Submerged Boat - Rewire? - The Hull Truth

Jeauxbro · 07-16-2006, 03:46 PM

A buddy (really, it wasn't me) forgot to put the plug in before launching his boat and was submerged in saltwater for 8-10 hours. He launched it, put it in a slip for the night and when we got there the next morning we found the boat partially submerged. A couple of kids who found it taking on water retied the lines so that the engine never went below water. We got it out of the water and washed everything down with freshwater. Some of the battery connections had completely dissolved. The center console wasn't submerged. Should the boat be rewired in this case? Should the gas tanks be emptied and flushed before running the engine? Is there any other maintenance that is suggested before putting the boat back into service?

Snapper Head · 07-16-2006, 04:03 PM

At a minimum, any and all wiring that was submerged needs to be cleaned and inspected. Not doable for the full run through a wire chase within the hull and/or under the sole. However, there typically are not any connections in these runs, just wire, in which case you are okay, provided the insulation for the wire is not compromised. The terminations are what you need to be most concerned about, as any that were sumberged should be redone. The reason is that water can migrate into the insulation from the terminal end, and eventually cause problems.

I sounds like there was not too much in the way of terminations that were compromised. Inspect everything, and if in doubt, reterminate.

Re-wire the whole boat? Probably not.

As for the rest of the stuff, like the post below states, new batts, flush fuel tank if it got water, and replace any/all filters. I would also be checking my fuel/water sep filter VERY frequently during the next 10 hours or so of running.

Big Al
wired

prockvoan · 07-16-2006, 04:04 PM

First,GET THE WATER OUT!Open any and all service hatches.Wash out the bilge.Fuel/oil tank must be empty and flushed out,check all wiring and replace as need,new fuel filter and spares for down the bayou,new batterys,those are shot now.Check all connections on pumps(bilge,airation,washdown,fresh water).

baitkiller · 07-16-2006, 04:10 PM

#1 does the boat have an aluminum fuel tank? If so the outside must be completely cleaned and dried, likely foamed in. The tank will pit within two weeks and may leak very quickly after that.
#2 The capillary effect is greater on wires that were powered when submerged. That being said if the switches were off during the sinking, it will greatly reduce the amount wire to cut back or replaced.
#3 What's your (friends) deductible? leaving the plug out is a covered loss. The Ins. Co will likely pay a surveyor to establish the extent of damage.

Good luck.

Mac25 · 07-16-2006, 04:49 PM

but as he stated the battery terminals had corroded into as the stray currents in the water got to them,hope the other metalic items are ok.

Vectorfisher · 07-16-2006, 05:19 PM

This happened to my dads first CC a 69 Sea Craft he gave the motor a kerosene bath in and out and 3 days later sitting in the yard it caught fire

Wiring harness literally caught fire luckily a neighbor with some smarts saw the smoke and came running and yanked the + cable off the battery. I would never trust it without repairing the wiring that was wet

cgrand · 07-16-2006, 09:29 PM

"#1 does the boat have an aluminum fuel tank? If so the outside must be completely cleaned and dried, likely foamed in. The tank will pit within two weeks and may leak very quickly after that."

huh...????
since when does aluminum pit and leak two weeks after exposure to salt water???
that would be news to my aluminum boat, and to my small fiberglass boat who's aluminum tank sits right on top the deck

welder · 07-16-2006, 09:47 PM

Cgrand,

I'm glad we read this post , Iwill go out and check my Pacific [ Aluminum boat ] for pit's and leaks.

I've had it in the salt water for a 100 hrs now , it's not gonna sink is it?

baitkiller · 07-16-2006, 10:51 PM

Welder and C grand, Its a mater of oxygen deprivation around the aluminum from the foam, wood, plastic or other dunnage. Look, I'm too tired to school you dorks. Your 100 hour boat does not have wood or foam trapping moisture against the aluminum without oxygen, therefore it doesn't set up an acidic cell and is free of corrosion except maybe galvanic. Think about it tonight and let me know on Tuesday if your still confused. Maybe then Ill have the time to spell out why this person may have a fuel leak in his boat in less than a year that is 100% due to a flooding. (if he does indeed have an aluminum tank)
Its not a hat rack gentlemen, think with it please.

