BOATWATCH 2012
HOSES
- Kinked
- Wire Reinforcing Corroded
- Surface Cracked
- Extruded Through Clamps
- Incorrect Size for Spud Fitting
- Wrong Application
- Exhaust – Marine Wet Exhaust
- Suction – Quality Marine Water Hose
- Fuel - USCG Type A-1-15 Approved
- Black Water – Sanitation Grade
- Water Distribution – Approved, NSF 61 compliant
PLASTIC THRU HULLS
- Cracked
- UV Exposure
- External Force
- Internal Force
- Over-Tightened Hose Clamps
WATER IN YOUR BOAT
- Visible
- Windows
- Frame to Cabin Side
- Glazing to Window Frame
- Portlights & Hatches
- Frame to Cabin Side/Top
- Glazing to Portlight Frame
- Cracked Frame
- Old, Hard, Cracked Gaskets
- Incorrectly Adjusted
- Damaged/Missing Dogs
- Not As Visible
- Deck Penetrations
- Where to Look – Follow the trail
- Inside Chain Lockers – Look UP
- Underside of Hull/Deck Joint Where Ever Visible – Look UP
- Inside Cabinets & Lockers – Look UP
- Above Head Liners – Remove if Possible
- Trails Down Hull Liner
- Trails Inside Settee Storage
- Dampness Along Edges of Bulkheads
- The Usual Suspects
- Mast Partners
- Mast Steps – Deck & KeelHigh Stress Deck Hardware
- Stanchion Bases – Especially where vessel is boarded
- Pulpit Bases
- Anchor Platform/Anchor Bracket Mounting Hardware
- Anchor Windlass Mounts
- Anchor Windlass Wiring Penetrations
- Chain Pipes
- Towing Bits
- Cleats & Chocks
- Toe Rails
- Sailboat Running Rigging Hardware
- Sailboat Chain Plate Penetrations
- Loose Cockpit Drain Fittings
- Nearly Invisible
- Transom Penetrations
- U-Bolts – Nearly Always
- Swim Platform Hardware – Above & Below W/L
- Exhaust Discharge Flanges
- Thru Hulls – cockpit drains, bilge pump discharge
- Hull Penetrations
- Prop Shaft Packing Glands
- I/O Steering Shaft Seals
- I/O Bellows – drive shaft & shift cable
- Volvo Penta Shift Cable Hose
- Bait Tank Pump Leaks
- Washdown Pump Leaks
- Potable Water System Leaks
HOSE CLAMPS
- Broken
- Corroded
- Over-tightened
- Loose
- Wrong Type
- Inadequate Number – Some Applications Require 2
- Exhaust Hoses
- Fuel Fill Hoses
- Below Waterline
- Improperly Placed
- Overlapping
- Not on Spud Fitting
- On Top of Flare
COCKPIT SCUPPERS/DRAINS
- Clogged
- Leaves
- All Things Cottonwood Related
- Conifer Needles/Cones
- Hair
- Fishing Lures
- Cigarette Wrappers
- Cigarettes Filters
- Grunge
- Seagull Lunch Residue
- Otter/Beaver/Duck/Geese Residue
- Dog Toys
- Cistern Complex
- Torn Drain Hoses
- Kinked Drain Hoses
- Dislodged Drain Hoses
- Loose Drain Fittings
- Broken Plastic Thru Hulls
- Submerged Discharges
- Scupper Balls Close Drains – Rain Backs into Vessel
- Loss of Freeboard
- Too Much Gear
- Improper Trim
- Improper Repower
- Too Much Weight From Modifications
- Generator – new or upsized
- Additional Battery Banks
- Additional Tanks – fuel, water, waste
- Extended Swim Platform
- Igloo Storage Box on Swim Platform
- Dingy on Swim Platform
- Davit Addition
- Fish Boxes Fill w/Rain
- Design
- Deteriorated Gaskets
- Clogged/Blocked Scuppers
- Excess Beer
BILGE PUMPS
- Rotor Locked
- Debris – zip tie ends, screws,
- Internal corrosion – seal leak
- Shorted Out
- Rotor Lock
- Internal Corrosion
- Float Switch Issues
- Debris Blocks Operation
- Loose Switch
- Float Water Logged
- Float Switch Defective
- Wiring
- Corroded
- Undersize
- Smoke Released Already
- Wire Nuts
- Scotch-Lite Connectors
- Poor Crimps
- Switches
- Off
- Location – easily bumped
- Unknown Combination of Switches to Activate Float Circuit
- Battery Selector Switch?
