Emergency repairs, are you prepared?

John L

John L

Well-known member
Rich's recent post about what extra stuff we all carry on board got me to thinking about emergency repairs.

Here is a short story about carrying a small poly or canvas tarp. It's not just for rain and snow.

I was out several years ago with a boat that was less than 100%. By that I mean everything appeared to be ok and it just needed some TLC. Wrong....
Well, on this cold wind driven choppy day I was out several miles from the nearest ramp and it was the middle of the week so there were no other boats out. Just the way I like it.

At around 10:30 am I received a call from my youngest daughters school nurse. She had a seizure in class and was being taken by ambulance to the hospital. Needless to say I got in that boat and pushed it hard to get back quickly. About a mile from where I left I noticed that the boat was getting a little sluggish. I looked down behind me a saw water in the boat, a lot of water. I quickly turned SW and headed for an island where I could beach the boat. A hand pump is a nice pump to have on board but when you have to pilot the boat you can not pump at the same time. I hit the beach and started to get all the water out of the boat, gave a quick look around and slid her back into the water.
It began taking on water as soon as I slipped it back in. I pulled up the floor boards and much to my surprise there was this crack that was over two feet long running down the keel. Oh Crap does not exactly sum things up. I tried to stuff the crack with anything I could find to slow the incoming water down. I tied the hand bilge pump to the floor board and cockpit coaming and I was able to run the boat and pump at the same time. A quick call to the USCG to inform them of the situation and I was off and running again.

I was able to go another 1/4 mile before the water was coming in just as fast as it was before. I beached the boat again on another island and pumped out the boat. I called the USCG again and updated my position. They were on there way but still miles away.
This is where the small tarp comes in. I pulled the tarp down under the bow and back just aft of midships. I tied it off tight to the grass rails up towards the bow and at each grommet hole going aft creating a kind of skin over the forward two thirds of the boat and covering the crack. The water slowed down to the point of being manageable. I called the USCG again and updated my situation. Of course they said to stay put but if your a parent you know that was not going to happen. Well, I take off and the boat is holding together great. Very little water to no water coming in and I'm up and running at full throttle.
I get to the ramp, hauled the boat quickly and got to the hospital.
I thought I would tell this story so if someone ever finds themselve in a similar situation they may be able to save themselves. You never know.

If you have ever had an emergency situation while hunting what did you do? Were you prepared and how did you handle the situation?
 
Tarps date back at least to the old wooden ships. That's the quick patch for a cannon ball shot below the water line. Being on the outside, water pressure held it in place and allowed repair from the inside.

Scott
 
Tarps date back at least to the old wooden ships. That's the quick patch for a cannon ball shot below the water line. Being on the outside, water pressure held it in place and allowed repair from the inside.

Scott
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Scott,

That is exactly where I got the idea from.
I had read accounts of that being done and can tell you it works!
 
John, the tarp is it canvas or plastic? Great idea, how big? In my old boat I carried a Sterno can and lighter. Was younger and hunted alot of sorry weather, pick my days now. Who makes a decent hand pump? Local chain store's pump is junk. Might go to a few yard sales.
 
Rich,

It was a 6x8 poly tarp.
For a back up to the electric bilge pump I use a Whale hand bilge pump. I have a few others and they all seem to be about the same. With any of the bicycle pump style make sure you put a clamp or good tie wrap on the discharge hose. They don't always stay on to well.
I was thinking about installing a foot pump. It's much easier to pump while running the boat and your foot will not get tired as fast as your hands and arms. Mounting it in a good spot seems to be the biggest problem. Thats why till now I just stick with the hand pump.
 
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Great post John. Whats the name of the Silly Putty type material used to stuff in to leaky boats?
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Kevin,

It's called "Stay Afloat" instant waterleak plug & sealant
 
This fits into the category of "had an emergency and wasn't prepared".

I was hunting a sandspit on the north end of a bay when the wind came up hard from the south. There was a three-mile fetch, and the waves quickly came up to about two feet and started breaking on the shallow approach to the spit.

I was hunting out of a narrow, 14-foot aluminum jon powered by a six-hp Johnson, using a beach blind and the boat for transport. When the waves started to look serious, I brought the boat over, threw decoys in the front and tried to figure out how to get the boat headed into the wind, outboard running with me in it.

My solution was to pull the boat as far out as I could, start the engine and roll over the side, kicking the outboard in gear as soon as I was inside. As bad as it sounds, it worked like a charm--except when I hit an oyster bar and broke a shear pin.

While I didn't have a shear pin, I did have oars, and I was able to get underway with them, rowing into and across the wind with some waves rolling at three feet. Rowing the two miles back to the launch, I realized that the ride was much better under oar power than it would have been idling back with the outboard. And now I carry oars in any small boat regardless of what kind of propulsion it has.

A side note, during the row, a pair of Emperor geese flew up the boat and followed it/me for a mile of the row. That was the only time I've seen Emperors. That was a treat.
 
We are moving forward and making good progress. There is not much left of the fuel dock. The building was destroyed and all the contents wash through out the neighborhood. We are still filling dumpsters with debris. All the basins have submerged dock boxes , picnic tables, dumpsters and all kinds of stuff underwater. I took the duck boat around with the color fishfinder on it to mark all the spots to steer clear of. Im going to put my 30' Whaler back in the water tomorrow. I have a clear path to my slip now. No more sunk boats in the way.
 
CK,

Good think you had oars.

I always carry a push pole and oars. If I'm on one of the smaller BBSB's I'll take along a kayak paddle instead of oars but you have to have something. You don't want to be up ....creek without a paddle
 
John... this subject is precisely why I like to know someone else who is on the water, especially when hunting in your neck of the woods where you can go for miles....

Preparing for the worst is great, but if I can have a helping hand when the you know what hits the fan, thats even better.
 
Chris,

It is always nice to know someone else out on the water. But regardless of who your out with and how close they are, call the USCG on the VHF not cell phone before calling anyone else. You just don't know how fast things can change.
That said yes, I also like to know that someone else is out.
 
In your area, yes... call the USCG first. However, out east there are some spots in back creeks that would take the USCG 30 min or more to reach when local fire departments with boats can be there in much less time.
 
This mishap if you can imagine is on a much larger boat ,My dad worked on the canadian icebreakers and they where up near resolute when the ice stove in the side of her and produced a very large gash below the water line...

All men on deck sorta rang thru the ship ,,,were taken on water....

Up near the bow but under the water line a huge chunk of ice had turtled and rolled over against the ship intead of away and tore into it...

So the lads grabed everything they could find sheets of plywood 2x8 lumber mattress`s and some fast setting cement and some jacks to try and keep the water out... with pumps pumping it out they were having trouble keeping up with the water ...

So the ol`captain yells for the helo pilot to get airborne and find him some thick ice.....

Rotors cranking away he went and in no time they found some thick ice and the captain steered her for the thick ice ,when he came to it he rammed the bow up on it and giver he said they put the bow up out of the water until water was seen pouring out of the gash,they pushed her up so it was safe for the welders to weld on a patch and the lads on the inside put the concrete to work with sheets of pylwood and braces to hold until they made port....

to hear me dad tell the story over a beer at the camp fire one nite it was no big deal like they been there dont that kinda thing,
but your off resolute in the midddle of the artic breaking ice ????!!!!!!

anyway its not anyhelp for a small boat fix ,i just thought it was cool for the captain to push her up outa the water to get it welded...
shermie...
 
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