On 8-7-2013 at 1215 hours, Operator was operating his father''s 1959 Chris Craft motor boat.  He said they had launched the boat at the Cave Rock boat ramp about one hour before.  He noticed that the bilge pump was continuosly working but didn''t not think to investigate as he thought the pump was keeping up with the amount of water coming onto the boat.

He stopped the boat so that his son and daughter could jump off of the boat and swim.  He soon noticed that water from the bilge was rising and was on the deck.  He got his children back into the boat and began heading south to the boat ramp.  He noticed that the boat was not performing as before due to the weight of the water  onboard.  During this time, he called his father and boat''s owner, Subject.  Subject was in the area operating a commercial vessel checking crawdad traps.

operator determined that due to the amount of water on board, he would not be able to reach the boat ramp.  He began heading to shore and shollow water.  Subject arrived in his vessel.  He took one person onboard his vessel while operator and one other stayed on board trying to bail enough water to keep the boat afloat.  Within a few minutes, the Chris Craft had taken on so much water that it began to sink.  Operator and occupant fell into the water.  Subject got Operator and Occupant onto his boat and secured the Chis Craft to his vessel.  Within a few minutes, the line securing it to Subject''s vessel broke and the Chris Craft sank.

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Department rescue boat arrived soon after the Chris Craft sank and reported that all of the occupants of the disabled vessel were on Subject''s boat and none were not injured.

I spoke with Subject on 8-14-13.  He said the boat had been salvaged and was on the trailer at his house.  I met with him and took pictures of the vessel.  I did not see anything on the hull that indicated the vessel had struck an object or another vessel.  There was slight damage on the keel near the bow that looked like a seam/junction of the wood hull had swelled.  This may have been the place the water came through the hull.  This was possibly due to the vessel being submerged for two days.  There was cosmetic damage to the boat''s finish as the varnish had "blistered" from being submerged.

Subject told me that he has extensive knowledge of boats.  He told me that he had "soaked" the vessel for several hours the two weeks prior to launching to allow the wood to absorb water.  He checked the hull after soaking it and it appeared to be structurally sound.

I was unable to determine with certainty the cause of the boat taking on water.  Operator was given a statement form.  He returned to his home and has not completed it and sent it to me as of yet.

No diagram completed.
Glenbrook