Get everyone into properly fitted personal flotation devices, call for help early, and then try to slow or remove the incoming water only if doing so is safe. A pump or quick patch may buy time, but neither replaces a distress call when flooding is serious or worsening.
Take these actions first
Flooding can worsen faster than a recreational boat’s equipment can respond. The order below protects people before it protects the vessel.
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- Alert everyone aboard. Tell passengers what is happening, stop unnecessary movement, and put on properly fitted personal flotation devices (PFDs). Keep children, non-swimmers and anyone injured close to a responsible adult.
- Make the emergency call as soon as the flooding is serious, increasing or not clearly under control. Do not wait to see whether a pump fails, the engine compartment fills, or the boat reaches a dangerous angle. A rescue authority can begin locating you while you still have options.
- Record your position and count people. Use the chartplotter, GPS, phone location, landmarks, buoy numbers or the last known coordinates. Recount everyone after any movement between compartments or the deck.
- Keep the crew together and ready to leave. Bring the radio, mobile phone in a waterproof case, signaling devices, medication, and any accessible survival gear toward the safest part of the boat without entering a hazardous space.
- Only after those priorities are underway, address the leak. Run a bilge pump or portable dewatering pump and look for an obvious source from a safe position. Never send someone into a compartment with rising water, electrical hazards, fuel fumes or a risk of being trapped.
If the boat is rapidly listing, losing propulsion or power, or water is reaching critical equipment, tell rescuers that conditions are deteriorating. A change in position, heading or the number of people aboard is also an update worth transmitting.
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How to call for help in the United States
For a vessel in U.S. waters, the United States Coast Guard says a marine VHF-FM radio is the preferred way to report an emergency. Select Channel 16, make the transmission clearly, and use the internationally recognized MAYDAY format described in the Coast Guard’s emergency-contact guidance.
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What to say on Channel 16
Press the transmit button, pause briefly so the radio opens, and say:
MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
This is [vessel name or description], [vessel name or description], [vessel name or description].
My position is [latitude and longitude, GPS coordinates, or a precise location description].
We are taking on water [describe what is happening and how fast it is changing].
There are [number] people aboard.
We need immediate assistance.
Over.
The Coast Guard’s required core information is the vessel name and/or description, position and/or location, nature of the emergency, and number of people aboard. If you know the boat’s color, length, registration, heading, nearby navigation marks or other identifying details, provide them after the core message. Keep the radio on Channel 16 unless a responder directs you to another channel.
If you cannot use the radio
The Coast Guard lists dialing 911 as a telephone emergency route. Give the same position, flooding description and people count, and keep the phone available for a callback. A phone may lose coverage or battery power offshore, so use the VHF radio when it is working and accessible.
These instructions are U.S.-specific. In another country, contact that nation’s maritime rescue coordination service and emergency number, and follow its radio conventions. Do not assume Channel 16, 911 or the U.S. MAYDAY wording is the local procedure without checking local guidance before a trip.
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Keep people safe while the boat is still afloat
Wear and manage flotation
Have everyone wear a suitable PFD rather than leaving them stowed until the last moment. Keep straps secured, avoid overcrowding one side of the boat, and move deliberately so the hull stays as level as possible. A person who falls overboard during a frantic repair is harder for rescuers to find than a person who remains together with the group.
Account for everyone
Choose one person to maintain the count and report it to rescuers. State whether anyone is injured, missing, in the water or unable to move independently. If someone transfers to a life raft, rescue boat or another vessel, report the transfer and the new head count over the radio.
Prepare without abandoning prematurely
Bring throwable flotation, signaling devices, a first-aid kit, drinking water, essential medication and a charged waterproof phone toward the safest accessible location. Open or stage survival equipment only when doing so will not create a trip hazard or expose anyone to the leak. Follow rescue-authority instructions about staying aboard or leaving; there is no single universal water level or time limit that makes abandonment safe for every hull, weather condition and crew.
Use pumps and look for the source only when it is safe
Bilge and portable dewatering pumps
Start the installed bilge pump and verify that its discharge is actually moving water overboard. If available, add a portable dewatering pump while keeping its power source dry and its hose secured. Monitor the water level continuously rather than assuming a pump is working because its motor runs.
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Pump capacity, battery state, hose routing and the size of the opening all matter. In a February 2024 rescue offshore Sabine, Texas, the 31-foot sailing vessel Niamh reported flooding “at a rate well beyond the bilge pumps’ capacity.” Coast Guard responders removed two people and used a pump to partially dewater the boat, but the incident demonstrates why pumping is a time-buying measure, not a substitute for rescue notification. Read the Coast Guard account of the Sabine rescue.
Inspect from a safe position
Look for a failed hose, seacock, through-hull fitting, loose drain, damaged hatch, cracked window or grounding damage without reaching into moving machinery or an unstable compartment. Shut a valve only if you can identify it confidently and operate it without putting your body in the path of incoming water. Do not disconnect fuel, electrical or steering systems as an improvised repair.
Temporary plugs and patches
A small, identifiable opening may be slowed with a purpose-made plug or other suitable material if sea conditions, access and crew safety permit. A patch must be monitored because pressure, vibration and movement can make it fail.
Improvisation is possible, but the examples are not universal instructions. In a May 2024 rescue 35 miles off Clearwater, Coast Guard crews used a pump and a mattress with boat hooks to plug and shore a broken window on a 47-foot vessel. The official report explains that trained crews were adapting to that specific damage; it does not establish that a mattress, boat hook or any household object will safely repair another hull. See the Clearwater rescue report.
