preventing and handling emergencies 281
M is for mapping from a bird’s-eye view
Make a simple drawing of every through-hull in your boat, showing
locations of seacocks, ball valves, and exhaust vents. Include rudderposts,
stuffi ng boxes (shaft exits), transducers (depth sounders and speed
measuring instrumentation). If the fi tting penetrates the hull, add it to your
sketch. Start forward and work your way aft , removing every inspection
cover or port. Look inside lockers and beneath berths and settee seats.
Follow the water and head hose lines from entry to exit points. Neaten up
your rough sketch, mount it in the cabin, and show it to your crew.
A is for attack preparation
Make every piece of flood-fighting equipment accessible and keep it in
good working order. Brief your crew on the locations of the equipment
described here and hold mini-demos on how to use it.
Seacock valve handles. Test every fi tting with a seacock at least once a
month. Test the most common fi ttings—such as the head, sink, and
engine raw-water intake—more frequently. Don’t forget hidden ones
such as the cockpit scupper drain seacocks or the generator raw-water
intake seacock. Move the handle the full 90 degrees from open to closed
position several times. A light tap with a hammer usually frees up frozen
handles. Disassemble and repack every seacock during your annual
haulout. Apply a waterproof silicone grease to lubricate internal parts.
Mechanical (electric) bilge pumps. Install the largest-capacity mechanical
pump possible. With two electric pumps in the same bilge, mount the
larger of the two on a shelf over the smaller one. Test all fl oat switches
before and aft er getting underway.
Cockpit-mounted manual (diaphragm) bilge pump. Sailing vessels and small
open powerboats should install a large-capacity manual, diaphragm-type
bilge pump in the cockpit. Choose one with a 15- to 30-gallon-per-minute
Flow Rate of Water through a 1" Hole50070090011001300150017001900210023006" 1' 1.5' 2' 3'
Distance of Hole below WaterlineGallons Per HourTh e fl ow rate of water through a 1-inch hole.