i saw this on another site,it's a 31 fountain,the boat was going down,not sure why the boat took on water,but it was sinking...check out the life jackets that were on board...




that's right,a seat cushion...nice huh ? here's a good question,what's your life worth to you ? there's no excuse for not having offshore life jackets on board for everyone,isn't that a law ? 3 people,3 jackets


h

let me add to this...ok ?

every boat should have a"high bilge water alarm",it's pretty simple to install,you want the alarm to be "hot" at all times,wire it behind the battery switch,on the battery side,along with auto leads to both bilge pumps-one for each battery...if you have to ask how to do this,i suggest you take the boat to someone who can do it for you.you need to take every precaution you can to take care of yourself and your crew,do not screw around with saftey !!!! another thing,avoid,using those short style vhf antennas,if you head offshore,they will not provide the range you need...range on an vhf radio is "line of site",remember this,"height is might" !! what that means is,the higher the antenna,the more range,you will recieve and transmit...you want the best antenna you can,your life may depend on it one day !!! you want a epirb as well !! if you head offshore,you need a raft,and an epirb-these are required !!!!
self preservation-it's a trait we all have...

What's even worse is he has it on his back! There's a reason why the cheap orange ones go around your neck and have the majority of flotation on your chest- to keep you upright and breathing. If that guy smacked his head and was unconscious, his head would be face first under water!

Did the boat sink? It looks like they had plenty of help which is nice to see!

boat sunk...it was recovered...but,it's gonna be totaled by the insurance company,nothing salvagable on it,including the engines...a real shame,coulda been alot worse...

Just wanted to add to Jawz post about high water alarms. Early this spring I got out tog fishing and I think the water temp was about 53 that day. Got anchored up and started catching. After a couple hours I noticed my front bilge pump come on for a second and dump a small amount of water. Thought it was a little strange since any water I get sets off the pump in the back and never the one up front. About an hour goes by and there goes the high water alarm! No panick, I put it in and know how high I put it in the bilge so I knew I had plenty of time to figure out the problem. Hit both pumps on manual and out pumps alot of water. I tested both pumps in the spring by filling up with the hose 4 or 5 times each area to make sure they work. I have three batteries with one pump hot to each at all times and the high water alarm to the third. The wiring is brand new and done right. Lets just say if it can happen to me it can happen to anybody that doesnt take alot of time checking things and having backups. The float on the pump got clogged up with small debri in the bilge. If I had one pump and no high water alarm I might have gone swimming in 53 degree water. The high water alarm gives you time to react before its too late. Get one they are cheap and easy to install.

You guys are all right. I have three bilge pumps in the bottom of the boat and I have a high water alarm hooked up about a foot off the bottom with another bilge pump attached to it just in case. I was out a few years ago in my old boat and I had the same set up about an hour into toggin my alarm goes off. I looked into the bilge and it was filled with water. Luckily it was only a loose clamp but that boat had a switch for the bilge pumps and someone had hit it to the off positon. I also learned that bilge pumps shouldnt have a switch.

i can't stress the whole high bilge alarm thing enough,you gotta have one...
as far a sbilge pump switches are concerned,i use an ancor waterproof inline fuse holder for the lead to the flaot switch,this is connceted to the battery,via the battery switch ...this eliminates the need for a switch to keep the bilge pump in "auto" mode...

RE: "via the battery switch"... I assume you really mean "at the battery switch"... "Via" would imply that turning the battery switch off would turn the pump off.

connected to the battery,via the switch,the lead is connected to the "battery" terminal behind the battery switch...connections like this should not be made at the battery terminals...the switch does not control the power...