Craig, have you considered inner tubes? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Honshells" <chonshell@ia4u.net> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 10:55 PM Subject: M_Boats: positive flotation
As a "coastal cruiser", I'm not really concerned about positive floatation
for my M17 personally, but I am
responding to the exchanges prompted by Mike Carpenter's questions . . .
I would attend to agree with Connie that the best strategy is never to allow water below. But I also see Mike's point that some incident could puncture the hull.
My teachers used to tell me, "There are no dumb questions." The following might truly be a dumb question, but I'll risk it anyway: What about watertight bulkheads for the M17? For instance, if a M17 is sailed in an area in which there is a risk that the hull could be holed by a run-in with a submerged container, whatever, could the bow, up under the v-berth, be isolated with another bulkhead forward, so that if it were punctured, the water would be contained? The bulkhead would have to be glassed directly to the hull, and not just the liner, of course, but (I haven't been on my boat since November, '03) don't the v-berth hatches open to the bare hull below? And couldn't you 'glass a decent-sized "watertight compartment" under the M17's v-berth, yet still leave room for the battery, the port-a-potty, and a few other items? And couldn't you do the same in the quarterberths: Simply 'glass-in watertight compartments, making sure they're 'glassed directly to the hull?
I read British sailing magazines, and it seems Europe (yes, I know Britons do not consider themselves "Europeans") is even more obsessed with safety than the U.S., and has stricter regulations, requiring a minimum amount of positive flotation for recreational vessels. And I remember reading about a small traditionally-styled fiberglass daysailer that featured watertight bulkheads instead of foam-flotation. The builder said that he switched to watertight compartments because no matter what type of foam was used in construction, it would eventually take on water and add weight, as well as lose buoyancy.
If a fiberglass daysailer builder in Britain (and I believe the boat I describe was a 17 or 18' open boat) can add watertight compartments to his little trailerables to give them certified positive flotation, perhaps an enterprising M17 owner could retrofit them?
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