Quick repairs: Just Cruising by Keith Fleming

JUST CRUISING BY KEITH FLEMING

A hole in the boat is a major emergency that often can panic even the most composed of sailors.

Worst case scenario is damage below the water line, requiring immediate attention. But there are various scenarios and levels of severity. Breaching the hull after a bump in the marina or near help is much less severe (or life threatening) than water ingress on a remote coastal location or on passage. So when relying on your own resources you need to be prepared and have some items on hand to fix the problem. Looking at the two situations, the first hole could have been made by a crew member simply slipping on a worn skin fitting that snapped off. But if you were in the marina, help and auxiliary pumps would tidy things up easily. The second situation could happen when sailing along among islands and involve simply hitting a rock that punctures the bottom. Here you are relying on your own resources and need to have materials to stem the flow (such as plywood strips or cupboard doors).While most of us go through life without this occurring, it does happen to a number of sailors. So it’s best to be prepared.

It does not matter what material your hull is made from, you can have materials on hand to stop you from sinking. Even a steel hull can suffer holes from broken.

What materials might you have on board your boat to stem the ingress of water immediately and for the longer term until you get to port’ The first job is to stem the flow. A cushion is often the first thing at hand to cover a hole. You grab a cushion and stuff it in the hole and now you are stuck there holding it. Get someone else to hold the cushion while you find some backing like a piece of plywood, cutting board, or something else that provides a solid backing. Once the backing is in place you now need to fix it in position. This means using a prop, like a broom handle, against some bulkhead or hull frame. If the prop is not long enough you can pack it with books to give the required pressure. By now the panic should subside. Time to sit down and think through your situation. While remaining afloat you can apply some lateral thinking as to what to do next. Get on the radio and notify someone of your situation in a calm and concise manner. Having once contacted someone, don’t neglect them. Keep them informed every 12 hours or so. Then clean up. Can you get the water out of the hull? How far are you from serious services to repair the hole?

Substantial repairs
If you are far from home, you may have to make some semi-permanent repairs that will last many miles. I like to carry some dedicated items in the locker. To make a lasting repair, you will need to have a solid plate on the outside and the inside of the hull with a gasket under each plate with a nut and bolt through the middle. It is not difficult to carry these materials in a locker. You may even use aluminium plates with a bolt welded to one plate. Closed cell gaskets that will mould to the edges of the hole are also essential. The challenge is how to fix the plate and bolt in place. You may not be in a position to dive over the side and fit the plate. How would you do it’ If you cannot get in the water then you will have to make smart plans. One way is to use a small float, like a fishing float, a small bottle, a piece of wood, or even a balloon if you had one. It needs to fit through the hole from the inside and you attach a piece of cord to it to float it to the surface where it can be reached from the deck of the boat and pulled on board to tie on, patch and pull it back down under the water and into the hole. Of course, while this is going on, some water will make its way into the hull, but the bilge pump should take care of it. I might add that you can replace a sounder transducer to a hull while in the water in a similar manner.

Of course, there could be conditions where the hole is of sufficient size that you cannot stop the water and you need to make the decision of abandoning ship. If you are stuck on a reef or inside a reef, you may be able to return at a later date with drums and air bags to float the boat off. In your grab bag of hole repairs, you should include a cartridge of Sikaflex to fill in cracks and take up slack around the gasket. During all this repair work you need to consider the health of the crew members and see that they are well-fed and rested. Once the first rush of pressure is off, try to resume onboard life in as normal a manner as possible.

A classic example of this was a charter yacht in the Whitsunday’s some years ago that had all crew on deck. Then someone went below and found the floorboards floating.

Top 10 emergency tips

Plug hole with cushions, bedding and block with cupboards.

Reduce flow by tilting boat if possible - change point of sail.

Deploy a sail outside hull.

Crew work - use bucket and chuck team.

Call for help or notify authorities of the situation.

Check leaked water to see if salt or fresh (from tanks).

Often closing all seacocks (beware engine intake) can find the leak.

Keep a spare bung attached to all seacocks.

Check if your engine pump can be deployed to the bilges.

Probable leak areas include deck joints, chainplates, propeller shaft and all fittings.