My first Oyster 435 was severely damaged in Hurricane Bob in 1991 in Newport,Rhode Island.Unfortunately it did not sink as that would have simplified the insurance claim and saved me nearly two years of aggravation. If I had had a high output automatic bilge pump it would have saved the engine etc PERHAPS because.... The boat dragged its mooring across the harbour and ended up crashing on a pontoon and pile which holed the hull near the toerail.The ingress of sea water coupled with the fact that the crashing and the water opened drawers and lockers releasing paper towels,toilet paper etc and the resulting papier mashe would almost certainly have clogged any bilge pump. Perhaps the moral is to have a high output elecric pump and auto switch permanently secured and plumbed in the engine room and never to leave paper towels etc anywhere where they could break loose in such an event.
