how to sink a boat?

[ehaze]

girlfriend and i were floating around the lake this past weekend and started talking about the difficulties of sinking the boat. she asked if we left the drain plug out would the boat sink to the bottom of the lake. i told her i didn't think it would fully sink but it would cause some serious issues.

thoughts?

 

[wkearney99]

Depends on the boat. Smaller ones are required to have enough flotation to keep them from sinking entirely. But that won't keep the electronics and engine from getting completely ruined in the process. Water gets into everything and rust sets up VERY quickly. To say nothing of water getting into the wood of cabinets and flooring.

 

[Four Suns]

I wouldn't count on a boat floating if there is a hole in it (unless it's advertised as such like a Boston Whaler). I know some people that were on the James River one night in about a 24 footer, hit a daymarker, put a 10+ foot gash down the side of the boat, and it sank to the bottom in 2 minutes. Took an hour to get rescued... and they were lucky. Radio is the first thing to go out when the batteries go under water. And you can't swim to shore when you are in the middle of a 7 mile wide river and tide is going out (especially when a person has a dislocated shoulder). Have I mentioned that life rafts are a good idea?

 

[chuck1]

ehaze, sorry I could not help myself. I would not test your theory out next time you are floating around. :lol: :smt043 :lol:

 

[Dave S]

I al;ways had enough noodles in my sole locker that it would have been impossible to sink my 240SD................we kept about 20 of them down there. :wink:

 

[ehaze]

too funny, we have plent of vest in the boat if something were to happen.

thought i would bounce the idea off you all for fun.

 

[wkearney99]

Heh, when the Deadliest Catch was on the other night and they mentioned 'debris trail' from a capsized fishing boat I couldn't help but picture the sort of junk we'd leave behind. Noodles being the least of it! Life rafts are great but where ya gonna put on in a 24' bowrider? Hell, it's tough enough stowing a rolled up dinghy in a 34' boat. But were we going offshore I'd certainly look into the sort that mount onto the bow decking and have automatic releases.