MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: cetacean on April 08, 2016, 10:39:10 PM
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I just thought I'd post up my recent experience that recently occurred to me when fishing in a mates boat offshore from Jurien Bay.
The boat is a Quintrex Freedom Sport 570( 2006 model) that has been kitted out for fishing. These millennium's are sweet hulls and it gets up and boogies with a 150 Yammie 4 stroke on the back
BUT......while we were anchored around 10 k's offshore, my mate's wife noticed some water beginning to splash around her feet on the back deck. My mate suggested that there was probably some water flowing back from the scuppers that happens from time to time.
It should be pointed out here that these boats aren't self draining in the true sense of the word, but have a small opening on either side of the deck towards the transom that runs to a skin-fitting on each side of the boat. The skin fitting sits very close to the boat's waterline, and water from the ocean is prevented from flowing back into the boat's hull due to a small plastic flap.Any extra water from the deck ends up in the hull of the boat where it can be pumped out with the automatic bilge-pump
But back to the story now....... As soon as seeing the water I quickly realised that something wasn't quite right, urging everyone on board( 3 adults and 2 kids)that we had to get going IMMEDIATELY. Lines were wound in as I pulled the anchor as quickly as possible. By this stage there was water starting to be ankle deep towards the stern of the boat despite the bilge pump running and buckets being used to bail out as quickly as possible.
It was about now that I instructed everyone to put on their life-jackets and one of the kids grabbed the EPIRB. We radioed sea rescue and informed them of our predicament,and they readied a boat on stand-by By now we'd realised that something was seriously wrong with the skin fitting/one way valve and we were taking on water fast. So far only a few minutes of time had elapsed and it proved impossible to somehow plug the hole.
Fortunately for us we just managed to get the boat on the plane before it was too late, albeit with a belly full of water. Once on the plane the hole was just above the waterline, and combined with more bailing and the bilge pump action, we were able to keep the boat on the plane and stem the tide. We arrived back at the boat ramp probably 20 mins later where we were met by a group of willing helpers who had been following our radio contact with Jurien Sea Rescue.
We managed to get the water laden boat onto the trailer where it drained for a good 15 minutes on the boat ramp !
On closer inspection back on dry land, we found that the skin fitting had completely broken off on the inside of the hull, effectively creating a hole of around 2 inches diameter that was taking on water at an incredible rate. These skin fittings are below the deck of the boat and cannot be checked regularly without lifting up the floor And what is more frightening is that the exact same thing had very nearly happened on the other side of the boat !!
Why any boat manufacturer would put a hole in the side of a perfectly good boat so close to the waterline is beyond me completely.
I'm writing this post so that any Quintrex owners on the forum or anyone who knows someone with one is aware of the potential disaster that may be awaiting them. I would advise everyone with a similar style set-up to regularly check there skin-fittings, or better still block them up completely like we have done since.
Our story had a happy ending but we were only a matter of minutes away from a completely different outcome.
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Buy a lotto ticket mate.
Some arse puckering moments there 'eh.........
glad to hear all got out unscathed, and good idea giving a heads up.
any chance of pics to further explain the "have a small opening on either side of the deck towards the transom that runs to a skin-fitting on each side of the boat. The skin fitting sits very close to the boat's waterline, and water from the ocean is prevented from flowing back into the boat's hull due to a small plastic flap".
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Scary stuff - glad it all ended happily.
I'd love to see some photos of the offending units too, if you get a chance
Aaron
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Yeah i always thought there attempt at a self draining floor a tad dodgy? Have an early freedom sport which doesn't have it. But a lesson from an earlier boat has always had me replace the blige pump with the biggest bastard I can with a larger outlet pipe to match. Then I install a second auto switching bidge pump as well .
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On our boat, we have an electric hotwater system, which also gets engine water through the heating system (like a car heater) as a way o keeping it warm while underway.
It works really good too until a fitting on the hotwater system corrodes and breaks off.
My first clue was when the bilge kicked in and I noticed the red light on. At first it was going on and off.
Quick check, nothing available to block it (I do now) so a rather rapid trip back to the marina.
Nearly back and the bilge is now gong full ticker and my bum was at full pucker.
Like cetacean, we made it back ok, but we had the advantage of being able to carefully place ourselves on a sandbank if we had to.
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It is a common issue and a known sinking issue many boats have sunk at anchor .
I have written this before but I never leave home without them sika flexed up , if I do my promised refit of my top ender I will have ally plate welded over them holes .
The rubber is perishable and will need regular inspection or seal them up as many do .
jet :D
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Thanks for the heads up, my brother has just bought one, we had better check it out. In my younger days of off shore yacht racing one of the skippers favorite sayings was "there is no better bilge pump than a panicking man with a two gallon bucket", glad you are all OK
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
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"there is no better bilge pump than a panicking man with a two gallon bucket", glad you are all OK
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
Gold :cheers:
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Like open dinghy sailing and forgetting to close the venturis when you stop-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugrXdoJt9dQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugrXdoJt9dQ)
I wouldn't use plastic http://discount-marine.co.nz/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=342_564 (http://discount-marine.co.nz/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=342_564)
but one of those Andersens either side of the keel and you'd have been dry pretty quickly under way but only good for open hulls where the skipper can flick them open and closed with a foot.
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Thanks for the heads up ... just went and checked mine and the whole internal fitting had broken off... so big bloody hole in side of boat. Lucky we were not loaded last time we went out .!
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I had a 460 topender that always had water in the hull after each trip. Not liking a boat that leaks I eventually found that these scuppers were letting water in. I sikaflexed them up and never had a problem again. Really they are a crap design and dont do anything except let water in. Im not sure what Quintrex was going for here, unless they were thinking it would act as a wash deck.
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One of our first jobs on the signature was to sikaflex the scuppers shut after a similar incident - the black dots on the side toward the stern in the pic. They sat under water at rest and were a stupid idea relying on a crappy piece of hose that you couldn't see to stop you from sinking - no thanks.
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Like open dinghy sailing and forgetting to close the venturis when you stop-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugrXdoJt9dQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugrXdoJt9dQ)
I wouldn't use plastic http://discount-marine.co.nz/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=342_564 (http://discount-marine.co.nz/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=342_564)
but one of those Andersens either side of the keel and you'd have been dry pretty quickly under way but only good for open hulls where the skipper can flick them open and closed with a foot.
Been there done that wondering why my 16 foot skiff was trying to sink on me when we became becalmed one day