ONLINE EXTRA
BEFORE YOU KICK OFF your boating season, make sure you download Bob
Adriance’s great Spring Fitting Out Safety Checklist. It only takes an hour or
two to go through it all, and have peace of mind that everything’s in shipshape.
Click on the icon below this article online at www.BoatUS.com/Magazine
3. A poorly attached hose (secured with
only one hose clamp) can be “lifted” off the
seacock as the water freezes and expands. If a
seacock is left open, water in the seacock and
hose will freeze. As long as the water remains
frozen, the boat will remain afloat. When
the ice eventually thaws, the boat sinks.
Seacocks should be closed over the winter
or, in the case of cockpit drains, double-clamped securely with stainless-steel clamps.
Note that the nipple in the photo (top right)
isn’t barbed, which makes it that much more
vulnerable.
4. If water is left in the intake sea strainer, it
can freeze and break the bowl. If the seacock
is open, the boat sinks as soon as the ice
thaws. If it’s closed, an unsuspecting owner
may open the intake seacock in the spring
without noticing the broken sea strainer.
Check the sea strainer before you leave.
Bob Adriance is editor of Seaworthy, the
damage-avoidance newsletter produced by the
BoatU.S. Marine Insurance division. Seaworthy
is e-mailed free to Members quarterly.
A seemingly simple problem like a
slipped hose or an uncaulked drain
can have huge repercussions and see
your boat heading to the bottom.
INSURANCE INFO FOR A FREE BOATU.S. INSURANCE QUOTE, CALL
1-800-283-2883 OR APPLY ONLINE AT WWW.BOATUS.COM/INSURANCE
Over 900 boating and fishing businesses offer discounts to BoatU.S. Members on: Fuel - Transient Slips - Repairs - Storage - Bait - Fishing Charters and More!
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boating and fishing discounts in your area.
