PuffTheMagicDragon
Well-Known Member
Do you have one? Me, I just have an ancient Navico TP5000.
Me plain Joe. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Me plain Joe. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Easy way to scuttle a Lagoon Cat
- Thread starter dralex
- Start date
Talbot
Well-Known Member
Did have, but sold it when boat plans changed and the model I had was the wrong one.
bilbobaggins
N/A
The 'escape hatch' requirement was hammered out during the Consultation Phase for the Recreational Craft Directive, quite a few years ago. At that time, analysis of all the known multihull inversions showed clearly that there had been no deaths at all due to inversion entrapment on cats larger than around 10 metres. There had been several - all French/Belgian - on smaller boats which had been inverted in seriously bad - and well-forecast - weather.
At the time, the big French production firms already had these 'escape hatches' fitted/built in, as their important charter market designs seemed to require these 'features'. They resisted strongly - you know, 'Non! Non!' - the sensible proposal that the smaller cats ( which had the 4 or 5 fatalities ) be required to have a 'viable means of inverted exit', as that would have cost them money changing their moulds, and got their way in Brussels.
BTW, there was then *no* hatch in production which was designed and stressed to cope with the mechanical loads generated in that 'close to the waterline' position. And it took well over a decade of committee squabbling - and a dozen or more expensive meetings all over Europe - before a design spec was finally agreed by the experts.
Multis, if inverted - and quite a few have been 'sailed over' by inattentive or incompetent racer-types in recent years - tend to stay afloat, providing a better liferaft than an inflatable. A bunch of OCC members benefited from this in 2000, when the 50' racing cat 'Dazzler' was inverted off the Azores. Another group of racers turned trimaran 'Mollymawk' ass-over-tit near The Nab in a big squall. Like the others, they had the big spinnaker up. As they were returning directly from a RORC race, and not actually racing at the time, the fact that there seemed to be no flares on board was quietly ignored. A mobile phone was the sole 'emergency marine communications' device they were able to use, which saved the day and their asses....
Most multi inversions can be attributed to inadequate boat handling. As we live in a PC and litigious age, few will call a spade a spade and address it. They prefer to blame 'a big squall that came out of nowhere', 'we couldn't get to the spinnaker sheets in time', and 'it was no-one's fault, really. The boat just fell over....'
Now, watch how many 'multi experts' come squawling in with red-herring arguments to the contrary. And note how many of them have personal vested interests.........
At the time, the big French production firms already had these 'escape hatches' fitted/built in, as their important charter market designs seemed to require these 'features'. They resisted strongly - you know, 'Non! Non!' - the sensible proposal that the smaller cats ( which had the 4 or 5 fatalities ) be required to have a 'viable means of inverted exit', as that would have cost them money changing their moulds, and got their way in Brussels.
BTW, there was then *no* hatch in production which was designed and stressed to cope with the mechanical loads generated in that 'close to the waterline' position. And it took well over a decade of committee squabbling - and a dozen or more expensive meetings all over Europe - before a design spec was finally agreed by the experts.
Multis, if inverted - and quite a few have been 'sailed over' by inattentive or incompetent racer-types in recent years - tend to stay afloat, providing a better liferaft than an inflatable. A bunch of OCC members benefited from this in 2000, when the 50' racing cat 'Dazzler' was inverted off the Azores. Another group of racers turned trimaran 'Mollymawk' ass-over-tit near The Nab in a big squall. Like the others, they had the big spinnaker up. As they were returning directly from a RORC race, and not actually racing at the time, the fact that there seemed to be no flares on board was quietly ignored. A mobile phone was the sole 'emergency marine communications' device they were able to use, which saved the day and their asses....
Most multi inversions can be attributed to inadequate boat handling. As we live in a PC and litigious age, few will call a spade a spade and address it. They prefer to blame 'a big squall that came out of nowhere', 'we couldn't get to the spinnaker sheets in time', and 'it was no-one's fault, really. The boat just fell over....'
Now, watch how many 'multi experts' come squawling in with red-herring arguments to the contrary. And note how many of them have personal vested interests.........
Talbot
Well-Known Member
Quite agree with your statements. It is also why I firmly believe that dagger boards have no place in a cruising cat. I also believe that if you are pushing a multi hard on the wind, it is criminal not to have the mainsheets to hand
The only recorded case of one of my class falling over was when they were planing in quite rough conditions, and the boat had been heavily modified with the addition onf a large keel area on the bottom of each hull. The boat broached at well over 12 knots, the keels dug in and over she went. - It is also remarkable that the majority of the crew were below, and they all got out without problems, they also managed to get the dinghy inflated and the outboard, and kept it between the hulls for a large number of hours until the mast struck the bottom, They then motored the dinghy out from between the hulls and onto the shore.
The only recorded case of one of my class falling over was when they were planing in quite rough conditions, and the boat had been heavily modified with the addition onf a large keel area on the bottom of each hull. The boat broached at well over 12 knots, the keels dug in and over she went. - It is also remarkable that the majority of the crew were below, and they all got out without problems, they also managed to get the dinghy inflated and the outboard, and kept it between the hulls for a large number of hours until the mast struck the bottom, They then motored the dinghy out from between the hulls and onto the shore.