Came close to sinking my 330 yesterday

[jip40]

Long story short. Water sloshing out of livewell made it to the scuppers by the rear door, as it’s supposed to. But, as it turns out the hoses from the scuppers to the thru hulls weren’t connected so the water went into the bilge instead of overboard. Normally not a problem as bilge pump would have handled the water but rear pump, additional high water pump and forward pump all failed to operate - WTF. The day before I had a mechanic working on forward pump that would not turn on with the float switch but would turn on with manual switch at the helm - he left at end of the day without a solution but with manual switch still working. It was not working when bilge was filling with the sea water.

Enough water got into the bilge that the weight pulled the 2 thru hulls underwater resulting in filling the bilge to close to the floor board. However 3 helpful friends doing a lot of bailing with a 3 gallon bucket finally got enough of the sea water out of the bilge to allow us to get up enough speed to use the trim tabs to get us to run on a tilt with the thru hulls out of the water. This allowed us to get back to a marina that has a forklift capable of lifting the boat and putting it in a rack where it now sits.

Tasks now are to find someone to replace the scuppers and hoses and a technician to rewire/replace all three bilge pumps. Not an easy task as good service staff is hard to find in this area of the Florida panhandle.

Question I have is getting help in locating the correct scuppers to use. Mine are plastic but I would really like to change over to stainless. I would also appreciate any assistance from any of the 330 owners that have been through this process.

Thanks Jeff
2002 330 Express

 

[Hookup1]

Bilge water getting too high without me knowing it has always been a concern of mine. I have bright LED's on my bilge switches on my switch panel. Last year I installed a high-water sensor with a loud bell alarm.

You should have a set of pre-sized wooden plugs for the scuppers and some wax (toilet bowl rings or the stuff made for boat use).

Whoever you use to do this work you should be re-checking it like your life depends on it. If you're friends weren't around it could have been much worse. I help a friend out on a large custom sportfish with his maintenance. He can't find good people and either does it himself or has them do it and checks their work (and cleans up after them). Another friend "just writes checks" and complains the about everything the techs screwed up. Shouldn't have to be that way...but it is.

The work you have to do isn't that complicated. Just make sure they do a quality job and double check their work.

 

[luckydude]

I have a thread sort of related, I gave on on the flaps for the scuppers and put in this:

That's a flap valve, the water leaving your boat is enough to open it up, it's just gravity fed so water coming in pushes it shut. It's not perfect but for me it is way better than the standard rubber flap thingys.

 

[PointedRose]

Scary, glad you were able to get back in safe with everyone and everything in tact

 

[Eltajin]

...

Tasks now are to find someone to replace the scuppers and hoses and a technician to rewire/replace all three bilge pumps. Not an easy task as good service staff is hard to find in this area of the Florida panhandle.

Question I have is getting help in locating the correct scuppers to use. Mine are plastic but I would really like to change over to stainless. I would also appreciate any assistance from any of the 330 owners that have been through this process.

...

I'm glad everyone and the boat is ok! I had a similarish near sinking experience with my 336 Canyon, which is the same hull with similar bilge systems, a few years ago when one of 6" access plates in the splashwell got knocked off - was 30 miles out on a very sporty day. I can't help on your specific question about scuppers, but have a few suggestions.

1) have you tried resetting your breakers for the float switches at the battery switch panel if you have them? This is the 2011 canyon diagram, I took a look at your 2003 manual which wasn't as detailed but it should be the same concept, you just have to push the two yellow buttons..




2) Bilge pump wiring is "relatively" straightforward. https://newwiremarine.com/how-to/wiring-a-boat/ covers the basics, as well as the owners manual. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, I would ask the technician you have help you fix your issues show you what they are doing (and pay them for their time if needed).

3) The day I got back from my near sinking I ordered a battery powered high water alarm from ultra safety systems and installed it in my rear bilge area. So now I have that and the factory installed one up front. When I nearly sunk the float switch on the factory installed one had failed, as well as my bilge pumps, so I was late to notice the ocean was entering and had entered my bilge.

 

[49pan]

That gave me chills. Glad you made it back . That is no joke!

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

I almost sank my BW 23 Outrage the same way...
A mouse/rat in the boat eat a hole in the plastic cockpit drain elbow so the water drained in the bilge.
Same as OP's case, the bilge pump sucked in leaf fibers and clogged the sieve on the bilge pump and rendered it useless.
I realized that something was wrong as the boat behaved strange and when i opened the rear hatch i found the whole bilge flooded and the batteries 4 fingers under water I made it back to the marina where i could pull the clogged sieve and drain the bilge.

The lesson learned is to install a high water bilge alarm and on same level a second bilge pump in a position were she is accessible even under snotty conditions offshore.

On a boat with enough space i would have also a 4000gph pump with a long hose and crocodile clamps to drop wherever it's flooded and discharge overboard.

Wooden or rubber emergency plugs use only small storage space and come very handy in such conditions.

As soon i have my new 306 Canyon in my marina i will work on installing both, high water alarm and second bilge pump as i had it in my Venture 34.

Chris

 

[jip40]

1) have you tried resetting your breakers for the float switches at the battery switch panel if you have them? This is the 2011 canyon diagram, I took a look at your 2003 manual which wasn't as detailed but it should be the same concept, you just have to push the two yellow buttons..

