Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Sinking Boat- AAR (After Action Review)


Chappy

Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, bovhica said:

I had a buddy there watching from the parking lot above the ramp.  He pulled his boat out before the wind got bad and was in the process of wiping it down.  He said by the time he got down there to help the people were safe and boat was sunk.  He said he talked to the driver/owner and was told they had a "ballast" malfunction.  Pretty obvious it was due to brain malfunction?!"  They are lucky no one got injured or worse.  So many things wrong with that video!  Knowing no one was hurt, I only feel bad for the dog and the boat!

Yeah, a lot more going on there that just a ballast malfunction!

Link to comment
1 hour ago, minnmarker said:

That's why I have an over-the-side cigarette plug pump on the boat in case the plumbed-in system craps out for some reason.

That won't help for any built in ballast tanks.  It would be a terrible time to have the front ballast not drain.  

It won't hurt the bilge pumps to run dry intermittently, good call on just turning them on until you notice they are still on when you are wiping down the boat (or when you pull it into the garage).  

I think the guy in the front at the 7 minute mark was trying to put a bumper on the front cleat.  I like to think that was temporary and he was then going to the back.  

Link to comment

Looking at it one more time, I'm pretty sure they were intentionally spraying the boat.  You can only see the 3 guys in the boat when he is idling around, and one of them seems to be spread out over the midship seating like he's covering the girls from water while the driver and the VAB up front are screwing around.  Then out pop the two girls when everything is falling apart.

Link to comment
12 hours ago, minnmarker said:

That's why I have an over-the-side cigarette plug pump on the boat in case the plumbed-in system craps out for some reason.

This saved a friend of mine's boat. He had an old tige that sheared a prop shaft off while running and it was gushing water. They ended up stuffing it with a towel and using the ballast pump to keep up with the rest of the in-flow while they got towed.

Link to comment
1 hour ago, boardjnky4 said:

This saved a friend of mine's boat. He had an old tige that sheared a prop shaft off while running and it was gushing water. They ended up stuffing it with a towel and using the ballast pump to keep up with the rest of the in-flow while they got towed.

Like many, I have added an extra reversible pump for on the bow ballast triangle bag.  I set up a quick connect system that allows me primarily to remove the bag and the tubing as my boat does not have the recessed cup holders area.  This also allows me to keep a piece of ballast tubing on the boat that is long enough to reach from my bow quick connect to the forward area of the bilge.  Being that my boat only has one rear bilge pump, this is a great way to be able to quickly be able to set up a powerful pump to remove excess water.  Did it once in a non-emergency setting when my wife idled through my rollers with the 1k triangle nearly full on top of stock and pnp in the bow.

Something to consider for others with the reversible pumps available.

Link to comment

Another option to set up is a home made flush pro, with a valve that shuts off the raw water from under the boat to a hose connected inside the boat.  Somebody else did it on this site so I did the same, it's as quick as lift the engine cover, turn the ball valve 90 degrees, remove the cap from the 18" hose section and let it fall back to the bilge and now you are pumping water out of the bilge via the raw water pump, which can pump a LOT of water.  If you are swamped and lost engine power, obviously this is not going to work.

Link to comment

One thing I've found works that nobody has mentioned is use the Wedge in this situation to help keep the bow up.  You don't even need to be making surfing speeds to get a bow lift with the Wedge.

Link to comment

I've been at this game for many years...I don't think I would be willing to attempt it.  I would either wait it out, or drop my wife off and let her pick me up at a different boat ramp.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment

All people to the back of the boat. Lifejackets on and slow plow. (you are in a boat who cares if you get wet) with the nose up until the bilge does its job, if it is working. The bilge in this era boat is SSLLOOWW!. He had plenty of time to do this. But they were to afraid of getting wet. Look at them hiding under the windshield.

Waves like those are not uncommon where we boat. It can be perfectly smooth no wind, turn a corner and blam, a yacht or a couple boats have gone by with winds and we end up with this.

I have been a situation like this. 4th of July Mandeville at the delta. Lots of water fights, people in the front of the boat, Lots of water from the water fights in the boat. There are people with fire hoses running under the water, when you get close they spray you. The water goes to the front of the boat and stays there. I know my in my 07 the water had to be about 2" from the ski locker cover before the bilge would come on. The front of these boats needs to come way up for the bilge to work and with the bilge being slow it needs to remain up for a long time.  I highly recommend any one with one of the older boats add a second bilge by the front drain plug, as that is the low spot in these boats.