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Know what each emergency tool can and cannot do
| Tool | Primary job | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Installed bilge pump | Remove water automatically or manually from the bilge | Its capacity depends on power, hose condition and the rate of inflow; flooding can exceed it. |
| Portable dewatering pump | Add pumping capacity or reach water the fixed pump cannot | It needs a safe power source, correctly placed intake and discharge, and constant supervision. |
| Marine VHF radio | Send a distress call and receive instructions | Range, antenna, battery and local procedures affect communication; in U.S. guidance, Channel 16 is the emergency calling channel. |
| Distress signals | Help rescuers locate the boat or people | Use only when appropriate and according to the device instructions; visibility and weather affect detection. |
| Personal flotation | Keep people afloat if they enter the water or leave the boat | It does not stop flooding or guarantee rescue; fit and wear it before conditions become chaotic. |
These tools complement one another. A pump addresses water removal, a radio summons assistance, signaling devices improve location, and flotation protects people during a transfer or abandonment.
Recognize when flooding is outpacing your response
Stop treating the situation as a routine repair when the water level keeps rising despite pumping, the source cannot be isolated, the boat develops a pronounced list or trim, propulsion or electrical power is failing, or crew members cannot work safely. Tell rescuers exactly which change you observe rather than estimating a generic “time to sink.” Official sources do not establish a universal flooding rate or time-to-sink figure.
A Coast Guard assistance case near Kauai in August 2024 recorded approximately 100 gallons aboard and active flooding of approximately one gallon per minute. Those numbers describe that one vessel and moment; they are not a threshold for deciding when another boat is safe or unsafe. The Kauai report also describes distress signaling being observed, illustrating how signals can help responders locate a casualty.
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If you must leave the boat
- Wait for and follow rescue instructions when possible. Rescuers may prefer that you remain aboard because a boat is easier to see than people in the water.
- Put on PFDs and secure essential items. Take the radio, phone, signaling devices, medication and water only if they are immediately accessible and doing so does not delay departure.
- Launch or enter a life raft or other survival craft in an orderly way. Keep hands clear of lines, account for every person and assist anyone with limited mobility.
- Report the transfer. Tell rescuers who has left, where they are, who remains aboard and the vessel’s latest position.
- Stay together and make yourself visible. Use approved signaling devices when appropriate, follow the raft’s instructions and avoid swimming away from the group except to reach a clearly safer craft.
The decision to abandon depends on hull design, weather, sea state, injury, location and rescue availability. The Coast Guard cases establish the need for early distress communication and coordinated rescue, not a one-size-fits-all abandonment trigger.
What documented rescues teach about real flooding
Flooding can exceed equipment quickly
In the Sabine case, two people were rescued after the sailing vessel reported severe mechanical problems and water entering well beyond bilge-pump capacity. The responders’ pump helped partially dewater the boat, but the rescue was already necessary.
A localized opening may be temporarily controlled
The Clearwater case involved a broken window on a 47-foot vessel. Coast Guard personnel pumped out water and used improvised materials to plug and support the opening while rescuing three people and a dog. The method was tailored to that damage and performed by trained responders.
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Simple tools can help, but only as emergency improvisation
A December 2023 Coast Guard report about a sailing vessel 170 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Rico describes the operator using bilge pumps and buckets to mitigate flooding. A bucket can remove some water when pumps are unavailable or overwhelmed, but it is exhausting, slow and no replacement for communication or rescue. The report also reminds boaters to file a float plan with someone ashore; read the Puerto Rico rescue account.
Coast Guard Station Sand Key operations officer Petty Officer 1st Class Jesse Guitierrez summarized the value and limits of preparation: “Coast Guard crews constantly train for shipboard emergencies to mitigate flooding, and part of that training includes improvising in emergency situations.” Improvisation is a practiced emergency skill, not a reason to postpone a distress call.
Prepare before leaving the dock
- Test the fixed bilge pump, float switch, alarm and discharge path; carry a compatible portable pump if your voyage and vessel justify it.
- Inspect hoses, clamps, seacocks, through-hull fittings, hatches, windows and plugs for damage or looseness.
- Charge and test the marine VHF radio, confirm the antenna connection and practice a short distress transmission with the crew.
- Keep PFDs accessible and fitted to the people aboard. Review how to use the life raft, flares or other approved distress signals.
- Carry a waterproof flashlight, spare batteries, first-aid supplies, drinking water, medication and a way to protect the phone from water.
- Leave a float plan with a trusted person ashore, including the route, boat description, people aboard, departure and return times, and instructions for calling authorities if you are overdue.
- Explain the person-count procedure and assign jobs: one person communicates, one monitors the water and pumps, and one keeps passengers together.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Waiting for certainty: You do not need to prove the boat will sink before requesting assistance. Early information gives rescuers more options.
- Focusing on the leak before people: A repair attempt that removes a person from a safe position can create a second emergency.
- Assuming a running pump is removing water: Check the discharge and watch the level; blocked hoses, a dead battery or excessive inflow can make the pump ineffective.
- Using an unverified location: Read coordinates carefully and repeat them slowly. A nearby landmark or buoy can help confirm the position.
- Separating the group: Keep passengers together and tell rescuers immediately if anyone enters the water or transfers to another craft.
- Treating a case-specific number as a rule: The approximately 100 gallons and one gallon per minute recorded near Kauai belong to that incident, not to every boat or hull.
Flooding is an emergency when it is serious, increasing or beyond your ability to control. Call early, protect the people aboard, communicate an accurate position and head count, and use pumps or temporary measures only to support—not replace—the rescue response.
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