Is Your Boat This Bluewater Tough?

[Polux]

Here you have one that has done remarkably well, being sailed to the beach on autopilot and being towed out of it. The boat sustained only minor damage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12E9H-IIPq0

Ok, not the typical spade rudder but a two rudder system that is less exposed than a single deep rudder. On the beach they seem to be in one piece but they did not take any chances and when they towed the boat they took the rudders away, a sensible precaution.

[TacomaSailor]

What a series of silly statements!

We endured a low intensity hurricane in a remote anchorage. There were five boats in the anchorage.

A Pacific Seacraft 37 (about as tough and salty as they come) was holed and totally destroyed.

A Catalina 42 (about as production and low price as they come) survived without a spot of damage.

It is not the boat that makes it seaworthy - it is the skipper.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

yes yet having it available to deploy quickly , is a very good idea.

Of course you have to deploy it instead of leaving it on the roller while your boat drifts back into the rocks

[Kenomac]

There's another bluewater thread running at the same time where many are wondering and speculations on what constitutes a well-built yacht. Maybe it's time some of them began looking at the overall boat, build quality and fittings. Maybe then some of the mystery will clear up.

To me, it's also somewhat entertaining to see how many of the experts... Don't even own a boat, but instead experience the cruising life vicariously through others over the Internet.

Very strange.

[msponer]

Originally Posted by TacomaSailor

...
It is not the boat that makes it seaworthy - it is the skipper.

And luck.

[mrcarson]

I came off back of hollow wave decades ago onto a container in SHipping lanes South of Tassie in winter. (Strahan to Adelaide.) Left a ding deep enough to hide my fist in. But.. Being 8mm Steel just below first chine. did NOT leak. Apart from staining my jocks when it happened.
The only material I would go to sea in nowadays. with all the crap in the water. Coastal and oceanic. Is a tradie/Shipyard welded STEEL yacht. As my last 2 over near 30 yrs were.
And stay away from the Concrete/Iron Punchings ballasted keels too. They tend to leak after a while. I've welded a couple of my mates keel side plates up too.
Both of mine have lead ballast and built in welders own time's in a shipyard, mainly with scrap ship grade steel from shipyard constructions. Just pay for weight and rods/wire.. (shipwrights)
THICK below water keel plates. 12/15mm keel side/garboard plates. 1in Bottom/forefoots. 6mm Rudder cheek plates on a 3in Stainless rudder shaft hanging off rear of cutaway forefoot keel.
More steel weight in right place. LESS lead req'd. Just pay for more welding wire/rods.
These boats. well designed. Pugh and Boden South Seas 42 are as fast as plastic. In serious weather. Usually faster and more comfortable as we go forwards and through. WHile the much lighter plastics bounce all over the water (in general)
Compare them side by side sometime.
My '85 32ft Pugh Cutter outsailed most of the Heavy Duty Plasic boats I sailed with in the serious rough AND sometimes, light airs.
Some race to get to destination. Shortest time.
Some like me enjoy the doing of and often stay out longer as we like it that way.
Away from others. (Single sailors.. Just me and me cat)
Just enjoy it hey.

[gallatin1988]

If I may be so bold as to say given a bit of luck my boat, an Alajuela 38, might survive such a circumstance. Having more than a few dodgy mooring I prefer to lay to my own anchor (an oversized Spade)

[Jim Cate]

I came off back of hollow wave decades ago onto a container in SHipping lanes South of Tassie in winter. (Strahan to Adelaide.)

.

The strength of your boat gets a 10, but the skill of the navigator is suspect. How in teh world did you get SOUTH of Tasmania en route from Strahan (Hells Gate) to Adelaide?

And which "shipping lanes" are you speaking of? Not a lot of shipping in the area (either south of Tassie or between Mac Harbour and Adelaide) in my experience.

If you are gonna tell salty tales on CF you should get the details right!

Jim

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

.

The strength of your boat gets a 10, but the skill of the navigator is suspect. How in teh world did you get SOUTH of Tasmania en route from Strahan (Hells Gate) to Adelaide?

And which "shipping lanes" are you speaking of? Not a lot of shipping in the area (either south of Tassie or between Mac Harbour and Adelaide) in my experience.

If you are gonna tell salty tales on CF you should get the details right!

Jim

Jim, sounds much like a Lagoon owner that used to frequent these pages, spruiking his high performance boat.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Jim, sounds much like a Lagoon owner that used to frequent these pages, spruiking his high performance boat.

And the thread is from 2015... plus the OP was someone who was so abusive of fellow CF Members that he was banned. Everytime I see his name pop up, I shudder.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

And the thread is from 2015... plus the OP was someone who was so abusive of fellow CF Members that he was banned. Everytime I see his name pop up, I shudder.

As I recall, he had two Oysters, one in the states and one in Europe. Did he ever sell the European one?

[rotrax]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

.

The strength of your boat gets a 10, but the skill of the navigator is suspect. How in teh world did you get SOUTH of Tasmania en route from Strahan (Hells Gate) to Adelaide?

And which "shipping lanes" are you speaking of? Not a lot of shipping in the area (either south of Tassie or between Mac Harbour and Adelaide) in my experience.

If you are gonna tell salty tales on CF you should get the details right!

Jim

Interesting. The guy sounds like an Aussie Brent Swain....................

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

And the thread is from 2015... plus the OP was someone who was so abusive of fellow CF Members that he was banned. Everytime I see his name pop up, I shudder.

I don't know.. I used to enjoy our little tussles.. spiced things up a bit.
Definitely more interesting than the Covid (which spun from how it affects cruisers into vaccine validation promo fertilizer) and MMGW threads
At least he stuck to boats and sailing.. apart from the odd foray into guns and knives..

[poiu]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

And the thread is from 2015... plus the OP was someone who was so abusive of fellow CF Members that he was banned….

Ken’s enjoying the sunshine in the Caribbean during five months of the year and Greece during the summers and fall aboard two Oysters named “Orinoco.” If you see him, I’m sure he’d be happy for you, or anyone, to stop by and say hello. I’m in touch, so PM me if you wish to know more.

[shrspeedblade]

For those asking why they didn't simply turn, my hunch is they didn't have enough speed up and the rudder was stalled to the point the boat couldn't turn into the waves/chop without being overpowered by them and swatted back down wind, even at full power. It's not a good feeling, trust me. When their keel grounded it probably allowed them to pivot on it to finally point into the waves.

A fin keel would probably have an easier time pivoting, but of course with it being a big lever arm if it did touch would be more likely to suffer damage.