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Marina mishap destroys a C-25 ...

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Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1768 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/17/2004 : 14:47:50

Hi everyone,

I recently bought a headsail from a former C-25 owner. I asked him about his boat, expecting to hear that he'd sold it to move up ... after hearing about what happened to his boat, I almost wish I hadn't asked.

It turns out that his C-25 was destroyed by a crane that failed while his boat was in the sling. His boat hit the dock on its way down, and then the crane fell on top of the boat ... it was a total loss.

I asked him if he would mind if I passed on any lessons to our group, and he was kind enough to send me some photos of the incident, as well as some advice that I'll pass along ... maybe it'll save one of us from the same fate. I'm going to pass on his advice, but I'm going to keep his name/location out of it to respect his privacy. Besides, it's the lesson that's important, not who/where it happened.

So, here is part of what he wrote me about the lessons he learned:

The crane was about 5 years old ... had a 5,000-lbs capacity ... the boat weighed under the capacity, so on the contrary to a few rumors that ended up going around the club, it was not overloaded by my boat.

It failed due to improper inspections and improper welds. There was always an inspection sheet posted near the crane, but just inadequate inspections and inadequate welds.

I have heard, but cannot prove that there had been a couple of episodes when someone had used the crane to lift a boat that was over the weight limit by about 1,500-2,000-lbs, but do not have any proof.

For lessons to be passed along, make sure that the person in charge of maintaining equipment has a working knowledge of what they are doing, and to make sure that everything gets checked in a timely manner, not to put things off.

We were very fortunate in that no one was hurt, or even killed. I'm sure that launch time is the same here as it is everywhere else ... very busy with loads of people mulling about, anxious to get on with the season ... with us it was early in the day, which I am sure is a saving grace ... the place got very busy after it happened.

So, here is a photo showing how the crane came to rest on top of the boat:

Here is a shot of the floating crane that was used to lift the failed crane off the boat:

Here is a shot of the interior. The owner had spent the entire winter refurbishing the boat. He recovered all the cushions, worked on all the teak, and he even replaced the teak bulkheads. As you can see in the next photo, the crane came down on the cabin top with such force that the bulkhead buckled, the windows shattered, etc. etc.

Here is a shot of the weld that failed at the bottom of the crane:

Seeing the photos and hearing the story from this guy just made me sick ... what a horrible way for a beautifully restored C-25 to meet its end. BTW, there was a hole punched in the side of the boat when it hit the dock on the way down, but the hole was above the waterline ... the boat never took on any water.

If there is any silver lining to this black cloud, it's that the owner has moved up to a Catalina 27. 'Too bad such a nice C-25 had to meet an end like this!

Buzz Maring

~~Freya~~
C-25 SK/SR #68
Lake Dallas, TX

Edited by - on

jwilliams
Captain

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USA
357 Posts

Response Posted - 06/17/2004 : 15:31:40

Hey Buzz,

It is a heartbreaker! The crane that fell is just like the one across from me when I was in Redwood Creek.

Two things:

1. Does the skipper have any parts for sale?

2. It sure shows how tough our little cruisers are made. Let's try that with a McGregor 26, etc.

Jim Williams
Hey Jude C25fk 2958
SF Bay

Edited by - on

Sea Trac
Master Marine Consultant

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Vanuatu
1357 Posts

Response Posted - 06/17/2004 : 17:53:24

Hard to tell really, but it sure does look to me like that was only welded on ONE side.

What a shame!

Edited by - on

Gary B.
Admiral

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USA
969 Posts

Response Posted - 06/17/2004 : 18:05:45

What a shame. It's obviously an early model.

Buzz, If it is an L shaped traditional interior, I may be interested in buying his cushions. They are about the only thing I have not done a good upgrade on. Mine have home-made "covers" that don't look TOO bad. You could give him my email address.

BTW: I worked for awhile at a local boatyard that builds some very nice boats, including one that just did the Single Handed round the world race. One day our crane failed ( or operator) and a 30' boat fell about 10', fell over and into the 30' Cand C I was sanding. Just had time to jump off the ladder and back, somewhat out of the way. All told, 5 boats came off their stands and others were wobbling, including a 36'er right behind me. It was like being in the middle of 5 ton dominos falling all around. No fun, I can tell you. Gave my notice the next day and moved on to a whole new career. The owner of the yard could not believe I wasn't killed, but I got out without a scratch.....just soiled uns....;)

Take nothing for granted!