3) The day I got back from my near sinking I ordered a battery powered high water alarm from ultra safety systems and installed it in my rear bilge area. So now I have that and the factory installed one up front. When I nearly sunk the float switch on the factory installed one had failed, as well as my bilge pumps, so I was late to notice the ocean was entering and had entered my bilge.

Eltajin thanks for your response. I am rather ashamed to admit this but I did not check the breakers at the battery switch panel. In the midst of what was going on I didn't think about it and now sitting at home I don't know what breakers are located there and the manual isn't much help.

My high water pump has audio and visual warning devices, all failed to operate. I will make sure that the new one will have the ability for me to test it without having to submerge the boat. BTW, I also lost one of the 6" inspection plates at the back of the boat - the water in the bilge must have popped it out. This allowed more water to enter the bilge and it was only because we saw sunlight in the bilge that we became aware of it. I took an inspection plate from someplace else and popped it in - definitely a scary time.

 

[jip40]

On a boat with enough space i would have also a 4000gph pump with a long hose and crocodile clamps to drop wherever it's flooded and discharge overboard.

Wooden or rubber emergency plugs use only small storage space and come very handy in such conditions.

As soon i have my new 306 Canyon in my marina i will work on installing both, high water alarm and second bilge pump as i had it in my Venture 34.

Chris

 

[jip40]

Chris thanks and I also plan on having a spare pump with alligator clips by the time my repairs are done

 

[glacierbaze]

I had pop outs in the splash well of my 93 tournament. In the automotive world, such stupidity would probably result in a factory recall, and a dealer replacement with screw ins. I drilled a small hole through the reinforcing rib on the bottom of the plate, and secured each one to something inside with a length of 100 pound mono, which at least kept the plates from being washed overboard, but still let me access the bilge pump connections.

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

Chris thanks and I also plan on having a spare pump with alligator clips by the time my repairs are done

Thats a important thing to have on board and the beautiful 330 has enough storage to find a place for it.

Chris

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

I have a thread sort of related, I gave on on the flaps for the scuppers and put in this:

That's a flap valve, the water leaving your boat is enough to open it up, it's just gravity fed so water coming in pushes it shut. It's not perfect but for me it is way better than the standard rubber flap thingys.

Forgive me my contradiction, but my experience with those backflow valves where suboptimal.
I had this in my house for the foundation drain pump and honestly they made more trouble as they where useful.
They work great the first time but if some hair, tread, leaves, seaweed or similar stuff the don't close well what can render them useless or restrict the flow outside.

I pulled them all and just check my system more often.

Chris

 

[jip40]

I had pop outs in the splash well of my 93 tournament. In the automotive world, such stupidity would probably result in a factory recall, and a dealer replacement with screw ins. I drilled a small hole through the reinforcing rib on the bottom of the plate, and secured each one to something inside with a length of 100 pound mono, which at least kept the plates from being washed overboard, but still let me access the bilge pump connections.

Even if I keep the pop out plates, the suggestion to secure the plates with the 100 lb mono is an excellent suggestion - thanks

 

[Sdfish]

I installed a 2nd Bilge pump and high water alarm on my 20 footer, 2nd bilge is about about 6 inches higher and still below the batteries. Also, added an additional outflow and thru hull should they both need to pump out water simultaneously.

I always check both before leaving the dock. Scary stuff for sure!

 

[luckydude]

Forgive me my contradiction, but my experience with those backflow valves where suboptimal.
I had this in my house for the foundation drain pump and honestly they made more trouble as they where useful.
They work great the first time but if some hair, tread, leaves, seaweed or similar stuff the don't close well what can render them useless or restrict the flow outside.

I pulled them all and just check my system more often.

Chris

I've had them in there for over 2 years and been happy with them. You are correct that stuff can get in there so when I'm cleaning the boat, I pick out anything that can block them and then I blast water through to be sure they are clean (I have 60 PSI at the house).

I wanted to be happy with the rubber flap valves, but the ones that Grady put on were useless, I was constantly standing in water at the back. With the bronze flap valves it is very rare that there is any water back there.

To each their own, they work better than the rubber flaps for me but maybe I'm weird Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

Sure, to each their own.
I just had mixed results with those valves so i try to avoid them.
Chris

 

[HMBJack]

I always recommend for all to install a High Water Alarm in your bilge. My 330 has 2 (aft and forward).

Your lights on your bilge pumps are very nice but there is nothing that gets your attention more than a loud audible which a high water alarm delivers. Getting advance notice of a problem is key. If such an alarm were on your boat, you could have plugged your leaking through hull with a properly sized wood or foam plug or a wet rag for that matter.

Another weakness of the 330 are those 6" inspection ports in the rear splash well. You have Five of them there. The gaskets get crushed and dirty and they all leak eventually. If the 6" lid pops out (as with someone posting above) - you're really screwed!! Best thing you can do is to remove your five 6" pop out plates and toss them in the garbage. Forget the 100# mono idea. You're far better off replacing them with the screw in kind with the mounting rings sealed with 3M 4200 or equivalent (not silicone). They leak hardly at all and they will not pop out.

Thank you Jip40 for posting your experience here.
It may save a boat and/or a life from all who read this site!
Well done and you will be far safer now that this happened without major issue...

 

[Hookup1]

Anyone try these? GemLux scupper inserts.

 

[trapper]

Glacierbaze I removed the pop out splash well hatches some years ago and replaced then with 10 inch Armstrong hatch covers (deck plates)They can not removed without loosening them manually. Also allows better access to the bilge area. Check them out.

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