Quote:
Originally Posted by Bella Sera  Any possibility they could just undo the keel bolts and plug the holes? Hull should pull off easily at that point, and perhaps they could recover the keel later with a small barge? |
Per the title of this reply,
the KEEL is an intimate part of the physics of vessels remaining upright (when floating). First of all, keel bolts are Never "easily" removed...under 2' of water, make that even more of a challenge;
And there's the little ditty (as seen more than once racing) when the keel separates from the hull, the rig has no balance and gravity does "it's thing"... boat is IMMEDIATELY Knocked Down to allow the mast it's gravitational desire...DOWNWARD. Now You have an upside down boat, with a mast that seeks to fully invert the boat & like any cat/trimaran inverted formerly now You have the additional dilemma of it needing about 40-45 feet of water to float, albeit "inverted". Nothing good (ever) comes from boats designed to have keels, with those items removed (intentionally or catastrophically); unless of course the soul goal was to scrap/salvage the vessel and drag it ashore from where it sat. If that was the goal, it would get light enough for a 1" extended anchor line secured to forward anchor cleat & backed to the mast step, attached on the other end to a 4x4 Heavy (1 ton) truck on the beach to at high tide drag this thing all the way to the shore. Then out come the reciprocating saws & she gets cut up, right there, right then; done & done before the tide rose again.