Deadbait

Bitefish · 07-17-2006, 12:13 AM

Submerged in WHAT?

Fresh or salt? I assume from the completely trashed battery wiring salt water.

ANY wire in which ANY terminal or discontinuity (splice, etc) was submerged must be replaced. Therefore, the main battery cables (which were damaged) must be REPLACED - not cut back - or they will fail in the future. Main cables are nothing to fool with - they can start FIRES if they fail internally, so replace them.

The fuel tank is a concern. Of greater concern is getting ALL the water out of the hull. With some newer boats there are "void spaces" which have no limber holes but which can be filled from the top - those are bad news and should never be present, but surprisingly enough sometimes there are.

You need to find a way to see inside the hull (between deck and hull) to the greatest extent possible, and make sure you've got all the water out. For salt water you need to flush the areas submerged with fresh water if possible.

If the fuel tank is aluminum and foamed in place you've got a potential ticking bomb on your hands, as has been noted. If its NOT foamed in place or is plastic, then it'll be ok - aluminum self-protects from corrosion SO LONG AS OXYGEN CAN GET TO IT. If water is trapped against it by foam encasement it will corrode through quite quickly.

nauthead · 07-17-2006, 12:42 AM

Sell the boat. I know of two manufactures that tar coat tanks before foamed and then seal the foam. If your is not done in this manor you need tanks. Your wiring is gone, even if it is tinned. The first to fail will probably be your bilge pump leads and this will happen again. Talk to your insurance people?

Bitefish · 07-17-2006, 02:13 AM

I would not sell the boat as you MUST disclose that it has been submerged (even partially) to a buyer - and if you do, any intelligent buyer is going to consider its value to be close to zero.

Fail to disclose that and you're in deep kimchee WHEN things start to fall apart and its discovered that the boat was sunk. You can and will get sued over that sort of thing.

The insurance company might total it - that's an option....

tnsmith · 07-17-2006, 02:36 AM

Well, my boat was submerged for at least a month after Katrina. I did the restoration myself. The CC never went under, but my fuel tank and entire rear half went under. My fuel tank was ok... it's plastic... the water was just shy of the filler hose. I drained some out, didn't notice any water, so I topped it off and all was ok for the new motor. As for wiring... if it was saltwater, just replace it. It's not expensive, and you'll be glad you did. I rewired everything that was under the waterline. All batteries were shot. But, if you do this right, it'll be as good as new. Mine came out better than new. Good luck.

jethro1 · 07-17-2006, 10:15 AM

Replace it all now or replace it wire by wire over time. It will be much less aggravation in the long run to do it all now rather than deal with electrical gremlins one by one.

Without even knowing the brand of boat, if you do it yourself you can do a better job, using better components, than the factory did. Plus, you will know the boats electrical system inside and out once you are done. It is not that big of a job, just time consuming.

Oh, don't forget to properly crimp, solder and heat shrink wrap all electrical connections.

Jimm · 07-17-2006, 10:44 AM

Quote:

baitkiller - 7/16/2006 9:51 PM

Welder and C grand, Its a mater of oxygen deprivation around the aluminum from the foam, wood, plastic or other dunnage. Look, I'm too tired to school you dorks. Your 100 hour boat does not have wood or foam trapping moisture against the aluminum without oxygen, therefore it doesn't set up an acidic cell and is free of corrosion except maybe galvanic. Think about it tonight and let me know on Tuesday if your still confused. Maybe then Ill have the time to spell out why this person may have a fuel leak in his boat in less than a year that is 100% due to a flooding. (if he does indeed have an aluminum tank)
Its not a hat rack gentlemen, think with it please.

Deadbait