- Master 12V Breaker
- Bilge Pump Breaker
- Bilge Pump Auto-Off-Manual Switch
- Blown Fuse
- Defective Switch or Breaker
- Hoses
- Stuck Check Valve
- Kinked Hose
- Loose Hose
- Air Leak In Suction Hose or Connections
- Split Hose
- End Too High
- Clogged Strainer
- No Strainer – debris enters
- Loose Pump
- Diaphragm Pump Failure
- Clogged Check Valves
- Torn Diaphragm
- Weak Motor
- Thrown Belt
- Loose Pulley
- Leaking Compensating Diaphragms
- Blige Sludge
SEACOCKS/THRUHULLS
- Seized
- Corroded/De-alloyed
- Inaccessible
- Handle Missing/Corroded
- Handle Installed 90/180 Degrees Out
- No Nut on Handle
- Leaking
- PVC
BELOW W/L PLUMBING
- PVC Fittings
- Plastic/Nylon Fittings
- De-alloyed Bronze Fittings
- Brass Fittings
- Vinyl Tubing
BATTERIES
- Past End of Life
- Corrosion
- At Posts/Terminals
- Inside Cables
- Attachments
- Wing Nuts (not for use with 6 gauge or larger wire)
- Loose Nuts
- Loose Cast Lugs
- Stacked Connectors (limit 4)
- Connector Lug Holes Oversize
- Cables Stacked in Wrong Order (largest should be first)
- Electrolyte
- Level Low
- Hard to Check
- Battery Location
- Cables Routed Over Caps
- Over Charged – boil electrolyte, bulge cases
- Inverter/Chargers
- Dumb” Chargers
- Automotive Portable Chargers
- Trickle Chargers – low amp but voltage too high
- Solar Panels/Wind Generators w/o Charge Regulators
- Over Cycled
- Constant Draw
- Stereo Memory (yellow wire)
- Some DC Appliances
- TV’s
- Refrigerators
- Lights
- Intermittent Draw
- Water Pumps
- Bilge Pumps
- Shower Sump Pumps
- Washdown Pumps
FUEL SYSTEMS
- Bonding
- Bonding Missing – fill to tank, tank to engine ground
- Bond Incomplete
- Only One Leg in Place
- High Resistance Connection – greater than 1 ohm
- Broken Wire/Connection
- Hoses
- Past End of Life
- Surface Cracked
- Wire Reinforcing Corroded
- Kinked
- Soft/Wet
- Greater Than 5 to 7 Years Old
- Wrong Type
- Not Designed for Alcohol
- Not Labeled USCG Type A-1-15 (gas) or A-1 (diesel) Approved
- Fill Hose Not Double Clamped
- Fill or Vent Hoses Low Spots – Traps
- Chafed
- On Engine Mounts
- On Other Hoses
- On Any Hard Surface/Edge/Corner
- Loose – exposed to snag or mechanical damage
- Fuel Leakage/Seepage
- Tanks
- Water on Top of Tanks
- Deck Leaks
- Fuel Fill Fitting Leaks
- Poorly Designed Engine Room Vents
- Leaking Plumbing
- Tanks on Top of Water
- Bilge Water Against Tank Bottoms
- Wet Materials Against Tanks
- Galvanic Corrosion of Aluminum Tanks
- Ferrous Metal Against Aluminum – straps
- Copper or Bronze Fittings in Aluminum Tank
- Mounting
- Loose Straps
- Broken Straps
- Missing/Loose Fasteners
- Vents
- Located in Catch Rain Position
- Broken Off
- Flame Arrestor Screen Corroded or Missing
- No Loop in Vent Hose Above Vent Fitting
- Accessibility
- Fuel Fill Cap Gasket/O-Ring Cracked/Missing
BILGE BLOWERS
- Hoses
- Torn
- Kinked
- Disconnected
- Suction End Unsecured
- Discharge End Fell/Pulled Off
- Lack of Adequate Hose Clamps
- Taped Up
- Reduced Cross Sectional Area
- Blowers
- Bearing Squealing
- Loss of Output
- Not Secured
- Seized Up
- Blown Fuse
- Bad Switch
- Wiring
- Twisted Connections/Wire Nuts/Scotch-Lite Connectors
- Undersized
- Exposed to Damage
ENGINES
- Water Leaks
- Raw Water Pumps
- Cover Plates
- Shaft Seals
- Hose Connections
- Exhaust Riser Gaskets
- Heat Exchanger Gaskets/Hose Connections
- Anti-Siphon Valves
- Oil Leaks
- Rocker Covers
- Seals
- Front Main Seal
- Rear Main Seal
- Water Pump Shaft Oil Seal
- Timing Cover
- Pan Gasket
- Mechanical Fuel Pump Mount
- Oil Drain Hose Connection/Hose/Plug
- O-Ring/Gasket
- Tube Loose
- Hoses
- Cracked
- Hard
- Spongy
- Wrong Type
- Kinked
- Snag Hazard – too long, not secured
- Coolant System
- Old, Weak Anti-Freeze
- Low Level
- Cracked Pressure Cap Gasket
- Pressure Cap Flange Cracked/Broken
- Leaks
- No Recovery Bottle
- Mounts
- Corroded
- Loose Fasteners
- Jacked All The Way Up
- Collapsed Rubber
- Fuel/Oil Saturated Rubber
- Torn Rubber
- Cables
- Excessive Friction
- Tight Bends
- Corrosion
- Mechanical Damage
- Loose Hardware
- Cotter Pins
- Lock Nuts
- Locking Clips
- Outer Cable Mounting Hardware
- Exhaust
- Cracked Water Injection Elbows
- Leaks
- Deformed Hoses
- Kinked Hoses
- Loose Mufflers
- Hose Chafe
- Exposed Dry Exhaust
- Hoses or Wiring Adjacent Exhaust Components
- Wiring
- Chafe
- Snag Hazard – loopy, unsupported wiring
- Wiring Above Engine Secured w/Plastic Clips
- Exposed Hot Terminals (starter solenoid, alternator)
- Corrosion
- Twisted Connections
SANITATION SYSTEMS
- Leaks
- Hoses
- Tanks
- Connections
- Macerator Pump
- Operational Deficiencies
- Macerator Inoperable
- Head Flushing Weak or Inoperable
- Flushing Water Leaks
- Treatment System Ineffective
- Y-Valves Seized
- Discharge Seacocks Seized
- Discharge Seacocks Not Secured
- Odors
- Permeated Hoses
- Clogged Vents
- Traps in Vent Hoses
- Effluent in Vent Hoses
- Corroded Vent Fittings
- Leaks (see above)
- Valves in Wrong Positions
I wish these were the only things I find, but, sadly, boats keep finding new ways to surprise us. So, I never take anything for granted.