Catamaran Capsizes in Galveston Bay

[callmecrazy]

I'm pretty sure there's 1 cat for every 10 mono's because Cats are at least 10 times the price. It's not really about design principals...

[leon.opit]

I dont know what the propensity cruising cats have to 'flip', I have often wondered but rather than surmise does anybody know of any sourced compiled stats?

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by leon.opit

I dont know what the propensity cruising cats have to 'flip', I have often wondered but rather than surmise does anybody know of any sourced compiled stats?

I think you'll find it hard to find stats on that since they don't have propensity to flip. There are conditions under which boats capsize which Nick cover very well I think but that doesn't imply a propensity to flip. Sailboats are designed not have that tendency. To get them to flip external forces have to be applied.

It may seem I'm nitpicking but it's an important distinction.

[David M]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Yes, good job of the USCG !!

And again, as with all these "cat capsized" events, utter silence from all the cat owners that preach that cats don't flip...

ciao!
Nick.

Some of you took the bait.

Stop that Jedi. Geeze.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by hummingway

I think you'll find it hard to find stats on that since they don't have propensity to flip. There are conditions under which boats capsize which Nick cover very well I think but that doesn't imply a propensity to flip. Sailboats are designed not have that tendency. To get them to flip external forces have to be applied.

I agree with Hummingway on this, flipping a cat would be the least of my worries if I had a cat Errors made by the crew and/or conditions that flip a cat will also do much harm to a mono. It should only be a consideration when sailing in extreme areas where you deal with these conditions all the time, like Cape Horn, North Sea etc. You won't see many cats there, while the Caribbean would have mostly cats if they were more affordable and there were less cruisers that aren't open to the idea of a cat.

On statistics, the insurance companies have these: cats lead to higher claims or so I have been told. The problem is that you can never know the factor behind this.. for all we know it's because of the massive bareboat cat chartering in the Caribbean (unexperienced landlubbers sailing them) and has nothing to do with the design itself.

ciao!
Nick.

[leon.opit]

Thanks for the reply Hummingway. Perhaps a poor choice of words on my part. I did not mean that they did have a propensity, I meant I did not know if they did. I agree with your comments. I expect though somewhere there is a compiled list of boat accidents from which such data could be extracted but it will only extend the debate... by sea miles travelled? by hours afloat? etc etc. I think I will go search though, its made me curious.

[leon.opit]

Agreed Nick. Mind you now you given me a direction, insurance companies, they are a natural and habitual collector of stats!

[Katiusha]

Not to continue , but the Cruisers' Forum main picture shows four catamarans, one monohull, and one unknown pedigree boat. I think it's a sign

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Artif

CE = Chinese Export.

B****er all to do with making sense

Is that right?

Better tell the authorities that make the rules then, clearly they have got it all wrong.

CE stands for Conformité Européenne, which is French for "European Conformity." A product in one of the controlled product categories cannot legally be sold in the EU unless it has passed the tests to receive the CE marking.
HowStuffWorks "What does the CE logo I see on lots of products mean?"

[hawaiisun2]

If I'm caught offshore in 25' seas and my catamaran flips, is it the boat's fault or mine?? Pretty sure the Titanic sunk, so I guess even the biggest of monohulls can have issues. The mono/cat argument is personal preference. Both are safe if properly piloted. I have a cat because my family is comfortable and it is still fairly quick even when loaded down with cruising amenities. A 36' cat is at the smallish end of the spectrum, and with a 16-19' beam and 12,000 pounds displacement would not truly be my idea of an offshore boat anyway. Most offshore boats are 40' plus and the increase in beam and displacement make them exponentially more seaworthy than a 36' cat.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

And again, as with all these "cat capsized" events, utter silence from all the cat owners that preach that cats don't flip...

That possibility alone wouldn't put me off one.......... Would just make me want to understand there limitations, not neccessarily to always stay within a "safe" level - but to know when I was pushing things ..........and for that one has to accept reality / the laws of physics..........but I iz funny like that

[Artif]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Is that right?

Better tell the authorities that make the rules then, clearly they have got it all wrong.

I wish someone would tell the "authorities" to keep their rules to themselves.

p.s I live on the fringes of the euro insanity (the U.K.) and have had some experience, all be it in a rather small way, with CE compliance and I can assure you that a CE mark means very little.

[jannpage]

I would be nice if someone had some Facts and Knowledge to add to the discussion. Repeating advertizing hype as information is not facts no matter how many times it is repeated. Galveston bay can get awfully nasty pretty quickly, I admit. But there really are few "cruising cats" that I would hesiated to take into the bay in most ordinary circustances. I would really like to know what make/model of boat it was and the ordinary story of weather etc. To me it is not a matter of which is safer. It is a matter of how do I make my boating experience safer. I do think trying to make funny about such a frieghtening event is not my cup of tea. Sorry the people dam near got seriously hurt and their boat got damaged and perhaps lost. Don't think it is a bit funny. Sorry
lefty2

[Dragon Lady]

I don't suppose anyone knows what sort of Cat it is besides a 36 footer?
It would be nice to get some more info now we have got the traditional mono vs multi sledging formalities out of the way LOL.

[downunder]

Sound like it was more likely a beach cat not a cruising cat.

From Coast guard report on Google

HOUSTON — The Coast Guard rescued two people from Galveston Bay in the vicinity of Smith Point after the catamaran they were sailing capsized, June 7, 2009.
Watchstanders at Sector Houston-Galveston received a call at approximately 2:30 p.m. from a 48-year-old man, reporting that the 19-foot catamaran he and fellow boater, age 45, were sailing was taking on water. A Coast Guard Air Station Houston MH-65C rescue helicopter crew was launched and arrived on scene to find that both men were forced to abandon the catamaran once it capsized.
The rescue helicopter crew hoisted the two men and transported them back to Air Station Houston at Ellington Field where they awaited transportation.
Both men were reported to be in good condition.