We got that sinking feeling. Nobody told me there'd be days like this.

[rubblequeen]

Just had our first day boating on our first boat. We are complete beginners! As the boat had had the water tank removed for repairs I was filling up with water while the guys from the marina were busy filling up the toilet pump out tank with diesel, oops (there is another thread about us new boaters being "stupid" - well it's not only our preserve) Well we got the right tank filled in the end only wasn't too sure what % the loo tank came under for the revenue man.

 

Well with 2 full tanks of diesel off we went - no problems I was happy with life stood at the front with wife & adult kids at the back doing a great job.

 

Wife "mm there's water sloping about at the back" Me "that's ok rain gets in the vents for the air cooled engine" ( about my sum knowledge of these things)

Wife" seems rather a lot and all our shoes are getting wet!" "???"

 

Sure enough there was about 2" of water slopping about in the rear cabin. As you know I'm inexperienced but even I could tell things were not quite right.

Me "well guys I actually think we are sinking" didn't want to panic them but I didn't help by putting the life saver ring round my waist.

 

Crew "what should we do?"

Me"one suggestion would be to moor up pretty damn quick" I soon realised that the water was clean so happy we were not about to sink after all and that maybe we had a burst pipe, as it was it turned out to be a jubilee clip had come off and we had been pumping the fresh water into the bilges all day and this had finally filled up and started filling the cabin.

 

Just out of curiosity can the more experienced out there tell me if this is a typical days cruising - just so as we are prepared?

 

Think we are going to like it never the less.

[Keeping Up]

Sounds to me like a pretty normal day's cruising - except you don't report on having hit anything, or got anything wrapped round the prop, or did anything strange in the locks.

[Leonie]

The first day onboard my boat and the first day of cruising alone, I too had the water swishing about inside the back cabin thing going on. For me it was a result of the gasket on the weed hatch failing in an epic way but man alive it was a panic as the boather I flagged over in my panic kept saying 'you're sinking, yeap you're sinking' as I stood with a finger on the bilge pump switch and a racing heart rate

 

It sounds like you are made of exactly the right stuff for boaters and have taken it all in your stride. You've learned the most imporant lesson you can learn onboard which is, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Well done for surving your first adventure.

 

Just out of curiosity can the more experienced out there tell me if this is a typical days cruising - just so as we are prepared?

 

edited to add: Yes

Edited March 12, 2010 by Leonie

[Amduck]

Don't know about typical, but if you're still smiling, that must be a good sign.

 

What are you going to do about the extra diesel?

[rubblequeen]

What are you going to do about the extra diesel?

 

Not going to use the pump out toilet for sure. Decided to have it all removed and have a porta type. Won't take much filling and would be cheap. Unless you fancied the diesel from the pump out tank - you would be welcome, dirt cheap!

[kienik]

To Add to this.

 

 

I recently bought my second boat (Dawncraft) after three years of non boat ownership, the day after i handed the readies over, i decided to check the bilges as i saw a little water in them on the day of viewing, "nothing much that a spoinge wont shift" i thought.

 

Anyway.....................

 

 

SIX mop buckets full later i thought i am sinking, so i called the previous owner and demanded that i have my money back!!, she said that it is normal to have some water in the bilges, well i panicked even more as she said boat is sold as seen so no refunds, now i am a seasoned boater so i think i know my stuff, i checked everything when i first viewed the boat so how could i have missed this i asked myself.

 

Well that was three weeks ago and i have been to the boat every weekend to do work etc and check the bilges each time, i can thankfully report that the bilges are now completely dry, i couldnt believe that over six mop buckets of water could have collected in 6 months (the last time the boat was used), it staggered me to be honest, next job, check windows for leaks, and canopy, and chimney etc etc etc

 

Good result tho, at least im not sat on the bottom, PHEW!!!

 

 

Nik

[kevinw]

Our very first day on a boat was on our honeymoon. We're still married 30 years later, so at least one of us has a sense of humour. Left the boatyard on the Thames, crashed straight into Chertsey Bridge. Took 3 or 4 attempts to get into the lock and more or less got the hang of steering by Old Windsor where we tied up for the night. Lost all the elctrics - as I removed the mooring stakes, I moved the electrical master switch. Then, time for a cup of tea, made with fresh leaves, not teabags. Didn't realise that the wate from the sink went overboard, so tipped sent tealeaves down the sink - whihc immediately blocked. Removed pipe from under the sink and got covered in a sinkful of water and 3 spoons of used tealeaves. Weather was dreadful as well, although it did only rain twice in the week. Once for 3 days and the second time for 4 days.

