[C320-list] We nearly sank....

[John Morrison]

I close all thru hulls whenever off the boat cheap insurance! Always close the propane tank valve, same reason. There are safely systems yes, but even space vehicles fail and they’re super engineered!!
JohnM 
1999#574

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 13, 2021, at 8:18 AM, Dennis Cookson <dennis at cooksons.net> wrote:
> 
> eacocks every time I leave the boat though, plus the raw water intake and the one under the galley sink.
> 
> Dennis
> #577  “Catalina"
> 
> 
> 
>> On 12 Jun 2021, at 22:18, Graeme Clark <cg at skyflyer.co.uk> wrote:
>> 
>> ... well, not quite but it could have been
>> 
>> Long story shorter... at anchor for a while and went below to light gas stove.  I then noticed the light indicating the bilge pump running, but it didn’t stop.  I pulled up the bilge cover to find the water almost up to the cabin sole.
>> 
>> Shut off all the seacocks  checked sterngland. Nothing obvious. I was fairly sure it wasnt engine related as the engine had been shut some time, but first issue was to pump out
>> 
>> A quick look over the stern showed a less than expected flow from the bilge outflow.  I put my hand into the bilge ( I had fitted a Rule 700gph pump in place of original Catalina fit diaphragm pump) and found a lot of debris blocking the inlet. More about this later.
>> 
>> I decided to “help things along” with the manual bilge pump. That was a bad idea for two reasons. Firstly when the bilge pump handle is down it cuts off the outlet for the electric pump.  Secondly - in my specific case, it simply didn’t work.  I hate to confess this but I don’t think I have ever tested my manual bilge pump! I guess somewhere a diaphragm or hose is split.  So we let the electric pump do the work.
>>