Scuba Shack's Boat Get Wet Sinks in Key Largo

[boulderjohn]

If I am reading this right and forgive me if I am wrong. 8 passengers on board and it is a 6 pack. Does that mean just divers or all passengers?

We seem to have conflicting information.

Get Wet was operating as a 6-PAC, which means it was not legally required to be inspected by the Coast Guard.

Very sorry to learn of this. Here's what the Miami Herald had to say: One dead, seven saved on sinking charter boat in Upper Keys - Florida Keys - MiamiHerald.com

Here is a quote from that Miami Herald article:

Schecter said the boat was not overloaded. “We’re authorized for more than six passengers. I believe it’s 14,” he said.
​

 

[reefman]

If I am reading this right and forgive me if I am wrong. 8 passengers on board and it is a 6 pack. Does that mean just divers or all passengers?

6 divers + a captain and dive instructor/divemaster=8 total occupants


reefman
key largo

 

[Jax]

Having a "removable hatch" does not mean the hatch does not have seals and screws.

If the seals have gone to hell, the following seas would be splashing up the back of the boat, filling the bilge.

At least, that is how a local guy explained it to me.

 

[Jax]

From the Miami Herald:

Seatow, a commercial salvage company, worked Monday afternoon to recover the boat and bring it back to land. The boat was brought to the surface, and the water pumped out. But it sank again.

Is this normal? to pump out all the water and it sink again? I *assume* (hate that word) they pumped out the bilge and all, right?

 

[DennisS]

From the Miami Herald:


Is this normal? to pump out all the water and it sink again? I *assume* (hate that word) they pumped out the bilge and all, right?

It's not normal, once they pump all the water out, they usually float and they just tow it in. I'd hate to see the salvage bill, The pickup for the pump is usually as low in the bilge as they can get it, I'm surprised they didn't have someone standing by the pump, monitoring the water level, just to prevent a sinking situation. It doesn't take much, a broken sea cock or hose clamp can sink a boat quickly

 

[Herb-alaska]

I am not an expert just a person who lives around boats but I think that this vessel had other issues beyond a bad hatch and being swamped over the transom I have seen and helped raise a couple of boats and if this boat was only swamped it would have stayed on the surface after it was raised and pumped back out. It sounds like it may have blown an intake line for a inboard engine, that would put a 3 inch hole in the boat that the bilge pump would not have been able to keep up with. Combine that with whatever seas it was taking over the gunnels into the bilge from a unsealed deck and it would not have been good.

 

[Jax]

BTW,

What sort of things would a person look for on a boat, that would indicate maintenance problems?

I'm guessing you don't want to see too much duct tape and baling wire.

Is worn-out bungees that are used for tank security a problem, or just something that hasn't been replaced yet?

What about cracked windows?

 

[Jax]

It's not normal, once they pump all the water out, they usually float and they just tow it in. I'd hate to see the salvage bill, The pickup for the pump is usually as low in the bilge as they can get it, I'm surprised they didn't have someone standing by the pump, monitoring the water level, just to prevent a sinking situation. It doesn't take much, a broken sea cock or hose clamp can sink a boat quickly

I am not an expert just a person who lives around boats but I think that this vessel had other issues beyond a bad hatch and being swamped over the transom I have seen and helped raise a couple of boats and if this boat was only swamped it would have stayed on the surface after it was raised and pumped back out. It sounds like it may have blown an intake line for a inboard engine, that would put a 3 inch hole in the boat that the bilge pump would not have been able to keep up with. Combine that with whatever seas it was taking over the gunnels into the bilge from a unsealed deck and it would not have been good.

Since the hatches were allegedly unsecured (like how I said that? ), is it possible for one of them to have hit something and knocked ???an intake line??? off, causing the 're-sinking'??

Not a boater, just looking at the situation.

 

[simskiscuba]

Just out with them August. Best wishes and prayers.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Having a "removable hatch" does not mean the hatch does not have seals and screws.

If the seals have gone to hell, the following seas would be splashing up the back of the boat, filling the bilge.

At least, that is how a local guy explained it to me.

A lot depends on the individual boat and how it is set up. Is the cockpit self-bailing, is there an open or closed transom, etc.

A hatch with a slight leak... it doesn't immediately suggest to me a sinking situation. It could be, but not necessarily. Most hatches would open "out" or "up" so water coming into the cockpit would not necessarily get into the bilge through a small gap. If it lost a hatch and there was a large wave, it could happen for sure (or of course other scenarios - many things are possible).

There is a thing called free surface effect. Basically, it's how a bunch of water can shift suddenly and change the stability properties of the vessel. So the leak theory could make sense. Just to consider a possibility: Boat takes on water (there are numerous ways) while divers are in the water (bilge pumps not working, or overwhelmed?), which is distributed evenly throughout the bilge. Then divers re-board and are aft getting gear squared away, they realize the problem and go to motor toward shore. Boat moves ahead, bow rises (this is usual) water moves aft quickly (free surface effect), she goes down by the stern, water comes over transom... she goes on down.

Again, I'm not saying hatches couldn't have been the problem, because there are definitely ways a hatch could fail and cause a problem. A lot of it depends on the design of the boat and the hatches, and I have not seen it.