Back in November Ali and I spent a lot of time and effort on securing our Mexican Permanent Residency. Then the day before we were supposed to pick up our cards I had to return to the States to help my mom. Ali was able to get hers before she came up to the States to join me, but two months later I still hadn’t gotten mine, and I was starting to worry just how long they would hang onto the card in that little office. In addition, we needed to check on the boat and make sure everything was okay, along with finishing up one other big project.
So off I went on what was meant to be a very quick two day trip. Things started off great. My flight was on time and I was able to buzz into the immigration office and get my ID card. It’s official. For as long as we’d like, our entire family is welcome to live in Mexico and enjoy many of the benefits that citizens receive. We may not need this today, or next year, but it’s nice to know that it’s available when we want it.
When I got to the boat I immediately noticed that it felt a little lopsided. For whatever reason trouble didn’t register at first, though. It was only when one of the sliding cockpit doors actually slid closed that it hit me. Oh shit. The boat is lopsided because one side is heavier. And the only way that happens on a boat like this is…
…water.
I lifted a bilge hatch and found water up to about two inches beneath the floorboards. I flung open the rest of them, and then looked under Lowe’s bed where all of the electronics reside. Phew. The water hadn’t reached anything. I quickly hooked up a 2000gph emergency bilge pump, ran the hose out a window, and started cranking away. Maybe half an hour later the water was emptied.
I was worried that I would have trouble finding the source of the leak. I needn’t have. Water was pouring in around the toilet thru-hull fitting. When I reached down, I realized I could wiggle it side to side like it was loose in the hole. It was after dark, so there wasn’t much to be done. I got ahold of the diver and he said he’d be there first thing in the morning.
I spent the night setting an hourly alarm so I could go plug in the emergency bilge pump and clear out the water. The regular bilge pump had died at some point. The diver arrived, pounded a wood plug in the thru-hull, and the water stopped. Good. Now I could sort out how to get it fixed. La Cruz Marina agreed to haul me on Saturday morning and leave me in the slings and the crew that had painted the bottom of the boat would be there to bang out the job quickly. I’d replace both toilet’s thru-hulls. The rest would have to wait until our next haul out.
I spent a few hours scrubbing the bilges clean and assessing what would need replacing. Fortunately, there isn’t a lot down there. There is an air conditioner pump that will surely be dead, and a pump to shoot gray water overboard that works but is essentially dead too. Wiring for the electric toilet corroded and will need replacing. Overall, it’s safe to say that things could have been much worse.
The other major job I had originally come back to the boat to get finished up was the replacement heat exchanger. The old one had corroded right through where it meets the exhaust elbow. This is a $3,000 part and for whatever reason Volvo seems to have an extreme shortage of them right now (along with everything else). I had counted myself lucky to score the part in the first place, and then I had left the day before the mechanic was due to come install it. Seeing as I hadn’t even paid for the part that they had had shipped in, I was worried they’d send it back and I’d never find another. For two weeks ahead of this visit I had been exchanging messages with the Volvo shop explaining how important it was that we get the job done on this one particular day (because it was the only day I had planned to be in PV). By noon I was starting to worry they would blow me off, but they didn’t disappoint. The mechanic arrived and went straight to work. It wouldn’t have been a very difficult job, but in order to remove the old one we’d had to saw off two bolts, both of which needed to be extracted before anything could be done.
Just before the sun went down we fired up the engine. No more overheating. Ready to roll.
During the day Ali got one of her big projects ticked off too, when our new cushions were delivered. Looking sharp.
I cancelled my flight, moved everything back a couple days and took off on Friday to buy some new thru-hulls and have a glorious Mexican lunch.
Saturday morning I slipped the lines in the dark and eased out through the breakwater. Not long after that the sun started to come up behind me.
The La Cruz anchorage at this time of year is hopping.
I showed up at 8:25 for my 8:30 haul, and by 8:35 I was hanging up in the slings.
By 9:00 the thru-hull was out.
One of the benefits of having someone else there to bang this job out was their access to a proper shop to clean up parts.
I was able to get a couple things done on the bottom of the boat while it hung there and a few hours later I was getting dropped back in.
