Monday, February 3, 2014

Is the Boat Dissolving?

This actually started just after we bought the boat, but I haven't managed telling the story until now.  When my wife and I bought the boat, we didn't actually stay on it until after we moved it to the marina at Hammock Beach.

Well, the first night at the marina we climb into the berth and turn off the lights.  It was a good temperature so we didn't have AC, heat, or fans running.  In the quiet of the dark, we started hearing a crackling sound. We both thought it was a bit strange and just a little concerning. In our limited time staying on boats, we had never heard anything like it so I got up and listened intently trying to locate the sound.  It appeared to be coming from the lower hull.  Not sure what the sound was, I pulled up the floorboards to look into the bilge. I didn't see a thing out of the ordinary.  With the floorboards up, I once again listened and the sound seemed to come from all around on the hull.  And with the floorboards up it sounded a bit like the fiberglass was cracking.

I sat there and listened, tapped on the hull (which I know is about 5/8" solid fiberglass at the bottom) and pondered what the noise could be.  Is the somewhat cool water causing the fiberglass to expand and contract unevenly?  Is something eating through the hull?  Is this just a "normal" sound that I've never heard before?  After staring at the dry fiberglass hull for a while, it was getting late and I decided that the boat wasn't sinking so we just put the floorboards back and went to sleep.  Hopefully the rush of water will wake us up if the hull gives way.  The next days the boat remained afloat but the crackling sound could be heard anytime the boat was quiet.

Now, fast forward to a week or two after I get back to the boat.  I still hear the noise but, while I have no explanation for it, have dismissed it as a "normal boat noise".  Talking to one of my dock neighbors, they were telling me how they were hearing a noise like crackling or water leaking into their boat.  They invite me to come listen and, sure enough, it is the same noise that I've been hearing all along.  They hadn't noticed it until they started doing some work near the hull (they are a motor yacht and their hulls are covered with cabinets and other things that mask the sound).  I told them I had been hearing the same thing since I've owned the boat and had dismissed it.  They couldn't believe it was the same noise so I invited them to come listen.  Sure enough, they agreed it was the same noise.

As we were standing on the dock discussing the strange sound that we both hear, one of the locals wandered by and offered an explanation.  Apparently, when it gets a bit cooler, some small shrimp tend to come out and they are the cause of the noise.  Neither of us had every heard of such a thing, but sure enough, a quick Google search reveals it is quite common.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpheidae

Or for an over-dramatic video explanation...



In any case, it is fascinating...and good to know that my fiberglass boat isn't dissolving.

12 comments:

  1. Always good to know your not going to go for an unexpected swim! Are they big enough to catch in a cast-net? Nothing like fresh shrimp!

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    1. Yeah, it was definitely a bit puzzling at first. I was glad to finally learn what the noise was.

      I think they are a little too small to make any sort of meal or snack out of...just noisy.

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  2. That's too funny! Good to know though...when the day comes we finally get our boat in the water, I'm sure we would freak out and the thought of our fiberglass job falling apart!

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    1. Yeah, I thought it was an amusing story to share. Glad to give you the heads up on it...I could imagine the sinking feeling (no pun intended) from hearing that sound upon splashing your boat after all your hard work.

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  3. Did Michael Bay direct that shrimp video?

    - Hsoi

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    1. It was a bit dramatic for sure. The dubbing in of gunshots was a bit over the top.

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  4. I've been watching and waiting for an update to your blog. When I went back and looked at the older posts I couldn't help but notice Chatfield Res. and the Why Buy fleet. My wife and I are out on P-dock. So one hull is not enough? Keep up the post for those of us still going 9-5. I'd be very interested in the finance portion of this adventure and your wife's perspective. Good Luck from a mile high.

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    1. Hi Ben & Terri,

      Since I've moved onto the boat full time, I've been trying to post more regularly. I'm still working my 9-5 job and working on repairs most evenings and weekends and that just doesn't leave a lot of time to write blog posts (it's almost like having a 3rd job). I do try to hit the highlights and try to post 2 or 3 times a week now.

      Yes, we started out taking lessons from Victoria Sailing School and are very familiar with the Why Buy club's J/22's out at Chatfield and Cherry Creek. They aren't bad boats, but certainly nothing you can live aboard.

      The decision to go with a catamaran can be found in my November and December 2012 posts on our catamaran lessons and bare boat charter. In a word, the decision is based on "heeling". My wife was never a big fan of heeling and being on a cat one week and a mono the next, it was easy to feel the difference in the amount of fatigue that living life at an angle can cause.

      As for the finance question, nothing is set in stone. My last post on the subject pretty much sums up some of our options and there may be a few other sources of income that we can tap into as well. In the end, it is a bit of a leap of faith that we will be able to make it work.

      As for my wife's perspective, I'm trying to get her interested in posting on the blog as well...but that probably won't happen until she is here full time too (she is quite busy back home right now). In general, the idea of downsizing, simplifying, and travel appeal to her as much, if not more, than it does with me.

      Thanks for the well wishes and stay warm in Colorado...I hear it has been cold and snowy there this past week.

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  5. We have them too here. MUCH preferrable over the carp banging and chewing on our hull in Carlyle Lake IL.

    Deb
    S/V Kintala
    www.theretirementproject.blogspot.com

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    1. Yeah, fortunately they aren't that loud...it's just a strange sound the first time you hear it that makes you ponder what is going on.

      BTW...very jealous right now, wish I were heading south with you.

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  6. I had the exact same thing happen to me the first night we spent on our boat. I couldn't fall asleep for fear that something was going to chew through the hull and attack me. I was very relieved to learn that it was just very noisy shrimp. Cheers - Ellen

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    1. Crazy, noisy little things aren't they? Seems a pretty common reaction to the first experience with them...hopefully this post helps others that don't know get a good nights sleep when they are encountered.

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