Multihull storm tactics?

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by Absolute Wind

My guess is that you almost would have to intentionally do something stupid to get a cat designed like the Lagoon to flip. I'm all ears to other reports.

Absolute Wind.... 44'cruisingcat had his tongue firmly planted in his cheek when making the earlier remark.

[Evan]

We have a 40' fairly light catamaran (without a bridgedeck cabin at time of this story). Sailing in flat water, 25 knots of wind, full main and big genoa, we managed to get the windward hull about 1/3 of the way out of the water. You could tell we were pressing the boat hard (unless you were an idiot or a total beginnner).

I was sitting with genoa sheet in hand, ready to blow it and had another person on the main sheet. 15.4 knots boat speed was our highest (when I was looking at the GPS). Our boat is a lot lighter than any Lagoon and it was so obvious that we were flirting a little with the wind, but it was good to find out where you wouldn't flip the boat with full sails.

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by Absolute Wind

I used to race cats and sail with one pontoon completely out of the water and bury the lee pontoon up to the shroud. We still didn't flip. Pitch pole...now that is a different story, we were close to doing that. However, this type of cat was a day light day sailer and nothing like an heavy Lagoon.

That lee hull will trip you right up. The key is to have nerves of steel and be ready to dump the jib!

[blkrk]

Hello
They did write a book that I got a copy of when Joan visited a new england multi hull association as guest speaker. I believe this was in the early 80's We carried a cargo chute as an anchor on the last two Bermuda we did. On the return trip of one of them it was blowing over 60 in the gulf stream with the wind going with the current, thank god. It was getting dark and no one was looking forward to steering that night so we set the parachute off the bows as per cassanova instructions It was amazing it was as if you were on a mooring. I think if they used them in the prefect storm they might have survived. I purchased an 8' florentino from ebay but am thinking that a 12' would have been a better choice. Oh well the price was right.
Mike s/v wampum

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

Absolute Wind.... 44'cruisingcat had his tongue firmly planted in his cheek when making the earlier remark.

No no!! I am busily installing everything upside-down in my boat (As per Dashew's instructions) - might as well prepeare for the inevitable! Hmmm.... maybe I should avoid the hassle of capsising her and just launch her inverted? (That WOULD save a lot of fairing)

[mikereed100]

No no!! I am busily installing everything upside-down in my boat (As per Dashew's instructions) - might as well prepeare for the inevitable! Hmmm.... maybe I should avoid the hassle of capsising her and just launch her inverted? (That WOULD save a lot of fairing)

I'm planning on a short wingmast that will serve as a keel when inverted. The daggerboards will be particularly long as well as trimmable so that we will be able to just keep sailing when the inevitable happens.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by mikereed100

I'm planning on a short wingmast that will serve as a keel when inverted. The daggerboards will be particularly long as well as trimmable so that we will be able to just keep sailing when the inevitable happens.

Now that's thinking! For my next boat (after this one inevitably capsises or breaks up or whatever else multi's ALWAYS do) I am thinking about having cylindrical hulls, with fully gimballed interiors. A rack and pinion system on the mast, and symmetrical daggerboards - so when we go over we can just lower the daggerboards into the water again, wind the mast up through the deck, and carry on! The gimballed interior means that if the boat decides to flip when we are sleeping at anchor it doesn't need to disturb us. Just a matter of checking which way up we are before sailing off!

[Moby Dick]

Now there's a thought. Instead, how about fully sealed, cylindrical hulls, with all accomodation in the bridgedeck , which is pivoted in between the hulls, so it can spin round (front to back). Of course, you would need something to balance the mast and make sure the bridgedeck was right way up whichever way the hulls were. Maybe some sort of heavy lead weight underneath?

[mikereed100]

Brilliant! And you wouldn't even have to have pivots. You could just eliminate one of the hulls and fasten that lead onto the bottom of the remaining hull and .......errr........

[Quiet Riot 420]

I think Cat man do and other that criticize the vertical windows on a Lagoon, are missing a very important point. When a breaking wave does come crashing down on the the bow of a cat. it most likely will not be coming down on the boat at right angles to the vertical windows, more likely in will come crashing down at right angles (the most force) to the slanted back windows, therfore making them take to full force of the wave and possibly blow out. So, under the right conditions your slanted back windows are just as vulnerble to a breaking wave as any other cat!

Fair Sailing _(\_
Quiet Riot 420

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by mikereed100

Brilliant! And you wouldn't even have to have pivots. You could just eliminate one of the hulls and fasten that lead onto the bottom of the remaining hull and .......errr........

But then it would sink all over the place.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Quiet Riot 420

I think Cat man do and other that criticize the vertical windows on a Lagoon, are missing a very important point. When a breaking wave does come crashing down on the the bow of a cat. it most likely will not be coming down on the boat at right angles to the vertical windows, more likely in will come crashing down at right angles (the most force) to the slanted back windows, therfore making them take to full force of the wave and possibly blow out. So, under the right conditions your slanted back windows are just as vulnerble to a breaking wave as any other cat!

Fair Sailing _(\_
Quiet Riot 420

Any Green I have had across the boat has come horizontal and rolled up and over the cabin top at a furious rate of knot's.

It has'nt fallen from the sky


Dave

[Quiet Riot 420]

Yeah, right. You're down in a trench lying ahull, when suddenly a 30'-40' monster wave breaks right over you. Should the phrase, " and the wave came crashing down" be changed to "and the wave came crashing in horizontal"

Quiet Riot 420

[cat man do]

Only going on my personal experience.

How about you?

Dave

[Quiet Riot 420]

Yea, I'd like to hear about your experience lying ahull in 30-40 foot breaking seas. As for me, I'm an islanding hopping costal cruiser and would never venture out in such conditions. You can have the 1000 mile open ocean passages, I'll stick to the 1-2 day passages as my long trips, and being retired, I'll pick the time & weather that suits me for my passages.

Fair Sailing _(\_
Quiet Riot 420