What happens to sailboat as a lake fills up?
Posted by Wake95@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 42 comments
Somebody was storing two sailboats in my parents' cove when it went dry years ago. It's now starting to fill up, and the sailboat owner is nowhere to be found. Any idea what's going to happen to them as the water rises? Will they right themselves? I haven't looked at them in a long time and I don't know anything about sailboats, but my guess is they are about 20'. He was living aboard one of them previously. The keels looked pretty long to me.
indimedia@reddit
Water go up Boat go up, or Boat go down.
outdoors_guy@reddit
All boats rise with the tide…. (Unless they don’t)
jawisi@reddit
They should float, unless they sink.
indimedia@reddit
What goes up must come down
Outside_Advantage845@reddit
Not your age, or occasionally an erection after viagra
SailingSarpedon@reddit
4 hrs or more, seek medical attention…
probablyaythrowaway@reddit
Unless lines arnt slack enough then boat held down and flood
squeaki@reddit
Lines left dry and exposed to UV might not really be lines any longer! Downwind is where the boats will be found later on...
scottwda@reddit
Either it will float, or it will get promoted to submarine
Elder_sender@reddit
If they’re not full of water and have no holes, they will float. If they’ve been unattended for years, I imagine they might be full of rainwater. If that case, they might sink.
Are they tired to a mooring or anchored?
Wake95@reddit (OP)
They are anchored as they were when the cove went dry.
Wake95@reddit (OP)
Why would someone downvote my comments? What's wrong with you sailors?
Mackey_Corp@reddit
The bartenders on Block Island, RI have an acronym they call sailors that I always found quite funny. WAFI’s, wind assisted fucking idiots. Now this doesn’t apply to all sailors of course. Just ones that frequent the bars on Block Island and don’t tip.
DoctorPepster@reddit
It's probably just bots downvoting everything. You're positive now, don't worry about it.
Simple_Journalist_46@reddit
Man I don’t know what is up with this sub sometimes. I got downvoted last week for trying to ask a question to clarify a comment. I don’t see anything wrong with your comments.
DoctorPepster@reddit
It's probably just bots that downvote literally everything.
HolisticMystic420@reddit
That's just the nature of this god forsaken cyber shithole. I bet they're even fighting with each other in r/knitting
WolfRhan@reddit
Yeah they’re always needling each others
Bulky-Internal8579@reddit
Thems fighting words!!! 😉
theheliumkid@reddit
Apart from the condition of the ropes etc anchoring the boat, there is also a question around how long the anchor lines are. If the boats were anchored when there was no much water, they could be quite short. If the water level rises a lot above that old level, the boats could drag their anchors and drift off.
Elder_sender@reddit
If I was invested in them not sinking in my cove, and the owner has absconded, I would bail them dry, then when they’re floating, see what options for derelict boat disposal are available in your locale.
jaymemaurice@reddit
They've been sitting for 4 years... The stuffing boxes are probably dry and they are possibly full of rain water.
50-50 they will float up fine without intervention.
TryToBeNiceForOnce@reddit
It will sink if the water floods the cabin via hatches, etc, before the water level has gotten high enough to set the boat upright.
MisterMasterCylinder@reddit
Well, if they float, they should right themselves. But if they're not secured they'll right themselves and then float away
Wake95@reddit (OP)
Thanks. They should still be anchored. They've been on their side for probably 4 years, so hopefully they don't rely on bilge pumps working.
planx_constant@reddit
There's so much that goes wrong on a boat that has had 4 years of active maintenance, that it almost seems impossible there wouldn't be a major issue with a boat that has been lying in the mud unmaintained for nearly half a decade.
On the other hand, my belief in the perversity of the universe would lead me to think that these boats will bob to the top factory fresh
FrogFlavor@reddit
Someone needs to inspect the boat and anchors if you expect it to hold
Ziegler517@reddit
The tie ropes could have rotted. Especially with sun/UV. Under tension, depending on the material, they may disintegrate.
Practical-Run-9904@reddit
As the water comes in, they may slowly flood through hatches while on their sides and therefore not be righted. This sometimes happens to sailboats that end up on their sides in extreme low tides. It somewhat depends on their design.
FrogFlavor@reddit
Well a good boat will float away and a bad boat will become a bottom hazard so either way it’s an abandoned vehicle that needs to be disposed of.
ozamia@reddit
Is this one some sort of reservoir? Sounds absolutely crazy to me that the level should rise and fall where people have houses and boats.
Wake95@reddit (OP)
Texas has been in a drought for many years, so many lakes were very low. It always takes a massive flood to fill them back up. This lake was 40' low two days ago and will likely only come up about 20' over the course of 2-3 days. Unfortunately, many people die during these floods.
Oberon_17@reddit
Call the local authorities, maybe they can release the boats to float free…Maybe they can identify the owners.
cinemkr@reddit
If the water is rising from the keel side then they should be fine. Unless some hole has appeared over the years due to weathering. If they are on their side with the keel facing away from the rising waters there may ben issue if two much water enters the cabin before it gets deep enough for the keel to right the boat.
Roadrider85@reddit
Are you on Lake Travis?
Wake95@reddit (OP)
Maybe
Roadrider85@reddit
Maybe by Keller Marina?
twilightmoons@reddit
Well... Good luck to them.
Sounds more like two abandoned boats.
Might be two new features for divers soon.
piense@reddit
Well it’s gone up 10 and maybe another 10 to go, unfortunately the site with the lake level crashed. You’ll know the answer soon enough though!
seymour5000@reddit
Not sure if it has a motor, but there could be a tag on the boat. You could call the state and ask for a look up. Maybe an HIN number?
madstinknsick@reddit
If the mooring ball is taught at low tide, which its not, it could get pulled under. But it isn’t, sk it wont
DarkVoid42@reddit
sink probably