First time for everything!

[bluecrab]

Well in the minuscule hours I have logged as a boater (320 +/-) I finally did it.

I forgot to put in my drain plugs.

Here are the turn of events of why it happened and the effects it has had on my boat. I am in the highest hopes that
I will be able to fix my issues and get some help from the good folks on this forum.

Well as some of you know I own a 170cc and am an avid crabber.
This past Saturday I took her out to get an early start on finding my spot and dropping my traps.

I was at the ramp and getting the boat ready to launch when I noticed that my nav lights weren't working. I checked the bilge

and baitwell pump switches and all was fine. I figured I would wait to get the boat launched and then check the lights

(maybe the light were burned out I was thinking).

So as I am preparing I have several folks behind me adding pressure to get my boat in.

Boat gets launched. I tie her up and drive the trailer up to the lot. As I am getting the dog ready I realized that the drain plugs
weren't installed. I run down to the boat and it is swamped and the bilge pump is trying to pump the water out.

I install the plugs as water is filling up in the boat. I let the bilge do its work.
I check the nav lights and they come on, for about two seconds then they go off and the bilge pump goes off. I thought this

was weird because I still saw water in the boat.I really got myself in a pickle this time.

I decide to pull the boat and pull the plugs. It took more than five minutes to drain the boat.

During this time I am looking at all of wiring in my CC I can't seem to find a fuse box. One would have thought that a fuse

box would be installed with all of the electricity. Well you know what they say about assuming.

At this point none of my switches work. My bilge pump, baitwell pump, nav lights, and radio are inoperable.

However, my instrument lights are working. I relaunch the boat with the plugs installed because well, I want to go crabbing

and want to make sure she still starts.

She doesn't start I get a clicking sound. A man states "dry the battery. I did and waited 10 minutes and she starts up.
I let her idle for ten minutes and wait for the sun to come up so I can go without nav lights.

So I decided to still go crabbing but not go far and stay close to shore. I figure I have my pfd, flares and smokers and that I am no further then 100 yards from shore and had my anchor ready.. I may have been wrong in doing it but hey it was my decision.

So I am out for about 1 hour and I start idling over to a trap and hit my trim button and the engine cuts. I'm stranded in calm waters for about 5 minutes and she starts back up.

I was out for about 4 more hours without and problems.

I brought her home and the battery seems to be fully charged.


So I guess my question is What happened to my bilge, baitwell, nav lights and radio? I see that all the wires go under the boat. Did all the water short those devices or fry them? I suspect they are all on the same circuit. Like I said I could not find a fuse box. Am I going to have to replace all the switches and B.O.A.T?


And you can laugh and flame me all ya want I know I messed up.

Lessons learned:
-Don't rush yourself on the ramp even if you are feeling pressure from others.

-Ask for help.

-get another battery

- Don't turn on anything when the boat is swamped. But how to get away form this if the bilge pump turns on or I need the bilge pump (chicken and egg)

-try to find a way to waterproof battery.

- install fuse box if I can't find one already installed ( I don't think there is one)

but I learned a lot too. I also realized that a boat can fill with water VERY FAST.

Any other insight would be greatly appreciated especially how to fix the electronic issues.

~blue~

 

[bluecrab]

Maybe this was supposed to go in the "safety lessons learned category"

 

[Whitto]

Don't feel bad Bluecrab ... those of us that haven't done this have come very, very close (and there is still a chance we'll all do it at least once)

My boat ( 195DC ) came with a main circuit breaker that cuts all the power to everything except the engine... it's a small box wired inline near the battery. There are also individual circuit breaker buttons under all the switches on my dashboard. Try re-setting all of these first.

A second battery is always a good thing, so is a bailing bucket, self draining decks or even a second bilge pump, but experience is King and you will remember the bungs next time

so ... Did you get any crab?

 

[bluecrab]

yes got6 some crabs so a good day.

These circuit breaker buttons are they little bulbus rubber things? How big is the box near the battery. I will have to double check this.

thanks for the insight.
Blue

 

[bluecrab]

Yeah I don;t see any fuses or circuit box just the bulbus rubber things underneath each switch when I look inside the cc it seems tat there are these electronic small white boxes behind each bulbus rubber things.

 

[JimW]

Bluecrab,
My 170cc has the small boxy looking thing wired at the positive battery (red) terminal, and is labeled 25 Amp. It is inside of the battery box.
BTW, don't feel bad about forgetting the plugs. I did it with my 1st boat back in the 1970's and just did it again a couple of weeks ago. I guess I was lucky and got it back out of the water before causing any trouble as you have had. As I recall, my bilge pump did not come on while I was draining the boat but did start up by itself while we were out fishing. It may have been plugged up with debris.
We ate our first crabs of the season yesterday.

 

[HighTechRedneck]

Yeah I don;t see any fuses or circuit box just the bulbus rubber things underneath each switch when I look inside the cc it seems tat there are these electronic small white boxes behind each bulbus rubber things.

Those are breaker switches. when you blow the breaker a button will pop out and fill the rubber things. To reset the breaker just push the button back in. These are your fuses.

HTR

 

[bluecrab]

Ok then the breakers did not pop out into those rubber things because they had air in them if that makes sense.
Thanks for explaining that now I understand.

I will also check the small box in the battery compartment to see if I have one.

ONE ADDED NOTE:
This morning I tried to see if the engine would turn over... no dice the battery is dead now the trim will not work.

So when i get home I will test voltage and recharge this may in fact be a battery issue.

Maybe there was enough juice to get the engine started but not enough for the panel switches.

I may have shot the battery I will keep you posted.

Thanks for the insight.

Blue

 

[bluecrab]

Well I found the solution to the problems.
I checked the battery with voltimeter and it came up 13 volts (2.6 X 5 ) according to the reading and calculation.
PLugged the charger in and it was ready in less then 5 minutes.
Regurgitating all of the information I found between this site and the other I posted on I found out the problem for the
trim, and engine starting was a loose negative battery cable I tightened it up and the engine turned and the trim was fine.
Still though the switches were out radio didn' work nor lights.
I tracked down that 25 amp fuse (RIGH IN FROT OF MY FACE).
THe fuse was fines EXCEPT it and the fuse terminal were corroded. I cleaned them with contact cleaner and put the fuse back in and still nothing.
I pulled a fuse from the truck to test and before I was able to pu tit in everything started working. Hrmm I thought. Then it stopped again.
I took the old fuse out and put in a new one. The old fuse just had too much salt corrosion I suspect.
Everythign works fine now.
I am glad this all has happened because now it has prompted me to do a full inspection on my boat. I know should have done this the beginning of the year but I was too bust trying to change the oils etc and get out on the water.
Time to sit back and punt and look at everything on the Boat and trailer and MAINTAIN IT!!!
I don't want a 50 cent fuse be the issue that takes me out.
I will be putitng up another post on things I think I might need to change out and get some recommendations
THanks everyone for posting and helping me out.
~Blue~