 

Kevin

[ditchcrawler]

Don't know about typical, but if you're still smiling, that must be a good sign.

 

What are you going to do about the extra diesel?

I thought that was why the BSS insists you have diesel written on the diesel filler

[rubblequeen]

I thought that was why the BSS insists you have diesel written on the diesel filler

 

 

Hmmm we do have diesel written on the filler! I was busy filling the front end with water - that is marked Water. But I guess the guys from the Marina just made a mistake and to be fair they said they wouldn't charge me for the diesel pumped in the wrong tank!

 

Seems that the first day - looking at previous posts - is sent to test newbies to see if they are up for it.

[curzons246]

Hmmm we do have diesel written on the filler! I was busy filling the front end with water - that is marked Water. But I guess the guys from the Marina just made a mistake and to be fair they said they wouldn't charge me for the diesel pumped in the wrong tank!

 

Seems that the first day - looking at previous posts - is sent to test newbies to see if they are up for it.

Ribble Queen - from what you've told us surely they should be returning your poo tank to the state it was in before they filled it with diesel - did they refit the water tank? if so any damage and repair is down to them as well

Cheers Bill and Denise NB Indulgence

[rubblequeen]

Ribble Queen - from what you've told us surely they should be returning your poo tank to the state it was in before they filled it with diesel - did they refit the water tank? if so any damage and repair is down to them as well

Cheers Bill and Denise NB Indulgence

 

Yes they did refit the water tank but the problem was the other end of the boat where a jubilee clip had come off a tee piece going to the drain off cock so not really thier fault.

 

As for the poo tank I had already bought a new Porta loo and had arranged to have the old pump out removed - so all in all not too much of a disaster.

 

We are very happy with the service we have had from the marina & as I said a human error - only wrote about it in the fist place as I thought it might amuse but thanks for all your concern.

[curzons246]

Yes they did refit the water tank but the problem was the other end of the boat where a jubilee clip had come off a tee piece going to the drain off cock so not really thier fault.

 

As for the poo tank I had already bought a new Porta loo and had arranged to have the old pump out removed - so all in all not too much of a disaster.

 

We are very happy with the service we have had from the marina & as I said a human error - only wrote about it in the fist place as I thought it might amuse but thanks for all your concern.

I really admire your attitude and think you will fit in very well. - our first trip was very uneventful - it was in a 15ft fiberglass cabin cruiser - a freind took us out to show us the ropes - i clearly remember him saying " you know this is infectious don't you" 10 years later we live aboard our narrowboat and rent out our house because we wouldn't want to be any where else.

cheers Bill and Denise NB Indulgence

[Phil Ambrose]

You are not alone in having that sinking feeling, I nearly sunk ours a 4 or 5 years ago thus.

I have shore power and thought I would invest in shore water, easy job bit of kit on hull to plug hose into and job done, saves pumps and batteries.

 

BUT the day that I removed bilge pump as it had a faulty switch I decided it would be wise to go and buy a new switch my time away from boat was 30 mins when I returned I thought "Oh she seems to be sitting a bit low" as I got nearer I could hear gushing water, You guessed right, a jubilee clip had failed on calorifier and I was filling the boat with mains water.

 

Water is now always turned off when we are not in and also at night, I also make it a habit to check fittings etc on a regular basis.

 

Phil (with dry feet now)

[petermac]

Don't worry there are other days that make you feel as though God is smiling on you. I took my wife of two years on a narrowboat for her first taste of "leisure" boating. She worked 25 locks on her own that day and slept like a log for ten hours! Still must have enjoyed it as two years later we bought our own 50' boat and love evry minute of it.

 

Good Luck

 

Peter & Carol

Nb SwanSong

[Naughty Cal]

The OH almost sank our boat by leaving the lid half off the raw water strainer. Took weeks to remove the resulting water from the bilges.

 

He also decided to clean the engine and engine bay this weekend. Borrowed a friends wet vac to remove the water this time. Still was very suprised at the amount it sucked out from under the engine. Took ages. Engine and bay looks very clean now