A dock people like their spots because they get the most breeze (also the most swell if you ask me), but it’s now the time of year when the breeze blockers show up.
Had a nice dinner with my dad, who is back in Bucerias for a while, and flew off to Tucson again the next morning. Grammy keeps improving, but still a lot of work to do to get her healthy and independent.
21 Comments on “That Sinking Feeling”
Wow, good thing you showed up when you did, would the boat have sunk if left unattended?
That’s the question, isn’t it? I’m really not sure. I find it hard to believe I showed up within hours of it sinking. The coincidence is just too much. Then again, it is possible.
Pat and fam so glad you caught that. I am curious, never owned a cat, why is there no backing plate? This year when we hauled out, we replace all the old wood backplates with G10 fiberboard, very strong stuff. I have never seen a thru hull without a backing plate.
Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a thru hull WITH a backing plate. I can’t understand why they would need one. A backing plate is used to distribute a load over a wider area, but thru-hulls aren’t under any load at all. Seems to me like just one more thing that can go wrong. BTW, congrats on setting off soon. Hope you have a great Pacific crossing.
Interesting, perhaps it is a monohull thing. I agree with the purpose. IDK, I’m not a boat designer. Thanks, we are excited to get moving.
Just a guess but I think the reason there is no backing plate is that this is a through hull fitting and valve, but there is no seacock between them. Best practice you would have a through hull, then a seacock (seacock has a valve included) — with the seacock on a backing plate — on any through hull below the waterline (and at least on a monohull sailboat, within a certain portion of the dynamic waterline as well).
With just a through hull and valve but no seacock, there’s really nothing to put “on” a backing plate.
Another thing to look out for is that through hulls are always (or at least typically) straight threads (NPS), as are seacocks; whereas valves are typically tapered threads (NPT). So when a valve is put straight onto a through hull there is the possibility that only a few threads are engaged (because NPT are cranked onto NPS but it’s not really a match).
Another plus of a seacock is that if there is a leak, as in this case, you can shut off the seacock (and then repair later but meawhile you’ve stopped taking on water).
I’ve seen many boats with just valves right on through hulls though, so it’s not uncommon.
Grand Banks typically do have the setup of through-hull, hull, backing plate, Groco seacock/valve directly attached to hull and backing plate, then barbed or whatever fitting to a hose rated for below the waterline.
Just as a note (I know, I sound like the life of the party here), the backing plate and seacock get attached to the hull (old days, machine screws; nowadays often fiberglassed or a combination of both). So the idea is that the seacock is nearly a part of the hull. It can’t just snap off with a little bit of corrosion or if something slams into it underway. So while anything inboard of the seacock valve can break, you can close the seacock (or you can close it while you are away from the boat).
With just a valve on a through hull (without the seacock and backing plate in between the two), you can still shut off the valve when away (or if there is a leak) but there is still the vulnerable “skinny” part where the (typically) NPT valve jams onto the NPS through-hull. Even when they are in good shape, it’s just kind of a less sturdy connection.
Your GB would likely have had the backing blocks and seacocks between the through hulls and rest of the internal plumbing (probably the old Groco rubber plug ones if they were not changed out – those are still great units albeit once the plugs finally wear out it’s hard to get them anymore).
Tons of boats just have NPT valves stuck into through hulls — and you are right in that there is no reason to have a backing plate then as there is no seacock to “back.” It’s not as sturdy and reliable as having the through hull, then a backing plate, then a seacock, and then the internal plumbing but many boats are built that way and they don’t all sink (and some with seacocks do sink for various reasons).
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I’m a long-time reader and have always enjoyed “grammy visits.” I was so glad to read that she came home and to know that you are all there supporting her.
I’m also really looking forward to your next voyages. I found you when I had just gotten back from cruising (2003) and you were still out there circumnavigating and it was so fun to read your blogs and “keep the feeling” going while I was back on dry land (bah). Plus of course the fun of all the old-salt brouhaha back in the days when forums ruled (ha, now I probably sound like one of them nattering on about “proper” seacocks).
Thanks Lund, good info. Honestly I’ve never given any thought to thru-hulls. Will give it some thought before the next haul, though.
Thanks for being open and nice about it, since I probably sound a bit preachy (even though I tried not to).