Gary B.
Vice Commodore
s/v Encore! #685 SK/SR

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 06/17/2004 : 20:19:22

I have an issue here... What's a C-25 doing on a crane with 5000 lb. capacity?? Estimates here have run from 5000-5500 and higher for ready-to-sail C-25s. You just don't do real work with equipment like a crane at "rated capacity". The working limit should probably be more like 3000 lbs, but I'll defer to a qualified rigger (not a sailing rigger) on that. The owner of that crane should be held fully responsible--not the manufacturer, welder, or inspector. Lucky he didn't injure or kill somebody.

Also, the photos suggest that the crane didn't fail--the installation to the dock failed. Take a look--it looks like it has ripped-up wood around the intact base of the crane.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 06/17/2004 20:30:48

Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 06/17/2004 : 21:35:55

Another "ooops" example. Not sure how this one happened.

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 06/17/2004 : 23:06:31

Fully aware that the the truth is in the details, which we don't have, I would tend to agree with Dave that the crane was possibly being operated at or over capacity. The picture shows torn steel, not weld....Again, we don't know all the information....

Speaking of cranes (and on a brighter note): the new girl passed her survey today.......

Closing next week. Then I get to start on a long, long, long list of deferred maintenance..

Oscar
Catalina 250WB#618 Currently FOR SALE:
http:www.woodenshoemusic.com/C250WB

Edited by - Oscar on 06/17/2004 23:16:38

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5895 Posts

Response Posted - 06/17/2004 : 23:10:44

Oh wow, Oscar, she's a beauty!

Edited by - on

frog0911
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1349 Posts

Response Posted - 06/17/2004 : 23:32:03

I'm green with envy!!! She sure looks like a sleek lady. Now if I can just talk the General into changing locations, maybe just maybe.

Edited by - on

sdaly66
Navigator

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USA
143 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2004 : 08:35:53

I would also like to weigh in with an offer to purchase parts that this unfortunate owner may have for sale. Perhaps make SOMETHING good out of a horrible situation. If someone could put him in touch with me, I would appreciate it. sdaly@nsf.gov.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2004 : 12:42:15

Oscar: Did you check the capacity on that travel-lift?

(The yard hauls mine on a their little 15-ton, and has lifts up to 160 tons. Plenty of margin...)

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2004 : 14:35:28

I'd be interested in buying the boarding ladder, window ports, stanchions, perhaps other parts.

Very sorry for his loss, but selling parts may help us both out.

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2004 : 21:57:57

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

And there's yet another potentailly dangerous mistake - letting someone stand in the cockpit while lifting the crane off the boat

Edited by - on

Doug
Captain

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USA
457 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2004 : 01:21:17

What a bunch of vultures. The body isn't even cold yet and you guys are prying off his boots and going through his pockets!
Um, but if it is being parted out, I'm interested in the teak door in the V berth and the curtains...

Edited by - on

Doug L
1st Mate

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27 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2004 : 01:47:30

I'd be interested in the teak stairs

Doug Lewis
eolaherb@earthlink.net

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2004 : 04:09:27

I have seen "boat hoists" very similar to the one that failed at many marinas in California and Washington (Puget Sound area). All of the hoists/davits that I have seen a data plate for are rated 4000~5000 pound & 22'~24' maximum boat length. They are intended for small, lightweight racing boats like Santana 20's, Catalina 22's and Capri 22's, and similar boats. Not bloated cruisiers like our Catalina 25's with fully loaded displacements of 6000# to 7500#! I have heard of Catalina 25's being launched and retrieved on the hoist at Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes, WA, and I haven't heard of an accident, but I know that hoist is being loaded beyond it's rated capacity with a Cat 25. A Catalina 250WB with the water ballast tank emptied is about the heaviest boat I would want to risk on a hoist like that. So sad that that fellow's boat was destroyed! Does anyone know the hull number, so I can remove her from the roster?

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2004 : 06:36:42

Our hoist is 10,00 lbs.

As for vultures, ever seen what happens to a cube when someone leave a company!

Edited by - on

rclift
Navigator

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USA
152 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2004 : 12:52:00

Larry, The folks up at Cap Sante routinely launch our c25's and seem to know what they are doing. They launch dozens of boats an hour and have a much larger lift available if there were a question. They were more concerned about the mast of my tall rig hanging out to far over the bow then its weight. (the picture is of Breezy, Doug Lewis' fleet 94 boat) I was pretty impressed with their operation at Cap Sante. They had us in the water quickly and on our way without a hitch.

