My Seacock Disaster Story
My first year on the job, my first Miami Boat Show, and the editor in charge of training me tells me to jump into the engine compartment to check out the twin diesel configuration. I oblige, literally jumping into the hatch, only to hear a crack under my feet. I look down to see water rushing into the bilge at an alarming rate. I had landed my jump on top of a plastic seacock that cracked on impact. “Ummm…guys?” I pleaded to the editor and boat builder, who were on deck discussing the boat’s features. That marked the first time a boat builder swore at me.
Thankfully he had a Leatherman and quick feet. He jumped into the bilge and jammed in the multi-tool and gave it a twist. The water slowed to a tiny trickle and he was able to save his boat from sinking.
This all went down in a 30-second span, while the boat was still tied safely in its slip. What if it happened offshore? What would be your plan?
The best thing you can do is plan before you even head offshore. For a quick plug, fashion wooden “bungs” to match the diameter of all your vessel’s seacocks and affix them nearby each one with fishing line or a small-diameter tether so you’ll know where they are when you need them.
On a big enough boat, you can install aftermarket crash pumps to handle volumes of water that exceed your bilge pump’s capacity. Or you can fit your engines with bypass valves that let them work as crash pumps when activated.
Otherwise, look for a quick way to plug the leak enough to let your bilge pump do the work. Wad up a t-shirt, try a length of dock line, anything. If you have one, yeah I know, try the multi-tool.
