After a severe storm here in Germany my 14 feet fishing boat with a double-walled glass fibre hull sank down to the ground, as the waves came over the board. As it was not so deep something stuck out, so that I could lift the boat pretty easy, by scooping out the water. However, I must assume that the boat hit the ground up and down for several hours. The out-boarder was also loose and almost fell into the water. The ground on this place was only sand, without any stones, so I hope the hull is intact, but I am not sure.
Now the boat floats again, but there is water in the space between the two hull shells. It floats, but the bow is deeper than the stern and I can feel the water between the shells when I walk and the boat cannot glide anymore, which never was a problem before. I never had problems with this 5-year-old Turkish Safter 450 boat before. Tomorrow, I will slip the boat out with my trailer and try to get rid of the water. In the stern locker, where the bilge is, there is a screw which allows access to the open space. I could get out some water there, but I cannot get rid of the rest, which seems to be quite a substantial amount. I also do not know, if there is some foam between the shells, which could maybe delay the procedure. In any case the hull is not completely covered with foam.
My question is: Do I have to fear that there is a leak in the outer hull, or is it normal that water can come in between the shells, taking into account that the whole boat including all lockers was full of water for several hours? Or should a class C boat (for coastal waters according to European regulation) don?t allow this at all. Some time ago I had installed a few things and putting screws through the inner and outer shell, but nothing substantial (I always used marine sealing stuff) and I had never problems like this before. Furthermore, the fact, that there is an opening with a screw inside the bilge which allows access to the space tells me that the engineers who constructed it, at least considered it possible that water can come in, otherwise the whole would be useless. The question is only if this is intended for less amounts.
I am also a bit concerned, as I have to drive over the lake to the slipping ramp.
What do you think? Thanks for any comments
Now the boat floats again, but there is water in the space between the two hull shells. It floats, but the bow is deeper than the stern and I can feel the water between the shells when I walk and the boat cannot glide anymore, which never was a problem before. I never had problems with this 5-year-old Turkish Safter 450 boat before. Tomorrow, I will slip the boat out with my trailer and try to get rid of the water. In the stern locker, where the bilge is, there is a screw which allows access to the open space. I could get out some water there, but I cannot get rid of the rest, which seems to be quite a substantial amount. I also do not know, if there is some foam between the shells, which could maybe delay the procedure. In any case the hull is not completely covered with foam.
My question is: Do I have to fear that there is a leak in the outer hull, or is it normal that water can come in between the shells, taking into account that the whole boat including all lockers was full of water for several hours? Or should a class C boat (for coastal waters according to European regulation) don?t allow this at all. Some time ago I had installed a few things and putting screws through the inner and outer shell, but nothing substantial (I always used marine sealing stuff) and I had never problems like this before. Furthermore, the fact, that there is an opening with a screw inside the bilge which allows access to the space tells me that the engineers who constructed it, at least considered it possible that water can come in, otherwise the whole would be useless. The question is only if this is intended for less amounts.
I am also a bit concerned, as I have to drive over the lake to the slipping ramp.
What do you think? Thanks for any comments
