Equipped To Survive Equipped To Survive® Presents
The Survival Forum
Where do you want to go on ETS?

Page 1 of 2 1 2 >
Topic Options
#160928 - 01/02/09 09:20 PM Capsized Boat
Sherpadog
Unregistered


I was reading this article about this person's boat capsizing and self-righting afterwards. I am not much of an sea/ocean expert, so can someone explain why and when these boats capsize, they don't sink. I would imagine that they need to be kept very watertight. Looking at some of the photos on the Vendee Globe website, these boats look to be a fair size and look like they would sink if the capsizing does any damage to the integrity of the boat's structure.

Sailing alone for 46 days in the gruelling Vendée Globe round-the-world race, Mr. Hatfield's boat – the lone Canadian entry in the prestigious contest – capsized in heavy seas off Tasmania. Mr. Hatfield spoke to The Globe and Mail by satellite phone en route to Australia for repairs on his damaged boat. Here's how he described the experience:

Full news article here.

Top
#160932 - 01/02/09 09:37 PM Re: Capsized Boat [Re: ]
OldBaldGuy Offline
Geezer

Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 5695
Loc: Former AFB in CA, recouping fr...
I am far from being a sailor, but my guess would be air trapped in the hull, and possibly built in buoyancy. I once read a book 'bout a group of guys to set out for New Zealand from OZ in a triple cat sailboat. Somewhere out there they rolled it over, ended up living in the upside down boat for something like two months before floating ashore back on OZ. They even cut holes in the "bottom" of the boat so that they could to into the hull and then back out on "deck"...
_________________________
OBG

Top
#160933 - 01/02/09 09:40 PM Re: Capsized Boat [Re: OldBaldGuy]
OilfieldCowboy Offline
Newbie

Registered: 12/30/08
Posts: 40
Loc: WY/AK
Most boats that I have experience with have all cavities in the hull filled with foam. If every open space in my boat was full of water, it would still float. Granted, there might only be an inch or two of the hull above water, but it wouldn't be on the bottom.

Top
#160934 - 01/02/09 09:42 PM Re: Capsized Boat [Re: OilfieldCowboy]
OldBaldGuy Offline
Geezer

Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 5695
Loc: Former AFB in CA, recouping fr...
Welcome Newguy!

I used to work the oilfields too, hot dirty work...
_________________________
OBG

Top
#160935 - 01/02/09 09:45 PM Re: Capsized Boat [Re: OldBaldGuy]
OilfieldCowboy Offline
Newbie

Registered: 12/30/08
Posts: 40
Loc: WY/AK
Thanks.

Not too hot up on the Slope right now...

Top
#160936 - 01/02/09 09:55 PM Re: Capsized Boat [Re: OilfieldCowboy]
OldBaldGuy Offline
Geezer

Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 5695
Loc: Former AFB in CA, recouping fr...
Probably not!!!
_________________________
OBG

Top
#160937 - 01/02/09 10:04 PM Re: Capsized Boat [Re: OldBaldGuy]
Chris Kavanaugh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/09/01
Posts: 3824
Self righting technology in Naval architecture involves the use of watertight 'voids' or compartments near the keel ( cold,bilge water accumulating compartments 6'2" californians barely fit in to repaint under the guidance of bigoted oregonian senior petty officers.)and the use of lighter, ie aluminium superstructures.
Older designs, like USCG 36535, my first 'command' employed a heavy, solid bronze keel paired with a double ender design and LOW CIG that took real genius to capsize in the first place.
They retired that boat on me, sent it on display with credit to another station and gave me a lousy 44' MLB- which I did in fact flip when the port engine head cracked. It seems this senior, oregonian petty officer forgot to connect both hot starts.then I was senior to him, and HE painted voids, another self righting feature of staying level headed in adversity or storms.


Edited by Chris Kavanaugh (01/02/09 10:22 PM)

Top
#160942 - 01/02/09 10:27 PM Re: Capsized Boat [Re: ]
Chris Kavanaugh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/09/01
Posts: 3824
As a disclaimer,so asnot to get Old Man Neptune mad at me, ALL ships CAN SINK.It's a simple matter of putting enough stupidity in command to outwiegh anything that would normally float.

Top
#160960 - 01/03/09 12:53 AM Re: Capsized Boat [Re: Chris Kavanaugh]
stevenpd Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 09/15/07
Posts: 81
Loc: SoCal
As single-handed racers of substantial length, these boats do indeed have voids filled with foam for added buoyancy. Being sail boats their keels can way as much as the boat itself. Hence the self-righting ability. Most skippers when they do go below do close the hatches during bad weather. This would prevent some water from coming in and swamping the boat. Evidently, as part of the training on the boat he did have it capsized with a crane to experience what happens. Never been that kind of situation but similar ones at the hands of others.
_________________________
“Always remember the 6 P’s”
(Prior Preparation Prevents [censored] Poor Performance)

Top
#160968 - 01/03/09 03:34 AM Re: Capsized Boat [Re: stevenpd]
Chris Kavanaugh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/09/01
Posts: 3824
Anyone visiting Washington State should visit the lifeboat school on the Columbia. Rolling a boat is an experience few have, and fewer want to repeat. I think the record was 3 complete rolls in a 44' the local navy submariners were very boastfull of wht their 'boats' could do. Then they were taken for a 'ride.'

Top
Page 1 of 2 1 2 >



Moderator:  Alan_Romania, Blast, cliff, Hikin_Jim 
March
Su M Tu W Th F Sa
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Who's Online
0 registered (), 301 Guests and 42 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
GallenR, Jeebo, NicholasMarshall, Yadav, BenFoakes
5367 Registered Users
Newest Posts
What did you do today to prepare?
by dougwalkabout
Yesterday at 11:21 PM
Zippo Butane Inserts
by dougwalkabout
Yesterday at 11:11 PM
Question about a "Backyard Mutitool"
by Ren
03/17/24 01:00 AM
Problem in my WhatsApp configuration
by Chisel
03/09/24 01:55 PM
New Madrid Seismic Zone
by Jeanette_Isabelle
03/04/24 02:44 PM
EDC Reduction
by EchoingLaugh
03/02/24 04:12 PM
Using a Compass Without a Map
by KenK
02/28/24 12:22 AM
Newest Images
Tiny knife / wrench
Handmade knives
2"x2" Glass Signal Mirror, Retroreflective Mesh
Trade School Tool Kit
My Pocket Kit
Glossary
Test

WARNING & DISCLAIMER: SELECT AND USE OUTDOORS AND SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND TECHNIQUES AT YOUR OWN RISK. Information posted on this forum is not reviewed for accuracy and may not be reliable, use at your own risk. Please review the full WARNING & DISCLAIMER about information on this site.