My first ,but not last, trailer AH-HA moment. I have always been a blue water sailor. I have traveled thousands of miles, and crossed oceans on my sail boats. So it is with a red face 
that I tell you a most embarrassing thing that happened last night. I hope some other newbie Trailer Boater will learn from my experience.
I was in my nice warm water bed, dreaming of future cruses on C-Time, when my wife started waking me up with the most feared words any sailor could hear. Dear, I think the boat is sinking. As I came awake and jumped out of bed, I remembered that we had had a wonderful time that day going from Gig Harbor to Vasion Island and back. When we returned home I cleaned up C-Time, and closed her up as it was starting to rain. If C-Time was safely in my driveway, how could she be sinking?
As my fast beating hart started to slow back to normal, I asked Rose what had happened. How could we be sinking? She told me that she had gone out to our boat to get the camera so she could down load the pictures from that day. When she stepped on board, and then down into the cabin, her feet splashed in standing water.
Sure enough when I ran out to check, C-Time was filling with water. Standing water on the forward cabin floor. Dipped a finger in and tasted it. Freshwater. Turned on all of the lights and started looking for the source.
I found that the cockpit was fulling with rain water and pooling forward against the cabin door. Once the level rose higher than the bottom of the door it started leaking into the cabin, soaking the carpet, and pooling forward about 2" deep.
Here is were the AH-HA comes in. I was so proud of the way I had backed the trailer into the driveway.All nice and straight. But it turns out that the drive way slopes out to the street. Not a lot, but enough to cause my problem. With C-Time backed in she was now sloped forward.
Got out the 5hp wet or dry vac and removed all of the water. no harm done, but a lesson learned. As a newbie trailer boater I learned to always park, or raise the bow, so all of the water will run aft. Hope this will help some other newbie.
Ernie
that I tell you a most embarrassing thing that happened last night. I hope some other newbie Trailer Boater will learn from my experience. I was in my nice warm water bed, dreaming of future cruses on C-Time, when my wife started waking me up with the most feared words any sailor could hear. Dear, I think the boat is sinking. As I came awake and jumped out of bed, I remembered that we had had a wonderful time that day going from Gig Harbor to Vasion Island and back. When we returned home I cleaned up C-Time, and closed her up as it was starting to rain. If C-Time was safely in my driveway, how could she be sinking?
As my fast beating hart started to slow back to normal, I asked Rose what had happened. How could we be sinking? She told me that she had gone out to our boat to get the camera so she could down load the pictures from that day. When she stepped on board, and then down into the cabin, her feet splashed in standing water.
Sure enough when I ran out to check, C-Time was filling with water. Standing water on the forward cabin floor. Dipped a finger in and tasted it. Freshwater. Turned on all of the lights and started looking for the source.
I found that the cockpit was fulling with rain water and pooling forward against the cabin door. Once the level rose higher than the bottom of the door it started leaking into the cabin, soaking the carpet, and pooling forward about 2" deep.
Here is were the AH-HA comes in. I was so proud of the way I had backed the trailer into the driveway.All nice and straight. But it turns out that the drive way slopes out to the street. Not a lot, but enough to cause my problem. With C-Time backed in she was now sloped forward.
Got out the 5hp wet or dry vac and removed all of the water. no harm done, but a lesson learned. As a newbie trailer boater I learned to always park, or raise the bow, so all of the water will run aft. Hope this will help some other newbie.
Ernie