Since you sound interested, best practice is to always have a seacock, bonded to the hull (backing plate, screws or fiberglass) vs. just a valve (what your boat had in the pics).
This way the through hull will be straight thread (NPS) and so are the bottom threads of the seacock (NPS). So you have matching threads, and they can get fully seated. Done right, it’s very rare for there to be any “problem” before the seacock valve. So that means that when a seacock is closed, there is nothing to break “below it.” When you are away you can shut off any non-necessary seacocks and know you are good even if a hose gives way or etc. And if one does go when you are aboard you can shut the seacock then.
Usually the inboard side of the seacock is tapered thread (NPT) and that is where you screw in whatever fitting you are going to use to transition to whatever comes next (hose barb or whatever). That fitting that gets screwed in is also NPT, so again matching threads.
Next step would be to have any hoses below the waterline be rated for such, although when the seacocks are closed they are not in play anyway.
It’s best if all holes below the waterline have seacocks (except for shafts obviously), and preferably holes in the dynamic waterline on a monohull.
Cockpit drains can have seacocks, although many don’t because obviously you can’t close them off when you leave the boat or it would fill with water from rain (but you could if you were aboard and a hose blew).
These days on a fiberglass boat I would likely fiberglass (epoxy/cloth) a GRP backing plate to the hull and then tap the plate for machine screws to fasten the seacock to the backing plate. G10 is a good material for the plate. I have also seen people bond fasteners in from the underside of the backing plate before glassing it to the hull (vs. tapping) and then use nuts to fasten down the seacock. There are probably other ways too.
Those tall NPT valves stuck onto through hulls by a few threads always make me nervous, although many times they cause no problems.
I enjoy reading your posts so much. We were in PV at the same marina three years ago and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Received top notch care from the marina folks. Sadly, we sold our boat since then and I miss it every day. BUT this post reminds me of all the drama and work that goes along with the glorious sunsets and sailing. I DON’T miss that part!
“BUT this post reminds me of all the drama and work that goes along with the glorious sunsets and sailing. I DON’T miss that part!” ME NEITHER!
It’s always something that needs repair and attention, whether it is a land-based or water-based conveyance. Good thing you are skilled and resourceful! Love to Grammy
Whew! So happy you showed-up when you did. How efficient everything is in Mexico. Please give our best to your Mom, so happy she is healing.
Happy everything turned out in the end….Hello to Grammy..so happy she is improving….
Surprised to see metal thru-hulls on your cat – but not really sure when the Marelon valves became a thing. I rest a little better having all Marelon thru-hulls and valves on my Leopard – nothing to corrode and compromise the integrity…but maybe I’m biased and it’s just a personal preference.
Definitely something for me to give a bit of thought to at the next haulout.
Hey Pat,
What emergency pump do you have?
Thanks!
Chris
It was on the boat when I bought it and I remember looking at it for a moment thinking, “What is this for?” It’s a 2000gph Rule pump with about a 12′ hose attached and about 20′ of wiring all rolled up nicely inside a plastic bin. I was able to quickly “plug it in” at the batteries, drop it in the water and stick the hose out the window. When I was doing this I was also thinking, it would be even better if I had a couple of spots throughout the boat with wiring quick connects that I could easily stick this into if needed (preferably well above the bilges). The boat also has two manual pumps plumbed in as true emergency pumps.
Pat; noticed your engine, I have a D1-30B in my beneteau 36.7, it has been very good, but a couple of things, just to keep in the back of your mind.
1. My fuel lift pump developed a waxy deposit that clogged the pump strainer (i have a 10 and 1 micron ahead of the fuel pump). The engine would act like the fuel filter was clogged, and not develop full power. Was not expensive to replace.
2. The MDi (Mechanical Diesel interface) which is just below the cooler and above the starter. Take a look at this article: https://nordkyndesign.com/engine-reliability-a-look-at-the-volvo-penta-mdi-black-box/ i thought i had a starter problem but it was this. You might want to think about mounting it OFF the engine.
Regards
Bruce T. Shark
Thanks. Will take a look at moving the black box. Looks easy enough.
Nice Save. Love the Por Que No shirt!