Oyster Problems?

[neilpride]

WOWOWOWOW!!! where is Minaret?

[Polux]

It seems to me that the failure here as to do not with the keel falling of from a structure but with the hull not being able to deal with the forces transmitted by the keel to the hull and supporting structure. I understand now what Oyster was saying with “suffered a serious incident which compromised the moulded hull”.

The keel fall due to the compromised hull. That compromise can be due to an insufficient distribution of the generated keel forces by the hull (or the hull not being strong enough) and regarding to that I am impressed with the failure of two stringers that were laminated to the hull (look at the 885 hull and look for them on the wreck). Off course that can mean, or probably mean that they were not strong enough and I raise a question:

This was a 90ft built by increasing a 82ft design. The 90ft obviously weights more and to compensate that in what regards sail power and stability almost for sure the ballast was increased.

They used the same keel structure and the same scantlings that they used on the 825 or the keel structure and all structure and hull of the boat was reinforced to take that extra ballast weight and the bigger forces it would generate?

[four winds]

A couple of observations.

The keel is said to have fallen off. I assume it was at some distance to the hull on the ocean floor. It must have been a challenge to locate for salvage. Maybe some type of high tech was used as the effort was successful since it lies on the hard behind the boat. Note, I don't doubt it detached.

Also, I notice two rectangular holes cut into the hull to the left of the damage. Possibly this was done to test the integrity of the bond between the hull skin and the grid members.

And finally, to the stretch mod. Possibly there was an error in the revised calculations for the forces involved. If so it could have been built correctly to spec, though one that was deficient.

[poiu]

There are more pictures on this Spanish forum, where there is more information and some speculation about grounding etc.

Reflotamiento del POLINA STAR III velero de 82 pies - Página 8 - La Taberna del Puerto

[Kenomac]

I guess this is what happens when you try to turn your 82ft Oyster up to "11."
:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KOO5S4vxi0o

[Alessiocannoni]

Originally Posted by Polux

A very warm welcome to the forum.

Just to be sure, you have always been the Captain of Polina star? and therefore are able to claim that the boat had never had any groundings?

The Polina star was a 90ft extended version of the 825. Do you think that has anything to do with the case? I mean the boat was designed as a 82ft and many 825 have been sailed extensively, one of them is making the ARC right now (and going very fast), none with problems to my knowledge.

Do you know anything about the results of the investigations? The wreck has been removed and we will know for sure what happened and the causes of the accident.

There was a video about that but:

Some photos:




They say that the boat used a keel system attachment (with a structure) that is not used by any other Oysters. Do you know if they are talking about the 90ft extended version or if they are talking about the 825?

The damage really looks bad and explains why the boat sunk so quickly.

This is the new 885 structure:

Hello guys, in your posts there are a lot of questions to reply, I will try to reply to all of that and at the same time I will tell some "facts" about our story and about this building. I'm speaking about "facts" because the funny declarations released by Oyster can confuse the readers.
FACT 1: (why I know what I know)
The owner built the boat with the target to sail around the world, then he asked to me to follow the commissioning, to prepare the boat for this long trip and to choose and to organize the crew. I arrived in the shipyard in the April 2014, and I stayed there every day up to the launch of the boat in July, then I have sailed on her as captain about 10.000 miles: Southampton- Norway and back, Southampton-Las Palmas, ARC rally, cruises in Caribe, Antigua-Alicante (we never arrived).
FACT 2: (the crew)
The boat had two permanent crew member, to be able to manage this aspect I have organized a tourn-over of 5 people:
Alessio Cannoni
Dafne Mele
Giulia Visintin
Monica Rosini
Riccardo Salimbeni
during last trip the professional crew was: me and Dafne.
FACT 3the boat design)
the boat was not extended, she was designed and built by Oyster exactly as you can see in the pictures.
FACT 4: (the meteo)
we sunk in a sunny day we were reaching in 18 kn of TW with about 1.3 m of wave, sailing with staysail and 80% main sail.
FACT 5: (SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT)
3 JULY 2015 TIME 14:07'
strong noise with vibration from the hull
14:07'15"
big flooding in the engine room
14:07'30"
water over the service batteries; all systems KO
14:07'45"
I bear away, the crew prepare emergency bilge pump, life rafts, grab bags, furl manually the stay sail, send the may-day by standard-C and by VHF
14:13'
the keel disconnected completely and the boat capsized, in that moment I was standing up in front of the chart table (deck-house) sending the may-day, the water was already cooling down my balls.
a fishing boat "fished"us after a couple of hours.
FACT 6:
we made a video from the life raft, it show the two rudders pointing the sky perfectly intacs, a big hole in to the hull; the relic float upside down all night long, the following morning we found the boat still floating about 15 miles from the capsizing point, one missing rudder, the other one partially broken.
FACT 7:
the CEO of Oyster knows exactly this story, he sent two people on site the following day, I told them every single detail of the accident and I gave to them all the pictures and movies that I had and that I still have.
The relic of the boat and the keel was rescued in October. This operation was a month-long, I participated to this operation and I participated also to the survey performed by all the insurance company's surveyors. We are waiting for the response.

[sharkbait]

Wow, and I thought Gunboat had problems.

[sharkbait]

SmackDaddy says you never see that happen to a Hunter

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Alessiocannoni

...
FACT 3the boat design)
the boat was not extended, she was designed and built by Oyster exactly as you can see in the pictures.
....

Thanks for your clear response but regarding this I was not saying that the boat was not built by Oyster, I was saying that the boat was not designed as a 90ft but as a 82ft and modified to be a 90ft, by Oyster and I hope the designer?

Oyster has maintained the 825 on its line and has now a 90ft, the 875 and a bigger one in project the 118 but for what I have understood the 875 is a new design, not a 825 made bigger, like it was the Polina Star that was a 90ft made from an adaptation of the 825 design.

[Zach]

Wow.

Wonder if they had a contaminated peel ply or plexus that was no good between the grid and the hull laminuate for it not to stay stuck to the grid?

That would have to be a weird feeling right before she let loose, as that keel must have been making some tacks of its own.

Zach

[Travis McGee]

Makes me glad mine is steel. Nothing is breaking or falling off.

That photo was right after blasting and zinc spraying, 20+ years ago.

[Cap Erict3]

The keel came loose on a serial #1 boat after a short time in service. Not the first time this has happened with this type of keel. It won't be the last.


The good thing is that the crew survived.

Fair winds skipper

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Travis McGee

Makes me glad mine is steel. Nothing is breaking or falling off.

That photo was right after blasting and zinc spraying, 20+ years ago.

Looks like you have a spare keel... Just in case.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Zach

Wow.

Wonder if they had a contaminated peel ply or plexus that was no good between the grid and the hull laminuate for it not to stay stuck to the grid?

That would have to be a weird feeling right before she let loose, as that keel must have been making some tacks of its own.

Zach

No, those stringers are laminated to the hull as well as the keel structure.

One of their functions is to distribute the keel loads by a larger area of the hull. When they collapse the hull area that absorb those loads is much smaller, the one that is shown delaminated on the photos.

[Cap Erict3]

In my other life I was a member of many incident investigations. I think it quite likely that the root cause of the failure was obvious to the investigation team.

In today's litigious world, the results of the investigation will not likely be quick to come into the light. I do hope otherwise so that the owners of the 825 can get clarity on the possible design issue.