[C320-list] WARNING - My boat almost sunk!!

[Jack Brennan]

So, just out of curiosity, I checked my anchor locker drain hose while getting ready for a trip this weekend. 
An earlier poster is correct. Just four screws after you remove the cushions in the V berth. 

The hose is original, but good quality, wire-reinforced. I could find no evidence of drips, stains, mold, etc. 

The through hull from the anchor locker was old and discolored plastic, but had no cracks or leaks. The through hull leading out is gleaming white, which leads me to suspect the P.O. had it replaced a few years ago during a haulout. Otherwise, it too should be discolored, especially because it is in the sun.

God, what a horror to have your boat fill up with water like that. I hope your insurance comes through for you. If there is a bright side, by the time you’re finished, you’ll have the insurance company paying for a fairly thorough refit. 

If the water got that high, I can think of a long list of items that should be on the claim. New cabin sole, cushions, all pumps, batteries, woodwork especially. Any wood that got soaked has the potential for rot and mold problems.

Good luck with the repairs.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.
Dolphin Cruising Club of Tampa Bay






Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Harry Juris
Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2019 8:30 AM
To: C320-List at catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] WARNING - My boat almost sunk!!

It occurs to me that most of the paneling and the shelf were swollen from
being partially submerged. That may be why we had to remove more than just
the one panel. As a side note, the drawers in th galley and under the
v-berth had filled with water and also swelled so they were difficult to
open and remove.

On Tue, Oct 15, 2019, 07:51 Ted Harrison <tharrison at innovations-plus.com>
wrote:

> You have to take the panel off in the V- berth. If I recall correctly it
> is held in place with 4 screws.
>
> I do no the think you have to remove the shelf or the panel above the
> shelf.
>
> Thanks for this heads up Harry. Hope all goes well.
>
> Ted Harrison
> Hull 424 1997
>
> > On Oct 14, 2019, at 11:07 PM, Scott Thompson <surprise at thompson87.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > I'm not sure what you mean by "totally isolated," but I'm pretty sure
> there is a hose on my 1999 boat #653. I can't imagine how the drain in the
> anchor locker would connect to the thruhull just above the water line
> without one. I've always thought this was a serious safety design flaw
> because the hose is difficult to access and inspect, and there is no
> seacock that can be closed. Harry's experience indicates that my fear is
> justified. I'll be very interested if anyone has thoughts on how to remedy
> this.
> >
> > Scott Thompson
> >
> >
> >> On 10/14/2019 9:00 PM, sail-ability at sympatico.ca wrote:
> >> Design must have changed after that. My boat has a totally isolated
> chain locker with drain on the bottom starboard just above the water line.
> There is no hose. Water could get into the locker if something was forcing
> the bow down.
> >> Good luck.
> >> JohnM
> >> 1999#574
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPhone
> >>
> >>> On Oct 14, 2019, at 8:52 PM, jackbrennan <jackbrennan at bellsouth.net>
> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Anyone know how to access this hose?
> >>>
> >>> Jack Brennan
> >>> Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
> >>> Tierra Verde, Fl.
> >>>
> >>> Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
> >>>
> >>>  On Mon, Oct 14, 2019 at 8:41 PM, Louis Spitz<aronella at gmail.com>
> wrote:   Wow, Harry, that totally sucks!! A hell of a way to learn such
> flaws. Hope everything works out for the best.
> >>> Lou
> >>> #195
> >>> Merry Chase
> >>>
> >>>> On Oct 14, 2019, at 8:23 PM, Harry Juris <harry at citron-too.com>
> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Polar Star is a 1998 C320, hull number 541 which I have owned since
> the late
> >>>> spring of 2014. She is kept on a mooring at the Nyack Boat Club in the
> >>>> Hudson River just north of the Tappan Zee Bridge. Last Saturday
> morning,
> >>>> 10/12/19, I received a phone call from one of my fellow club members
> saying
> >>>> that Polar Star was way down by the bow and they were on their way
> to  bring
> >>>> it to one of our docks. I got to the club about 45 minutes later just
> as
> >>>> they were securing her at the dock (having barged her in with one of
> our
> >>>> work boats) She was indeed down by the bow with the water about
> halfway to
> >>>> the deck. Going aboard I found that the water in the main cabin was
> halfway
> >>>> up the back rests of the settees.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> We have several high capacity pumps at the club and immediately
> started to
> >>>> pump her out. It took a number of hours to get the water below the
> cabin
> >>>> sole so we could start investigating what happened. After eliminating
> all
> >>>> other possibilities, we went to the V-berth and removed the paneling
> to get
> >>>> access to the anchor locker.  We found that the drain hose had split.
> The
> >>>> thru hull drain on the starboard side is just above the boot stripe
> and as
> >>>> the boat bobbed on a windy night, water started to back flow into the
> hose
> >>>> and then start accumulating in the bow at a rate greater than the
> limber
> >>>> holes could transfer it aft. This of course lowered the bow which
> >>>> accelerated the water intrusion.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> I will follow up later with a description and some pictures of the
> damage
> >>>> which appears to be extensive. The only good news so far is that
> because she
> >>>> was so far down by the bow, a preliminary inspection appears to show
> no
> >>>> water intrusion in the engine. It does appear that water did get in
> the
> >>>> transmission and I have already taken steps to try to protect that.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> It is a royal pain to get at access to that hose but I strongly advise
> >>>> anyone with an older boat to periodically inspect it. I am considering
> >>>> installing inspection access and possibly plugging that overboard
> discharge
> >>>> and running the drain further aft.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> Harry
> >>>>
> > --
> > Scott Thompson
> > Surprise, #653
> >
>