I came out of the fun area and into an area where all the yachts are going by, and the wind, into waves about like these. I had about 8 People in the boat and some of them were 250Lb guys. When I got to the area with open water where I could get the nose up, I slowly accelerated. Well, with  how much water was in the front, and people.  It drove the front down. AND STAYED DOWN. I slowed down and it stayed down. With an inch of water coming over the front. I thought ok its going to come up, its going to come up. It didn't.  I finally got the front up by accelerating harder.  Yes, I accelerated into the wall of water coming over the front of the boat. If I had not, I feel it would have gone down. In hindsight I probably should have accelerated harder and faster at the beginning. All of this happened in probably less than 2 seconds.  As I had just came out of smooth water I still had people in the front of the boat. Once I got it plowing I continued plowing and moved the people all the way to the back.  It happened very quick. And the only place to recover away form anchored boats was across the main channel with all the yachts passing by. Once I got the front of the boat up I headed straight across the channel for smother water and did not stop plowing until the bilge stopped. It took at least 15-20 mins of plowing for the bilge to finish. Then we returned with a boat that was floating much higher in the water.

This was the same weekend we watched a beautiful Response sink,  because people were to stupid to wait a couple hours for the wind to quit. They towed that Response straight out into rough water.

Link to comment
3 hours ago, UWSkier said:

One thing I've found works that nobody has mentioned is use the Wedge in this situation to help keep the bow up.  You don't even need to be making surfing speeds to get a bow lift with the Wedge.

I went on an early birthday trip with my SSLXI one year, it was mid April and windy.  I knew there was good water around the corner but the wind was blowing strait up the ramp, close to or the same wind waves as in this video.  We actually put the wedge down on the trailer (manual wedge).  I had 8 people. Launched with waves splashing over the back. Everyone getting soaked and took a couple small rollers over the front getting out of the no wake zone but nothing serious. We found some good water and had a blast for a few hours.  Pretty sure I was 1 of 4 boats on the lake that day - That probably should have been a hint not to launch in the first place... Time to load up cold wet and miserable, dropped my buddy off to get the truck and trailer.  I had the wind strait at my back which helped and I got it on the trailer first shot about as well as the yellow wakeboat in the video. We got a bunch of compliments from the lake staff as we were leaving about how very few people who visit that the lake would have been able to do that. 

That all being said and experience I gained doing it, I will not ever go out in something like that again if I have a choice. If I don't have a choice, at least I know how my boat handles situations like that. Nose up, slow and keep going.

As others have mentioned, I also keep a spare cig lighter ballast pump and my reversible has a hose on the diverter that I use as a backup bilge. I use quite that often when I get back to camp from a long set or get the last bit of water out on the trailer.

Sad day for that XTI, obviously plenty of things to learn from.

 

Link to comment
33 minutes ago, Sparky450 said:

All people to the back of the boat. Lifejackets on and slow plow. (you are in a boat who cares if you get wet) with the nose up until the bilge does its job, if it is working. The bilge in this era boat is SSLLOOWW!. He had plenty of time to do this. But they were to afraid of getting wet. Look at them hiding under the windshield.

Waves like those are not uncommon where we boat. It can be perfectly smooth no wind, turn a corner and blam, a yacht or a couple boats have gone by with winds and we end up with this.

I have been a situation like this. 4th of July Mandeville at the delta. Lots of water fights, people in the front of the boat, Lots of water from the water fights in the boat. There are people with fire hoses running under the water, when you get close they spray you. The water goes to the front of the boat and stays there. I know my in my 07 the water had to be about 2" from the ski locker cover before the bilge would come on. The front of these boats needs to come way up for the bilge to work and with the bilge being slow it needs to remain up for a long time.  I highly recommend any one with one of the older boats add a second bilge by the front drain plug, as that is the low spot in these boats.

I came out of the fun area and into an area where all the yachts are going by, and the wind, into waves about like these. I had about 8 People in the boat and some of them were 250Lb guys. When I got to the area with open water where I could get the nose up, I slowly accelerated. Well, with  how much water was in the front, and people.  It drove the front down. AND STAYED DOWN. I slowed down and it stayed down. With an inch of water coming over the front. I thought ok its going to come up, its going to come up. It didn't.  I finally got the front up by accelerating harder.  Yes, I accelerated into the wall of water coming over the front of the boat. If I had not, I feel it would have gone down. In hindsight I probably should have accelerated harder and faster at the beginning. All of this happened in probably less than 2 seconds.  As I had just came out of smooth water I still had people in the front of the boat. Once I got it plowing I continued plowing and moved the people all the way to the back.  It happened very quick. And the only place to recover away form anchored boats was across the main channel with all the yachts passing by. Once I got the front of the boat up I headed straight across the channel for smother water and did not stop plowing until the bilge stopped. It took at least 15-20 mins of plowing for the bilge to finish. Then we returned with a boat that was floating much higher in the water.

