Our 290BR sunk. Now what?

[searay290br]

We have a 2002 Sea Ray 290BR that sunk a few weeks ago. Looking back at photos and the overall behavior of the boat, it seems that this boat is very heavy. What we mean by this is that:

- In 2017, prior to current ownership, the boat went on the rocks (unknown to us, no survey) and had around $6K in fiberglass repairs performed from the helm seat area to the transom, below the waterline.
- It doesn't float right and never really did looking back at photos. It always took on water when beached and the transoms were replaced in July of '21 as they were leaking (proven). It has a starboard side list even when the holding tank is nearly full (this is on the port side).

Long and short, she floats with the starboard side cockpit scuppers at the waterline (the waterline is covering 1/3 of the scuppers) so every time a small wave passes, she takes on a shot of water. We took the boat across a scale to figure this out.

Boat weighs approximately 8600lbs dry. Factor 845lbs of fuel, the boat should've weighed around 9445lbs. The trailer weighs 3K. Should've crossed the scale at 12,445. We crossed at 14,220. Loaded weight for the boat (persons, fuel, gear) is 3K. So at the most, the boat should weigh 11,600. The boat weighs 11,220 by itself with fuel, no people or gear.

Our assumption is that if the boat is balsa cored, she absorbed a ton of water after the rock impact in 2017. The repair work? You can't see it, phenomenal finish work. The auto bilges kept this thing floating while it was essentially sinking itself...that's what we gather. Eventually, it got to the point where the batteries died and she went down.

Can anyone tell us if this thing is cored (balsa or otherwise) or what material is in there that can absorb as much as it has?

Thanks!!!

 

[JimG]

Sorry to hear about your boat. Hopefully insurance will total it.

Best of luck and welcome to CSR!

 

[searay290br]

Sorry to hear about your boat. Hopefully insurance will total it.

Best of luck and welcome to CSR!

know anything about the build of these boats as far as cores or materials go? Sea Ray is somewhat vague on this.

 

[Lazy Daze]

It's a solid hull and sides.

Is your bilge floor "smooth and shiny" like the exterior gelcoat?

 

[Stee6043]

A literal (not figurative ) ton of water is 240 gallons. It would occupy a total space of 33 cubic feet or 58,000 cubic inches.

Using round numbers you've got something less than 20'x10' of hull below the water line, 200 square feet. If you were smuggling 240 gallons of water in that area it would be 2" deep +/-. I don't think it would be possible for sponges to absorb that much water, let alone balsa encapsulated in fiberglass (though it sounds like balsa is not present in your hull per @Lazy Daze).

Having a list when your holding tank gets full does not sound unusual. If I run my generator a LOT and have a full crapper, my 400 will show a slight list. That is not an indication of trauma....she just likes to have her fluids balanced when possible.

For how long did you own this boat? Did you ever notice water in the bilge..constantly? If you knew the pumps were running all the time, did you not investigate to find the source of the water?

 

[Gofirstclass]

I can't speak directly to the balsa used in your boat but I do know that in my 96 330 Dancer the top deck was balsa cored and the hull was balsa cored down to "near the waterline" and from that point on down it was solid fiberglass. I know that because my boat was hit one night by a BUI boater and the boat was totaled. The damage included the top deck being ripped most of the way from port to stbd just ahead of the windshield, and the hull was ripped down to where the coring stopped.

 

[searay290br]

It's a solid hull and sides.

Is your bilge floor "smooth and shiny" like the exterior gelcoat?

Negative. Gray and unfinished entirely.

 

[searay290br]

A literal (not figurative ) ton of water is 240 gallons. It would occupy a total space of 33 cubic feet or 58,000 cubic inches.

Using round numbers you've got something less than 20'x10' of hull below the water line, 200 square feet. If you were smuggling 240 gallons of water in that area it would be 2" deep +/-. I don't think it would be possible for sponges to absorb that much water, let alone balsa encapsulated in fiberglass (though it sounds like balsa is not present in your hull per @Lazy Daze).

Having a list when your holding tank gets full does not sound unusual. If I run my generator a LOT and have a full crapper, my 400 will show a slight list. That is not an indication of trauma....she just likes to have her fluids balanced when possible.

For how long did you own this boat? Did you ever notice water in the bilge..constantly? If you knew the pumps were running all the time, did you not investigate to find the source of the water?

So the holding tank is to port. The list is to starboard. Even with the water tank empty and that’s to starboard.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Negative. Gray and unfinished entirely.

OK, then this actually makes it easier. If it was smooth and shiny, that would have been a false floor. In your case, the bilge floor is just one, solid piece. So there's no place for water to hide there.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Are you sure about your numbers on the weight of the boat? And are you including options - for example, it was probably standard with one engine, right?

 

[boatman37]

I'm not sure he is calculating the weights accurately. It's not just fuel that gets added to dry weight. I'm not sure what all is calculated but batteries? canvas? anchor? windlass? rode? etc. My boat lists a dry weight of 6600lbs but mine weighed 7600lbs with about 1/2 tank of fuel (35ish gallons so maybe 250lbs fuel), both batteries, canvas, anchor, life jackets, etc. Other 2 tanks were empty but other than that the boat sat as it would sit in our slip with nobody in it. That's 1000lbs added to the dry weight.

