one of those electric/oil heaters stuck in there will help... From personal experience with a starter that's been even partially submerged, its done now. You might get a few cranks out of it, maybe, but it will REALLY suck to be out somewhere on the water this summer and it finally quits on you..

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

here is the fist thread... personally I think they should be merged

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

http://forums.iboats.com/boat-topic...rain-plug-seized-help-633657.html#post4435274

oops forgot to paste it... for some reason I've lost the ability to edit my posts

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

Since the other thread has expired, we probably wont merge them. Sounds like he has a plan to get the plug out..... This thread mainly deals with the water intrusion/ice issue.......

 

[Alumarine]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

Insurance should cover the damage and repairs.

 

[BigDog98]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

Insurance should cover the damage and repairs.

HAHAHA, Insurance. I have no insurance on a 1991 boat. Makes no sense to get one in my opinion.

 

[BigDog98]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)


Will this type heater work? Ans should i have more then one going?
Also my main problem is that i cant visit the boat much mainly because its located like a hour away.

 

[BigDog98]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

I honestly done know how to go with the heater. I am afraid that if its kept in there too long then the heat my damage something. Also the gas-tank is very close by the engine as well.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

All canvas cover leak. The only way we could be sure boats in the storage yard stayed dry inside was to shrink wrap them in plastic. And we still leave the plugs out of them, just in case of a leak.

Get the plug out and wait for the thaw.

The ice is deep enough it has locked the flywheel. The flywheel teeth submerged in ice will not let it turn. You could link 2 batteries into 24 V and still won't turn it until it thaws. Don't try it, you will smoke wiring. Simply wait for the thaw.

An oil dipstick heater is worthless, as they have to be so hot to do anything they just burn some of the oil.

One of the magnetic base oil pan heaters may help to warm the engine oil, but nothing really for all of your ice.

One of the long baseboard style oil filled heaters may be your best course. They don't get hot enough to start a fire, that I know of, they do put out upto 1500 watts heat. Leave the canvas covers on tightly to keep the heat contained. If you can park the boat inside, or at least under shelter so the canvas isn't exposed to the nighttime sky, that will help keep the temperature up and assist melting.

Once thawed out and drained, place small fan(s) on the boat to help keep air moving to speed drying. Leave canvas partially open on decent days for venting.

Your boat is going to be fine. Finding a foot of ice is more traumatic to the owner than it is to the boat. If the starter was even partially submerged, it will need to come apart and be treated. Cleaned, dried in an oven for a couple of hours at 250F. Cooled and possibly recoated in spray lacquer to prevent/reduce the chance of future rusting. Reclean the commutator and brushes, lube and reassemble. Bench test with a battery.

I've seen boats with far more ice in them and all's' well. Then again, I've seen some that crushed the trailers. An aluminum boat the was destroyed, the hull wrapped partially around the crushed trailer rails.

I wouldn't be afraid of a foot in yours.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Total Mayhem At The Boat!! (Totally Screwed)

There's been some good advice in this thread, I'd be careful about using a heater, esp anywhere near the engine compartment, because normal residential heaters are not ignition protected, if there is a gas leak or just fumes it could cause an explosion. Sorry to be blunt but you now have to spend some money...as in....get it in heated storage, get the plug out and for crying out loud, GET INSURANCE.....WHAT WILL YOU DO IF SOMEONE GETS HURT ON YOUR BOAT? At the bare minimum you need liability insurance if someone gets hurt. If it sinks, you will get hit for a gas and oil clean up bill that will potentially bankrupt you.