Came back from vacation and...

[Smier]

We took a two week family vacation to Florida, and when I went to check on my boats tonight I found this...



Apparently, the mowing service my inlaws use has discovered that they can tip my Compac up to mow under the trailer closer.  The problem is, they didn't set it back down and we have had some heavy rains.  It looks like it collected on top of the seats at the stern and eventually flooded the rear of the boat and my battery is under water.  Too late and dark to do anything about it tonight, so I will have to head back up tomorrow after work and pump it out.  I'm not very happy right now!  I always check on my boats at least once a week, and they are always dry inside.

[HeaveToo]

I would be very irritated with someone disturbing my boat and not putting it back right.  It is even worse when it costs you money.

I would mention this to the mowers and tell them if they move something put it back because they just cost you a bit of money and damage because of this.  There is nothing worse than someone messing with your baby and not taking care of her like you do!

[BruceW]

I have seen that happen when the cockpit drains get clogged, and the rain fills up and tips the boat; hopefully you can put some jackstands in there, and make sure to keep the scuppers clear.

Of course, it could have been the lawn guys, but you might want to be sure about the other as well!

[Citroen/Dave]

So far I have counted 6 C16's pointing skyward on their trailers.  All were older boats "abandoned" at marinas! I hope I have enough sense to sell mine before I get to old to clean the scuppers.  I don't know why these older owners keep paying marina fees, allowing their beautiful boats to rot.  A tarp is very helpful, until the tarp rots and becomes part of the scupper debris.  Water quickly gets into the bilge through to rear hatch when they point skyward.

If you have to leave yours for a long time, at least pay the kid working at the marina a few bucks to check you boat and scuppers every now and then.  I would even pay him a few bucks to report if the bilge was still dry, before winter.  One C16 at the Washington marina had a stalactite growing from the keel and a stalagmite growing on the trailer from a cracked keel caused by the concrete ballast freezing. Why do these guys continue paying marina fees? Do they think they can keep their dream of one more sail by letting their boats and trailers die?

My bitching, sorry.

[Smier]

Scuppers are still clear and draining, I suspect they just forgot to set the boat back down after they mowed and trimmed.  The scuppers were the first thing I checked when I saw it.  The way the cockpit is designed allows the seat to drain when the boat is level, once it's tipped up it acts as a funnel to fill the hull unfortunately...  I keep the boat when stored, the battery is very old and no huge loss.  I will mention it to them, but I believe it wasn't intentional.  Plus, it's not my property but my inlaws.  I think some jack stands will solve the issue!

[JTMeissner]

Smier, a couple of thoughts and descriptions based upon my experience with the CP-16 on the trailer.  I'm glad your boat came through relatively unscathed.

Is there enough tongue weight with your boat's position on the trailer? I can lift the tongue on mine and maneuver it fairly easily to the hitch, but think it would take quite the effort to tilt the boat back that far.  I moved my boat forward on the trailer after purchase as my weight on the stern would make the trailer tippy.  A couple of inches can make a huge difference moving the center of gravity in relation to the axle pivot point.  It looks like the tiller/rudder are removed in the photo which is probably a good thing as all that weight would have been on the bracket joints or rudder itself.

Here's a comparison, perhaps mine is half a foot in front of yours (relative to the axle)?


With the squatting of the 16's, I'd recommend any battery or such weighted item be placed up front.  My assumption is that you are powering a trolling motor with that battery?  I used to do the same, but moved the battery up from and ran wiring to the hatch for the motor to keep the weight better distributed.  I have to hang the outboard back there, so still keep the battery up front to counter even though I haven't finished electrical work.

It doesn't surprise me that the scuppers were clear.  The water that ran into the stern area through the hatch likely collected on top of the seats.  Even if perfectly level, a large amount of water on the seats can overcome the hatch lip and allow water below (I have done this while rinsing off the boat with a hose, spraying the seats towards the stern).  It also doesn't take much tilt to make the aft side of the hatch lower than the gutter to the cockpit floor.  If the boat was moved forward on the trailer, it could better withstand clogged scuppers before tilting.

HTH,
Justin

[nies]

Agree with JT.................your boat sits to far back on trailer, sitting that far back will make the rig weave going down the road at highway speed, not enough weight on tougue...................move boat forward and try pulling, and the boat should be forward so you can climb in without tipping , I still put a stand jack under the rear brace just to be safe when not hooked to car....nies

[Smier]

I'll look into moving the boat forward.  I pumped it out last night, water was clear and fresh.  Scuppers and drains were clear.  Discoloring on top of seat from water standing but not in the cockpit sole I really believe someone tipped the boat up.  Not sure if the battery or my cheap solar panel survived.  Minimal loss and no damage to the boat thankfully!