This was the same weekend we watched a beautiful Response sink,  because people were to stupid to wait a couple hours for the wind to quit. They towed that Response straight out into rough water.

That's a really good point, regarding the front bilge pump.

Another pro-tip. If you're bow is "stuck" down and you think you're going to take a roller, put the boat in reverse. It allows the roller to approach your bow at a slower speed and go under the boat. It also avoids jarringly slamming a boat full of people through a large wake. Then, when you get a lull in the action, accelerate and get your bow up.

Check out this video, bow completely submerged, boat saved. Of course, doesn't work as well if you're getting hit with more wakes on the stern. But at least there you have engine covers to divert some water.

 

Link to comment
On 3/15/2019 at 10:51 AM, boardjnky4 said:

That's a really good point, regarding the front bilge pump.

Another pro-tip. If you're bow is "stuck" down and you think you're going to take a roller, put the boat in reverse. It allows the roller to approach your bow at a slower speed and go under the boat. It also avoids jarringly slamming a boat full of people through a large wake. Then, when you get a lull in the action, accelerate and get your bow up.

Check out this video, bow completely submerged, boat saved. Of course, doesn't work as well if you're getting hit with more wakes on the stern. But at least there you have engine covers to divert some water.

 

Not that I want to try it but how did he get the bow to dip like that?  I have done many a bat turn in my day and have never had the bow drop below the waterline line that.

Edited by Chappy
Link to comment
23 hours ago, Chrisjjbrown said:

Reminder - if you start to take water over the bow slam the boat in reverse. 

 

So many things wrong.... his boat appears loaded with ballast or lead as well, let alone his wreck less driving.  King of the power turn in high winds and white caps doesn't normally end well.

so many people don't understand the savior of reverse... I had a scenario where the bow was completely under, water came over windshield and I slammed reverse until nose came up, engine off, bilge on.. water was up in boat but no damage and enjoyed the rest of the day. I was fully ballasted with no rider (getting ready to put one in water further upstream), 2 boats in front of me (one stopped, one pulling a rider) I came off plane as the stopped boat just took rollers over the back.. had boat in gear, watching that boat then the mayhem hit (went through roller of the other boat). Not blaming anyone but myself for not paying attention to all surroundings and fixating on the one issue (other boat taking on rollers).

Link to comment
On 3/14/2019 at 1:56 PM, boardjnky4 said:

Yes, find a sheltered area. Trying to get on a trailer in those conditions is ROUGH.

If you must get off the water, bow up with throttle, people in the back of the boat. IF you have lead, move it back. If you have taken water on, get the bow of the boat up and get the bilge working.

I have been caught in some real fun ones.. Don't put your trailer all the way in.. Go half way in and it is way easier.. once boat hits bunks, then start backing tow vehicle while moving forward with boat... no issues.

Link to comment
On 3/15/2019 at 3:02 PM, Chappy said:

Not that I want to try it but how did he get the bow to dip like that?  I have done many a bat turn in my day and have never had the bow drop below the waterline line that.

Not sure how he did it with a direct drive but here is a guy I know doing it in his seadoo boat. 
For the jet boats if you throw it in revers the reverse buckets downforce shoves the stern up forcing the bow down. 

 



Maybe they were trying to do this?

 

Link to comment

Laughing at the comments about the dog.  I have a wuss dog (small kids is my excuse), but still see the humor.   

I have a place on a reservoir that is downwind from the mountains.  Our boat launch is directly down wind from the main part of the lake.  We see this weather all the time.

Drop weight where you can, move most to the back, nose into the wind and ride it out. 

Most of those wind storms peak in the mid afternoon and die off.  If you are inexperienced, wait it out.  Or stay off the lake from 2-5pm.

Otherwise comments above (including put on life jackets) are good...45 degree into the trailer about 2 boat lengths out  is a great approach to hit the trailer...you only get one shot!

I watch people wreck props etc all the time when it's windy.  Heart breaking.   Most get the back of the boat pushed to port and try to reverse...not enough thrust to fight the wind/waves so they spin around.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...