Edited by - on

Sid
Navigator

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129 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2004 : 18:36:01

Best wishes to the owner and glad he's back on the water. I can only imagine his frustration at putting in the time and effort (not to mention $$$) to restore her and then watch her get crushed

.
Fair winds,
Sid

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2004 : 21:55:05

If that lift with Ray's boat is rated at 5000 lbs, I wouldn't want to be the guy under the boat! The crane at the beginning of this thread hadn't had any problems, either...

Edited by - on

Gary B.
Admiral

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USA
969 Posts

Response Posted - 06/22/2004 : 23:54:44

Dave, My memory is faulty and I cannot remember if the lift in Ray's photo is rated at 5 or 6 K. I just know that Encore! has made about 12 round trips there, maybe more. I have never had a concern until this last summer. The lift operator, the guy under the boat in the photo, lifted Encore! right after Breezy. He says to me, "Your boat sure is heavier than that last one". When I asked why he said that he commented on how the lift "groaned" and labored compared to lifting Doug's boat.

Yes, I was a mite "concerned"! But at $30 round trip to keep my trailer out of salt....I will continue to risk it. After all, I have insurance...and the knowledge that a bunch of vultures will pick over anything that's left! ;)

Gary B.
Commodore of Vice
s/v Encore! #685 SK/SR (the heavy one!)

P.S. So Buzz, have you forwarded email addresses to the guy with the loss?

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 06/23/2004 : 09:00:21

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Yes, I was a mite "concerned"<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I will continue to risk it. After all, I have insurance<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Insurance won't keep you out of jail......check the numbers. There's a fine line between plausible deniability and negligence. And, if there happens to be someone standing under there when the whole thing lets go........

Oscar
Catalina 250WB#618 Currently FOR SALE:
http:www.woodenshoemusic.com/C250WB

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5895 Posts

Response Posted - 06/23/2004 : 10:51:06

While I certainly agree with Oscar's general point that we should exercise extreme care around boat hoists, this situation doesn't suggest any jailable offense with regard to the boat owner.

It would be very foolish for one to stand under a boat that was being hoisted, until it was poised close above the trailer, so that, if it fell, the trailer would catch it. If anyone wandered under it, I would certainly chase them away. The hoists I have used have the controls on a long cable, so that the operator can stand well clear of the boat while it is being maneuvered onto and off of the trailer. Lines are also attached to bow and stern cleats so that people on the ground can orient the boat to the trailer. Trailer swing arms can be oriented and lashed in place temporarily until the boat is set on it. When done in that way, there's no reason for anyone to be "in harm's way" while a boat is being hoisted.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 06/23/2004 : 13:16:46

Well, that guy is "in harm's way"--the trailer won't catch the boat, and he's not just under the boat, but on the opposite side from the crane, such that if the crane gives way, everything comes down on him (boat and crane). That could ruin that guy's whole day, and the boat owner's, too.

Edited by - on

Gary B.
Admiral

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USA
969 Posts

Response Posted - 06/24/2004 : 18:57:14

Dave, It is not a crane, exactly; it's a stationary "lift". There is no "opposite side". If I remember correctly, the slings and all simply slide out on a track and the boat is lowered into the water. It is not at all like the unit pictured in the "mishap" photo that started this thread.

And I do not see how I would be in any way liable if something broke. If the marina staff chooses to lift the boat, seems like any liablity would be their's...unless one knowingly lied about a boat's weight, of course. (thank you for that, Steve M. You are a retired attorney, right?)

Mine weighs 6300 on the axles, counting the trailer weight and less tongue weight. Certain over 5, I would say...but the sling is Ray's picture has launched hundreds of boats like ours.....I will continue to use it. But I do appreciate this thread; it's good to be cautious and aware of what can go wrong....

Gary B.
Vice commodore

Edited by - on

Ben - FL
Admiral

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880 Posts

Response Posted - 06/24/2004 : 19:54:47

A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. The crane does not have to fail, only the strap. Or the hook. And they do. Fail that is. Having been around heavy construction the last twenty years of my life I've seen plenty of mishaps and injuries and one death. Captains take heed, NEVER EVER GET UNDER THE LOAD. And always use a tag line. Your boat can be replaced. But having to use a wheel chair ramp to get aboard...

Edited by - on

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