C-Tow Marine Assistance is available to recreational and commercial boaters across major and rural waterways in Canada. I am just one of two captains on Lake Erie alone and based out of Port Rowan where I receive calls from its north shore to the vast open waters. 

Before my current role in boat sales at Marina Shores, a full-service marina on Long Point Bay, I was a marine technician for three years. It’s been my long experience that a bad situation on the water can become worse. 

An example was a call I received in August 2023. What I thought was routine ended up taking five hours and pumping out a lot of water from the owner’s boat. 

I was dispatched at 4 pm to the tip of Long Point, which is a popular area and about an hour’s run from Port Rowan. An owner of a 22-foot Cobalt with a Volvo Penta 5.0 L I/O explained he was at an anchorage and his engine wouldn’t start. 

After telling me his location, I headed out in my 18-foot Larson. When I arrived, he was anchored with another boat in shallow water. The conditions were hot and sunny with only light winds. Everyone was having a good time. 

He thought the problem was a dead battery and needed a quick boost. When I opened the engine compartment (and to everyone’s surprise), it was flooded. Half of the engine was underwater even though the bilge pump was running. 

The cause that I suspected was a slow leak in the main bellows, which is connected from the engine to the drive, housing essential components. It’s also below the waterline, making a leak hard to detect. Of the bellows in an I/O engine, a leak in the main one can sink a boat the fastest. 

At this point, water needed to be pumped out before it caused severe engine damage. So, I rigged my bilge pump up to his boat, speeding up the process. Once an efficient amount was out, I unhooked the battery as an element of safety and to prevent frying the boat’s electronics due to all the water and moisture.

By this time, night was falling. As a tow was necessary, the owner went back to shore with his friends. I ensured it was in good hands as he unloaded some of his gear. We also agreed to tow it to Marina Shores as it has the proper facilities to take the boat out of the water and drain the remaining water. 

After securing the bow towline, my first challenge was getting over a sandbar. The boat was low in the water and also didn’t have power to raise the drive. After a minor struggle, I made it out of the shallows and resumed the tow in calm conditions and light marine traffic.  

When I finally arrived at the marina channel, it was almost 10 pm. I unhooked the tow line and brought the boat in off the hip. After meeting with the owner, I landed and secured the Cobalt 

on his trailer, delivering on my promise of bringing it back without further damage. 

Inspecting the bellows is all part of boat maintenance and should be checked every few years. But if water is frequently in the engine compartment or your bilge runs more than it should, get an inspection by a certified marine technician. I would say about 75 percent of the boats I have salvaged over the years are related to a cracked bellows. 

This time, the owner was lucky. There was only a small split in the bellows where the water was intruding. If he didn’t call C-Tow when he did, the boat would’ve eventually sunk and needed to be refloated. 

Becoming a C-Tow member is like having the reassurance of the services offered by CAA. Our services ensure safety for everyone on board and it’s a must-have for recreational and commercial boaters on any waterway in Canada.

Visit us online to become a member or contact us at (888) 419-2869 or info@c-tow.ca.

Caption

Just one of the scenic areas along the north shore of Lake Erie where I serve boaters for C-Tow.  (photo credit: FCB Ryan Lee  Destination Ontario).