 

[Lazy Daze]

It's not just fuel that gets added to dry weight. I'm not sure what all is calculated but batteries? canvas? anchor? windlass? rode? etc.

Yes, a dry weight is just that... boat, motor and standard features. Everything else gets added in, including adding for batteries. Technically, even the oil in the engine should be added to get a "wet" weight.

 

[Pirate Lady]

I can't speak directly to the balsa used in your boat but I do know that in my 96 330 Dancer the top deck was balsa cored and the hull was balsa cored down to "near the waterline" and from that point on down it was solid fiberglass. I know that because my boat was hit one night by a BUI boater and the boat was totaled. The damage included the top deck being ripped most of the way from port to stbd just ahead of the windshield, and the hull was ripped down to where the coring stopped.

Dayum! Hope you weren’t on it.

 

[Woody]

Are you sure about your numbers on the weight of the boat? And are you including options - for example, it was probably standard with one engine, right?

I was going to order one of those years ago. STD was was a single 6.2/B3, extended swimplatform and the arch were options. It'd be easy to add a couple thousand pounds to the listed dry weight depending on options.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Dayum! Hope you weren’t on it.

Pirate, I was on the boat with 2 friends, abocornut 10:00 p.m. We were just drifting and enjoying a beautiful night. I had my nav lights on and the cockpit and cabin lights on. The male half of the couple with me was seated in the stbd corner of the cockpit so he could see upstream.

He said "Mike, I think that boat's going to hit us". I looked where he was looking and could see a boat headed our direction, on plane and in a mild turn to his port.

I jumped up, grabbed the hand held spotlight off the helm and lit him up just prior to him hitting us. I yelled for the others to hang on and braced myself. As I watched I saw the boat hit us, ride up on my bow (remember, he was on plane, we were just sitting so we were deeper in the water). His bow pulpit punctured the side of my boat below the rub rail and ripped the top deck up so most of the deck was vertical. His boat continued on up over my bow rail, then my boat squished out from under his boat and his boat fell back into the water.

I could see the extent of the damage and was afraid we were going to sink. I had the friend go below to see if he could hear or see any water coming in. There wasn't so he came back up. His wife was in a serious state of shock so I spent a few minutes talking directly to her to reassure her we were not going to sink and were not in any danger.

I then told the other boater not to leave. I called the sheriff's dept to have them respond to our location.

To keep this from being a novel, the end result that night was he was arrested for BUI. His boat was towed by the SO to a dock about 1/2 mile away and his squeeze left there on the dock. My boat was driveable so we cruised it back to the dock and we all went home.

What a night.

 

[searay290br]

They list the boat at 7200 dry with the 6.2 B3. SR weighs this one at 8600 with the second engine and arch. No windlass, anchor, or gear on board at this time. 845lbs for fuel, 120lbs batteries. Zero water or material in holding tank.

 

[searay290br]

Are you sure about your numbers on the weight of the boat? And are you including options - for example, it was probably standard with one engine, right?

8600 is what SR states with twin engines, arch and wet bar. No windlass/anchor or ride on board. No gear, all upholstery, full fuel and batteries is how it was weighed.

 

[nelson Gay]

Pirate, I was on the boat with 2 friends, abocornut 10:00 p.m. We were just drifting and enjoying a beautiful night. I had my nav lights on and the cockpit and cabin lights on. The male half of the couple with me was seated in the stbd corner of the cockpit so he could see upstream.

He said "Mike, I think that boat's going to hit us". I looked where he was looking and could see a boat headed our direction, on plane and in a mild turn to his port.

I jumped up, grabbed the hand held spotlight off the helm and lit him up just prior to him hitting us. I yelled for the others to hang on and braced myself. As I watched I saw the boat hit us, ride up on my bow (remember, he was on plane, we were just sitting so we were deeper in the water). His bow pulpit punctured the side of my boat below the rub rail and ripped the top deck up so most of the deck was vertical. His boat continued on up over my bow rail, then my boat squished out from under his boat and his boat fell back into the water.

I could see the extent of the damage and was afraid we were going to sink. I had the friend go below to see if he could hear or see any water coming in. There wasn't so he came back up. His wife was in a serious state of shock so I spent a few minutes talking directly to her to reassure her we were not going to sink and were not in any danger.

I then told the other boater not to leave. I called the sheriff's dept to have them respond to our location.

To keep this from being a novel, the end result that night was he was arrested for BUI. His boat was towed by the SO to a dock about 1/2 mile away and his squeeze left there on the dock. My boat was driveable so we cruised it back to the dock and we all went home.

What a night.

Is that how you moved up to your 540 That you have now

 

[searay290br]

Surveyor came today. Starboard side from helm seat to transom is off the chart on the moisture meter. This is where the previous repair is located. Otherwise hull readings from elsewhere on the boat are relatively acceptable.

 

[Lazy Daze]

The only thing I can think of that could cause this is water being trapped outboard of the stbd stringer. There's foam in there that could have gotten saturated... if the boat was left bow high and the damage was further forward, water could have migrated to the aft end of this cavity and then been sealed in with the repair. As noted above, I can't imagine how, in reality, there would be THAT much water in there to account for the weight (if you did the math correctly and weighed it correctly, though, numbers don't lie)... but it could certainly cause the listing.

Side note... have you checked your scupper hoses for integrity?