2002 Tragedy involving the loss of lives?

[Chip]

I guess another very important safety issue is to have all lines secured at all times so that if the boat capsizes, no one gets entangled. On that note, what are you supposed to do when raising your anchor rode to prevent it from getting all knotted up?

[Chip Hindes]

I'm confused. If no power boat is self-righting and if the Mac is no different in that regard, do you mean that the mac is only self-righting when the mast is raised? In other words, is the mac self-righting with ballast full and mast up, but not otherwise? Thanks.

Didn't say that. The self righting capability of the Mac is independent of the mast. It has only to do with the ballast (when it's full) and the locations of the built in floatation. It's certainly "more" self righting without the mast, but it is self righting with the mast as well. Also assuming you haven't compromised the floatation by removing some of it.

Power boats don't have water ballast in the keel, and most of those which do remain afloat are quite happy and stable floating inverted, just as the Mac is without ballast.

As well, many power boats and larger sailboats do not have positive floatation and will sink if they fill with water.

Flaking the rode naturally in a figure-8 as I haul it in allows mine to lie nice and flat and it never gets tangled when paying it back out.

Something to note: unless you keep a pin or something else through the hasp, if the boat turtles the hatch will open and the rode will spill out.

[Chip]

Thanks. So much to learn, so little time. Now let's focus on not turtling...

[kenny]

First time out with my boat, I had 4 adults in , no balast as we'd been motoring up the lake at low speed, board down. Crossed where the river comes into the lake, and the current below the surface immediately started to roll the boat against what had started to be a slight lean (into a very slow turn to starboard)
Scared me good.
Next time out (alone) I played with the handling board up, down a little bit, and all the way down at several speeds, with balast in and out.
Good learning experience, which I'd recommend everyone try once, as you'll then understand the different levels of reaction.
Throttling down immediately seems to always work, IMHO.

[Jeff S]

I think one of the themes here is that the Mac has dual personalities. Treating the Mac like a sailboat while unballasted is not a good idea- unballasted one must be much more aware of weight placement and waves coming from the beam. I had to do this in my 16' bowrider. I would never have 7 adults on that boat, let alone have them get up on the top part of the boat (the ledges which were small enough to discourage such unbalancing acts). That boat would have tipped over and filled with water simply from that CoG problem alone. The Mac is much more stable than that, but the deck allows a greater potential for CoG issues than a powerboat. If 4 people were in the cockpit, and 3 down below it would have been much harder to capsize. It still should be ballasted.

I power out without ballast quite often with 2 adults and 3 childen. If it is rough I fill the ballast before leaving the marina since I can't go fast anyway, it helps dampen the rolling and is safer overall. I have had 4 adults and 5 children on board (2 adults dedicated to children watching down below- 2 kids max in cockpit with 2 adults)- ballasted- mild day- no hint of any adverse tendencies whatsoever.

It is like in aviation where a guy gets his pilots licensce in a fixed landing gear aircraft then goes and buys a fancy retractable gear airplane and forgets to lower the landing gear since he is not used to it. Is it really the manufacturers fault you used the aircraft in an unsafe manner and failed to follow its checklist properly? No, but the courts sometimes penalize manufacturers for not making things idiot proof. Nothing is idiot proof. Life is tough, it is tougher if you are stupid.

Jeff S

[Casey]

I am a little late to this thread. I remember having a thought at the time I was reading one of the original articles. Can some one shed some light if the anchor was pulled prior to motoring? I had thought that if someone was anchored and took off with the anchor still on the bottom and not on a straight pull with the anchor, the boat would turtle.

[Chip Hindes]

There was no anchoring involved. Rather than repeat it here, you need to read the original story. It's bound to be on the web somewhere.