Can a Fountain sink from water in vents?
 

I have read a few thread on Fountains sinking from water infiltration through the low vents.

IIf you asssume that you can put six 150# people on the boat and not sink it. That would be the equivalent of about 128 gal of water in the bildge. That would be alot of splashing through the vents and still not enough to sink it.

Am I missing something here?

Klaw

Theoretically yes. If the bilge pump does not kick on, you can slowly sink any boat by water in through the engine vents. As water splashes in and collects, the boat will slowly sit lower, allowing a little more water to enter with each wave. Once the vents hit water level, it will enter as a steady flow. At that point, it will sink. But, this will require the pumps not to work and an amount of time for the water to build to enough of a lever to lower the vents to the waterline.

I agree that you can slowly sink any boat but with the volume needed to get the vent level to the water line I have trouble beleiving can happen overnight from splashing in the vents it got to be alot of water

All you can do is look at how many of them already have.

If you stood six 150lb people on the swim platform of a triple-engined 42, they'd probably want to have swimsuits on.

Nope.
My budies 42 with trip 525s has no problem with a load of people on it.

It must be a cumulative effect then as several have found their way to the bottom. Possibly a combination of leaks and failing bilge pumps. It never ceases to amaze me at how often people will leave a boat docked unattended for days without an AC connection. It doesn't take a very long time for a big Rule to suck a couple Gr27's dry.

I spent a summer as the dock master at the Hyatt Regency on North Lake Tahoe, and saw more than one Fountain sink from the storms. I have hesrd people refer to the smaller 27' & 29' twins as "sinkers".

The old 32s are the ones I would be afraid to leave in for any length of time. I have never been able to figure out why they put those round 4" holes in the back on the newer ones just above the rubb rail:eek:

150 pound people? in America? in the 21st century?

More like 185 + :drink: