advice needed- boat turtled.

[mk30h]

:eek:Guys I launched my boat this afternoon at 2pm, it's a woody with a 64 merc 850 6cyl. I tied up to my dock and pumped out the water- she will leak until she swells up and seals the lapstrakes.
I was watching from my deck when I saw a wake boat go by, looked at my boat and it was fine. 2 minutes later I looked and saw boat cushions floating. The boat had turtled and was now lying upside down with the bow out of the water and the engine complety submerged with the top of my beloved Merc on the bottom about 8 feet down.- all this when it was tied to the dock,

Any ideas on how to right a boat in this situation. These boats didn't have any floation cells so she is very heavy when submerged. My neighbour myself and the lake marina owner are going to try to right it tommorrow morning, but I am at a loss on how to do it.
The shore is sandy grading to loon **** in the deep water. :confused:

[patchesII]

hate to hear that. that would make for a sleepless night for me .can you tie a bag or ball of some type to it and inflate it

[mk30h]

I think we need to get air inside the hull with floation on the back end
or push it into deeper water to faciliate turing it over and then using roped slowly haul it upwards and until it crest's the surface and then pump it out. I will have to get some floation fastened to the hull. At least I am in a very calm bay so it's not going anywhere. I am pretty sure the wake boat put up a wave which crested the transom and overwelmed the boat as she was swelling up.

[Li'l Toy]

get your boat gently to deeper water w/o damaging the engine. (This assumes that she will float at all--if not, you've gotta do this in the deepest water that will leave some part of the bow up.) Tie a line from the other boat (need a strong place to tie off) to the bow eye, dive down and pull the plug. Manhandle the boat until she is keel down, even if she is mostly verticle, and start pulling with the tow boat. She will plane to the surface with a little speed, then pull her slowly around the lake for a long time as the water drains from the plug. If you have a pump or can start a siphon to help, do that too. Once she is dry, if you can replace the plug from inside, fine. Otherwise, shut down the towboat, jump overboard quick and replace the plug. Then get her to a trailer and save that motor.

If she is half empty and sort of floating, you might be tempted to take her to the trailer then. You can, but don't try to pull her out of the water. Pull until the water level in the boat is maybe 3" higher than the surrounding water, then wait for it to drain until level. Pull her up a few inches, repeat. Shel'll be way too heavy to pull out, and the water could split the hull.

[Li'l Toy]

and with some flotation, rescued many blown over or rolled over racing boats this way.

[mk30h]

Thanks Li'l Toy,
That's a great suggestion, we will have a couple of boat tommorrow, I think your idea will work, the bottom is soft mud so the motor shouldn't be endangered.

[mk30h]

Li'l Troy.
Infact I am sure your suggestion will work. Greatly appreciate your input.

[mk30h]

Thanks Li'l Toy
Your method worked perfectly, as she creseted the surface I felt like Captian Ahab riding Moby Dick. Working on the engine this aft, had the plugs out drained the carbs and filled with gas and oil. hand cranked water free. Got to work on the mag now.

Thanks again
Steve

[gregr1971]

seems to me the wake boater should be responsible for the damage his wake done. At least in texas he would be.

[Bruster]

In Michigan you are responsible for your wake and any damage that it does. You just have to prove it.


seems to me the wake boater should be responsible for the damage his wake done. At least in texas he would be.

[frogII]

on a positive note , the hull is now swelled ready to go back in.....
thats to bad , some of those old woodys look so nice.

[RB in NM]

Hell of a way to get the wood completely swelled,,,, inside AND out huh? :p

Good luck, wake boats suck.!


Russ

[flabum1017]

Hell of a way to get the wood completely swelled,,,, inside AND out huh? :p

Good luck, wake boats suck.!


Russ


My boss has a few woody's..... and sometimes he will run a couple garden hoses inside the hull while it's still on land to start it swelling before he slpashes it