Monday, September 10, 2018

Unsinkable

Every few months I see a picture of a multihull sinking. This should never happen, not with a few crash tanks, bulkheads, and no ballast.


Yes, there are heavy things in there like diesels, but there is also foam core and empty tanks.

The PDQ 32, on the other hand, is quite unsinkable. I had a through-hull failure once and it didn't even get the floor boards wet.
[the load waterline is on the lower edge of the boot top stripe]

With 2 crash tanks forward, one aft, and two bulkheads, you simply can't tear a big enough hole.

I know what it is. People don't want the cabin space chopped-up by walls. Their funeral.
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As for my F-24, it is easily supported by the amas and the beams, no crash tanks required. No worries. But I would add them anyway, if I were sailing far. I'd seal off most of the space under the V-berth and under the cockpit. A day's work for peace of mind, and no new access problems.


1 comment:

  1. Perhaps a bit disingenuous to describe this Helia as sunken. It does, in fact, have 2 forward watertight compartments that prevent it from sinking which is clearly evident from the photo. More concerning is the lack of an early water intrusion alarm which might have prevented the involvement of both hulls and engine compartments. The Helia also has bulkheads separating the forward watertight compartment and another separating the engine compartment. In addition, the keels are also watertight, foam-filled compartments.This boat was apparently bought without an inspection and I believe it premature to assign a specific cause or fault in its design. The PDQ is a fine boat. But there are almost certainly lessons all catamarans and monohull sailors can learn from this incident. Best, Allen Dobbs, S/V Wildflower

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