On 2008-03-09 15:54:59 -0400, Red said:

I wonder if there isn't a practical way to make the underwater section
of the bow/keel stronger on an existing fiberglass boat stronger/more
impact resistant. Surely someone has figured this out, no?

Our designer made the first 5-7' of our 28' boat an isolated chamber.
We, or an errant hole in the bow, could fill that section up without
much compromising our sailing ability as it's disconnected from the
rest of the boat, buoyancy-wise.

As I review the boat's layup, we could take holes a bit further back
with little problem, though absolute safety would require our being
pretty much upright.

I should review my numbers in view of what I've learned since, but at
one time I calculated that if we got a BIG hole in the middle of the
boat, we'd likely not sink due to the massive isolated chambers in our
bow and stern. We might not float high, but we'd float.

In other words, I believe this problem has been figured out, but not by
assuming that we could make the holes impossible, which I feel highly
improbable, but by ensuring that the boat was properly buoyed when
holed.

--
Jere Lull
Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/