The boat on its side in the Solent

[SkiDeep2001]

Thanks Phillip

B I N G O We have a winner Rob

[kmclemore]

B I N G O We have a winner Rob

Particularly if you allow for the fact that the bottom was painted, and probably twice, with the lower bit of paint being a slightly darker color.

[Paulieb]

That is a good picture showing the bottom and I think it's clear the boat in the Solent photo is a Mac. But why/how would anyone take their boat off the trailer and roll it onto it's side like that? Was it a flooding or storm accident? It did not look damaged at all. - Just curious.

Paulieb

[ALX357]

For bottom work ....repairs, cleaning, barrier coating, anti-fouling painting. Alot better access , paint one side, then roll it over and paint the other. Avoids repositioning supports for multiple coats.

[SkiDeep2001]

B I N G O We have a winner Rob

Particularly if you allow for the fact that the bottom was painted, and probably twice, with the lower bit of paint being a slightly darker color.

My bottom paint (original) looks almost identical (w/out the brown scum) . BW Yachts sent it out to be done and when Cheryl inspected my in March, she said the bottom was in great shape.They had a consignment , 2006, I think, and it's bottom paint was already in need of repainting. I wish I could roll mine like that (on land/not water) . It would be so much easier to work on it when needed. Rob

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

It is clearly an early X with bottom paint up to the boot stripe and growth up to the waterline. These are very flat bottomed boats, much more so than the M. It's also why the X has wandering problems in waves and wind. The bottom is so flat it just slides around on the water with nothing to get a grip and limit the side to side directional changes.

Seeing Philips picture has convinced me that the boat should without a doubt have a skeg on the bottom. Most flat bottomed ski boats have one or more shark fin shaped aluminum skegs on their bottom to enhance directional control. I'm building a 3"x3' long aluminum skeg that will attach to the leading edge of the centerboard. When the board is full up it will still be exposed and give some directional bite to the flat hull. When the board is down, this thin piece of aluminum sticking out the front should have no affect on the centerboards sailing performance. It also should be a low enough profile that it will not be a problem loading on the trailer. We never beach so I'm not worried about that.

Here's another X bottom view, note the forward centerboard slot that looks empty when the board is up and the under the companionway step ballast vent just aft of the slot. The sling straps help you see just how flat the bottom is.

[bubba]

After seeing the blown up photo it is a Mac X probably with dark scum on the bottom. He probably went out without the ballast in and the wave from thr ferry turned him over and trying to wright the X infront of a big ferry is not where you want to do that work.

[bscott]

Duane, I am installing a 2" X 3/4" X length of polymer board from the rear of the CD slot to the stern as a fixed keel.
With Tony's Fast Rails installed the should be a "proper" motor boat.

I like your idea but isn't it the same as dropping the CB a few inches a'la Roger's high speed cabin cruiser video

Bob

[PhilEOD]

Hi Everyone,

The boat was a Mac26X and on the Uk site was posted this reply to the incident;

"The man in the picture in the original post is my dad. I agree that conditions were probably outside the safe limits for the boat he was in, but then conditions do change when you are on the water, and he was motoring out from fishbourne creek when conditions started to change. The reason it was knocked over is that his dingy was blown from the deck and caught in the rigging. The centreboard was down and the ballast was empty, as directed for motoring close to shore in the guidance. He wasnt under sail and the sudden gust that caught the dingy broke the securing rope. All in all I would say he was more unlucky than stupid, but that would be my opinion. The boat itself was towed onto a sandbank and was bailed and righted by filling the ballast, without any further drama."

[Phillip]

3 pictures were posted here a long time ago.
I saved them just in case I was presented with a similar problem one day.
Here are the 3 of them in sequence.

Cheers
Phillip

[pokerrick1]

There you go - - - good work Phil!

Rick less in Las Vegas

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Bob,

I'll be curious to hear what effect yours has on the handling. I can't decide if it is a loose bow think or a loose stern thing.

I find that with a little bit of board out, I don't get the change in directional control I would like. The boat still wanders at speeds below 10 knots. I think the shape of the slightly dropped board and the wide section does not get the grip on the water that a sharper fin would.

I also found with my small 50 hp motor and more board down, the effect of the board overpowered the surface area of the motor and I also needed a rudder to get a balance. This is a bit better now with my 90hp motor and the bigger prop, but I think a sharp skeg will help more than the wider rounded centerboard.

[bscott]

Duane, I run a 14" x 9" with my rudders down and the CB line out about 6" under 6 knts and seem to have little wandering.
Someone posted he installed a "Keel Guard" and thought his tracked better. However, I think its a stern slip rather than the bow since the bow has a pretty good V and I can steer the boat with weight shifts in the cockpit.

But, striving for perfection, I'm gona try the keel and see what happens. Unfortunately it won't happen 'till next spring.

Bob

[DaveB]

Bob, I rebuilt my centerboard and added polyester resin thru weep holes at bottom of centerboard, the board is now solid from the bottom up to about 2 ft. this adds weight to bottom of centerboard. This will help reinforce the bottom and weight needed to keep board down 6-8 inches for tracking up to 6.5 knots.(Resin weighs more than water and the board will loose water with it down 6-8 inches)
The stock Board will raise thus looseing tracking because of it's boeyancy in speeds over 3 knots.
I also reinforced top of centerboard as it split around the seam (glassed in 2 layers of mat and blended in, I than poured Polester resin up to the pin to make it solid).
Doing this plus putting in a 5/16 braided centerboard line requires more effort to raise centerboard at the Mast 90 degree turn and going to put a plastic sleave cut lengthwise over the stainless bar to act as a roller. If that doesn't work than will weld in a ballbearing sleeve at base of deck in place of the welded bar.
I track very well with the Mac.X under power, under 2 knots tacking under sail only..poor.
Dave

Duane, I run a 14" x 9" with my rudders down and the CB line out about 6" under 6 knts and seem to have little wandering.
Someone posted he installed a "Keel Guard" and thought his tracked better. However, I think its a stern slip rather than the bow since the bow has a pretty good V and I can steer the boat with weight shifts in the cockpit.

But, striving for perfection, I'm gona try the keel and see what happens. Unfortunately it won't happen 'till next spring.

Bob

[ALX357]

The stock hollow X board will fill with water if its upper and lower holes are not blocked, and it will be heavier than water, not buoyant, while lowered underway. Gel-coat and fiberglass and resin by themselves are not buoyant at all. The board will not be able to raise at any sailing speed, anyway, due to its "jibe" jamming in the trunk. Motoring along at moderate speed, its own weight will not allow it to rise, and higher motoring speeds, you had better not have it down anyway.