Topic: Unsinkable Contessa?
In Maiden Voyage, Abei reports that she and her father made Varuna unsinkable, or attempted to. Has anyone made improvements along these lines, have suggestions or is there a thread out there already on this?
Re: Unsinkable Contessa?
That's a question that I have spent the last couple of months trying to get a handle on. There doesn't seem to be a lot of info out there on the web, so I have had to rely on the few descriptions of similar mods done to other boats, not always of the same beefy scantlings or displacement as the Contessa.
Briefly, I'm setting up Renaissance for single-handed offshore work, so I need only a pilot berth, head, galley, nav station, and space for spares and stores for 4 months at a time. The route that makes the most sense to me is as follows. Beef up the inside of the bow with an extra 3/4 inch of mat and epoxy, tapered out well into the eyes. Some extra glasswork, a deck-plate, and bronze through-hulls makes the anchor well self-draining and accessible, and allows the area directly beneath to be glassed in as a small flotation tank. Immediately aft, for about 3 feet, the old v-berth storage area is glassed in as flotation, and a bulkead erected above, right across the bows. This has a tight-fitting access door, behind which is installed an inflatable flotation tank (these are available commercially) that is fabricated to fill the space. Continuing aft, the head is placed on the centreline against this bulkhead, with the house batteries installed as low as possible on either side; above is open-shelved for sail and light stores stowage. While this does reduce the interior volume by quite a bit, as well as the perception of space below-decks, it utilises one of the two least-accessible areas in the vessel. Aft of the head, all is much the same as in the traditional accommodation plan, until you arrive at the aft (companionway) bulkhead.
Since Renaissance never had an inboard intalled (at the request of the first owner, who really knew her stuff), I have all that lovely (and nearly useless) space under the cockpit in which to fit another custom-fabricated inflatable tank. This stops just short of the cockpit drains aft, and the lazarette is glassed in to form a watertight bulkhead. A bit more glasswork under the cockpit benches (to reduce their capacity) provides further flotation. I am still debating whether to raise the cockpit sole by 6 inches or so. I consider its' volume too large for an offshore boat, and that should also solve the problem of cockpit drainage when heavily loaded and pressed.
In a narrow, deep hull like this, it is very difficult to achieve the level of positive flotation that will assure adequate freeboard to permit pumping-out in any kind of sea. My reasoning is that IF she will stay afloat, and IF I can survive whatever caused her to fill in the first place, I will have a semi-submarine that should be able to make a knot or two in the direction needed to get her patched up and sailing again. Far better than placing faith in a survival raft that could drift for decades before sinking, with no way to alter course.
I'll post again in a day or two with at least one supplier of inflatable tanks. In the meantime, good luck with the search.
Pete
Murphy was an optimist........
Re: Unsinkable Contessa?
Knew I'd find it, if I just dug in the right box! This is from the July '85 issue of Canadian Yachting, page 11, Sightings (by Scott Baker):
....."In spite of her confidence though, her vessel has been specially equipped to handle below-the-waterline damage. J.J. Taylor and Sons packed all unused space with rigid foam, and the lockers inside the boat are all airtight. Should serious damage occur, the boat is also equipped with three Avitare packs made in California. In an emergency the packs, stored in lockers below, are inflated and within 60 seconds they produce enough positive flotation to keep the boat afloat."
I would assume that a trip to the head would have been out of the question, then.........
Murphy was an optimist........
Re: Unsinkable Contessa?
Re: Unsinkable Contessa?
Ya beat me to it!
I was going to mention the turtlepac link, but the boats.com link was one I hadn't seen. Damned Google. Let me know if you come across any others, as I'm getting set for another overseas jaunt, so have had to curtail research over the last few weeks. With a bit of luck, my next duty station will have internet access......
Cheers,
Pete
Murphy was an optimist........
Re: Unsinkable Contessa?
fyi...my thinking has progressed, thankds to the want to go engineless. Removing the engine of course reduces float requirements, but lets assume I chew that weight savings up with rum. Once the iron horse is removed and the thru-hulls all repaired, am thinking that glassing in the after part of the area below the cockpit sole with an access panel in the after part of the sole will provide about 40ish cubic feet of floatation. Leave the engine mounts in place and attaching a 2k lb capacity (approx 32 cubic feet for the Turtlepac 1000) float bag so that it lifts the hull not the deck (thereby not risking spearation of deck/hull at joint), and same scheme attaching to the holding tank (which I've converted into a chain locker), gets me to over 100 - enough to float the 7k lbs. In an emergency, jettisoning extra chain, anchors, etc. brings weight down to 6,500, and with the misc trapped air around and some installed foam, it might all add up to enough extra allowance to make up the difference should one of the three elements fail (popped bag, holed in stern, etc.)
Finally, taking into account all positive floatation I'll get from the rum, since alcohol is lighter than water, I'll need a basket to attach to the bottom once she takes off like a hot air balloon...
Re: Unsinkable Contessa?
Why an unsinkable Contessa??? I would not want to be left afloat in a boat totally awash in cold seawater, any seawater. If it does float, as it presumably would if the above alterations were made, then it would be an unstable sea anchor.
I would take my chances in an inflatable raft with an EPIRB.
Re: Unsinkable Contessa?
Well because you got everything on your boat. Tools, food, water, supply. And nothing on the liferaft !
Remember the bad fastnet in 76 i think. 24 boat was abandonned, 20 boat was still floating after the bad storm. And more people die on liferaft then the other that stay on their boat half floating...
Re: Unsinkable Contessa?
This is an important point worth pondering which many may pass over that read the 'popular' boating books. I've personally talked to several people who have abandoned their vessels which were later recovered and all agree that the life-raft option was a poor mistake seen in hind-sight since they lost their 'base-camp' which was still viable even though half sunken. I think the option comes down to wanting to save yourself by navigation in a raft or wait for rescue staying near the hull even if semi-submerged. A lot has to do with the amount of damage the boat received and what can be repaired/pumped to make the hull somewhat useable. In a race situation you're always being watched so rescue is an alternative. In a cruising situation nobody knows you're even out there so you're on your own. Abandoning ship should always be the very last resort no matter how bad things may seem during the 'incident'. If you can keep the hull afloat even if the rails are totally submerged you have a chance of making a repair and pumping to get the boat navigable again, assuming of course that you were wise enough to install seriously sized pumps.
Re: Unsinkable Contessa?
amen brother....the boat likely still has stores and fresh water. Might even be able to salvage some of the electrical workings or the outboard. Even submerged you may have a chance at slightly affecting your direction versus being at the mercy of the currents and winds. A shark wont be able to nip a hole in you out of "curiousity". But above all, it gives you a chance to make emergency repairs when you normally would not be able to. I am still amazed at some of the legends of the sea who were able to throw mat over a hole to slow the flow, get it properly tied off topsides without it getting sucked through, all before it was too late.
An EPIRB is nice and I carry one, as well as a raft, but if it is dead, gets separated from me, if you are "way out there" where either the closest are not willing or able to respond, well, you are on your own. Would rather be as self-dependent as possible in the first place so that there is little chance would need to place someone elses life in jeopardy unnecessarily anyway.
Finally, love my boat. Losing her would be a heartbreak I think I'll try just a bit to avoid...