Why Boats Sink

[Beefer]

Good article.

 

[Lakes84]

Re: Why Boats Sink

VERY very good article....If you don't mind, I'm going to repost this on a forum FULL of fisherman who think a 17 foot boat is perfectly safe on Lake Erie

Joe

 

[Beefer]

Re: Why Boats Sink

Feel free, it's not mine to say no, and I'm sure the author wouldn't mind.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Why Boats Sink

Good article but I would say that most small boats have more positive floatation per size of the hull than larger boats do. Large ones sink just as fast sometimes. But everything else he said spot on.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Why Boats Sink

VERY very good article....If you don't mind, I'm going to repost this on a forum FULL of fisherman who think a 17 foot boat is perfectly safe on Lake Erie

Joe

You can fish in a row boat on lake Erie!

... you just can't very far from shore.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Why Boats Sink

VERY very good article....If you don't mind, I'm going to repost this on a forum FULL of fisherman who think a 17 foot boat is perfectly safe on Lake Erie

Joe

I've been on Erie when it went from dead calm to 5' rollers in less than half an hour.

 

[Lakes84]

Re: Why Boats Sink

Yeah, I think we get more wind up here, at least it seems that way. I don't venture far from shore when the weather is bad, even in a 21 ft fiberglass. The waves are not unlike off shore fishing I have done off of Virginia. Pretty scary at times.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Why Boats Sink

Back in the early '70's neighbor across the street lost his boat in a lake of about 20,000 acres consisting of arms in a V formation. The boat was a 15' fiberglas tri-hull. There were 3 occupants and their plan was to pull up to a tree, tie off, and do some crappie fishing. The wind was running 15-20 mile area running right up the leg of the V that they were on which is usual around here...rough and for me too much wind to go out and have fun...my boat and I stayed home that day.

Apparently they had a problem getting tied off as he was at the helm and both his buddies wound up in the bow (open bow with front seats as was popular on the tri-hull)....essentially all 3 were forward.

A big wave came right over the bow and the boat went down.

They were rescued but the boat was never found. Now, did it pop up later and a local scavenger made it home with his "prize" who knows.

So, even with USCG approved foam, things can happen.

Mark

 

[Maclin]

Re: Why Boats Sink

That is a good article. It mentions that a small boat needs a large capacity bilge pump even more than the larger boats as the smaller one fills up faster, and I think that cannot be stressed enough. That concept seemed odd to me when I came across it as I was researching bilge pump upgrades a few years ago. It becomes clearer once the "fills up faster" sinks in .

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Why Boats Sink

Back in the early '70's neighbor across the street lost his boat in a lake of about 20,000 acres consisting of arms in a V formation. The boat was a 15' fiberglas tri-hull. There were 3 occupants and their plan was to pull up to a tree, tie off, and do some crappie fishing. The wind was running 15-20 mile area running right up the leg of the V that they were on which is usual around here...rough and for me too much wind to go out and have fun...my boat and I stayed home that day.

Apparently they had a problem getting tied off as he was at the helm and both his buddies wound up in the bow (open bow with front seats as was popular on the tri-hull)....essentially all 3 were forward.

A big wave came right over the bow and the boat went down.

They were rescued but the boat was never found. Now, did it pop up later and a local scavenger made it home with his "prize" who knows.

So, even with USCG approved foam, things can happen.

Mark

Yeah but all that means is a- the foam was removed or waterlogged already or b- the three of them and there gear was more than the boat was rated for. If they were within the capacities of the boat and the boat was in good order it would have swamped but it would have still floated under them or near by them if they fell out.

Chriscraft254 makes a great point. I think it was on here a year or so ago on here there was a guy telling about how quick a 60' MY went down under him and his son in one of the great lakes.