zelatore
05-07-2008, 11:32 AM
...and why can't I get any?
I sent one of my boat washers/porters to take a bunch of old batteries to a local shop and pick up a couple odd-size new ones that I needed. An hour after I gave him the job, I notice he's down on the docks, so I asked him if they had the battery I needed. 'oh, I haven't been there yet, I came down here to pump the water out of Mr. Tan's dinghy'. (actually I'm interperting that from a wierd mix of Spanish/English)
What?
A couple days ago he had launched a 14' Zodiac that is stored on the swim step of a client's 65 Marquis so he could caulk some deck plates on the platform. Today he noticed water accumulating in the bottom of the boat and thought he should take a hand pump and empty it out. When I took a look at it, he said it must be something the canvas guy did yesterday when he was here measuring for a custom cover becasue there wasn't any water in the floor until today. He didn't bother to actually think about that statement. When I looked a little closer, I asked him 'did you put the drain plug in when you launched it?'
I'm sure you know the answer...
Basically, the hull of the boat was completely full of water such that it had finally come up over the floor boards. I don't think you can actually sink a big RIB like this - too much bouancy in the tubes, but he probalby had 100 gallons plus of water in the thing. I turned on the bilge pump, then we lifted it back out of the water on the swim platform. Between the bilge pump and the water draining out of the plug, I bet it still took 15 minutes to drain.
I would have had a heck of a time explaining to the customer how his brand new $16K dinghy sank at our dock if the thing had actually gone down. Probably just as hard a time making my guy understand why I had to fire him - I'm sure he still doesn't think this was his fault some how. :mad:
I sent one of my boat washers/porters to take a bunch of old batteries to a local shop and pick up a couple odd-size new ones that I needed. An hour after I gave him the job, I notice he's down on the docks, so I asked him if they had the battery I needed. 'oh, I haven't been there yet, I came down here to pump the water out of Mr. Tan's dinghy'. (actually I'm interperting that from a wierd mix of Spanish/English)
What?
A couple days ago he had launched a 14' Zodiac that is stored on the swim step of a client's 65 Marquis so he could caulk some deck plates on the platform. Today he noticed water accumulating in the bottom of the boat and thought he should take a hand pump and empty it out. When I took a look at it, he said it must be something the canvas guy did yesterday when he was here measuring for a custom cover becasue there wasn't any water in the floor until today. He didn't bother to actually think about that statement. When I looked a little closer, I asked him 'did you put the drain plug in when you launched it?'
I'm sure you know the answer...
Basically, the hull of the boat was completely full of water such that it had finally come up over the floor boards. I don't think you can actually sink a big RIB like this - too much bouancy in the tubes, but he probalby had 100 gallons plus of water in the thing. I turned on the bilge pump, then we lifted it back out of the water on the swim platform. Between the bilge pump and the water draining out of the plug, I bet it still took 15 minutes to drain.
I would have had a heck of a time explaining to the customer how his brand new $16K dinghy sank at our dock if the thing had actually gone down. Probably just as hard a time making my guy understand why I had to fire him - I'm sure he still doesn't think this was his fault some how. :mad: