"Ellen MacArthur" wrote in
reenews.net:


"otnmbrd" wrote
deleted it this time

Oh, something to ask an expert. Look at the dent in the top of
that container.
Doesn't it look like the corner of another container got dropped on
top of it?

Entirely possible


Maybe more than one fell off the ship and the one in the
water got hit by another one dropping down on it???

Entirely possible.

And why do they float? Do they have waterproof gaskets on the
doors?

Not a container expert but the reefers are far better sealed than the non
reefers. All containers have a pretty good seal but I wouldn't call it
"waterproof".
As for floating...... depends on what's inside..... load of lead, sink like
a rock..... load of packing peanuts in hermetically sealed bags, float
forever.

Cheers,
Ellen

otnmbrd wrote:
"Ellen MacArthur" wrote in
reenews.net:


"otnmbrd" wrote
deleted it this time

Oh, something to ask an expert. Look at the dent in the top of
that container.
Doesn't it look like the corner of another container got dropped on
top of it?

Entirely possible


Maybe more than one fell off the ship and the one in the
water got hit by another one dropping down on it???

Entirely possible.

And why do they float? Do they have waterproof gaskets on the
doors?

Not a container expert but the reefers are far better sealed than the non
reefers. All containers have a pretty good seal but I wouldn't call it
"waterproof".
As for floating...... depends on what's inside..... load of lead, sink like
a rock..... load of packing peanuts in hermetically sealed bags, float
forever.

reefers also have foot thick foam walls, great floation.

Joe




Cheers,
Ellen

"Ellen MacArthur" wrote in message
reenews.net...

"otnmbrd" wrote
deleted it this time

Oh, something to ask an expert. Look at the dent in the top of that
container.
Doesn't it look like the corner of another container got dropped on top of
it?
Maybe more than one fell off the ship and the one in the water got hit by
another
one dropping down on it???
And why do they float? Do they have waterproof gaskets on the doors?

Cheers,
Ellen

I do not claim first-hand knowledge but have heard that the test consists of
shutting someone in the empty container and if he cannot see daylight
anywhere the container is judged OK for use.

Charlie Morgan wrote:
....
Not a container expert but the reefers are far better sealed than the non
reefers. All containers have a pretty good seal but I wouldn't call it
"waterproof".
As for floating...... depends on what's inside..... load of lead, sink like
a rock..... load of packing peanuts in hermetically sealed bags, float
forever.
reefers also have foot thick foam walls, great floation.

Joe


Do the math, Joe. a foot thick foam lining is not going to float a
flooded container.


Do the math? How can I resist???

Lets see: 40 feet by 8 by 8.5,
lets call that 40x(7+7+7.5+7.5) + 2x(6+6.5) cubic feet of foam

or 1160+78 = 1238
at 62.5 lbs/cu feet that's about 77,000 pounds of water displaced.

The rating (maximum gross weight) of a 40 footer is 67,200 pounds, so
it would appear that a foot of foam all around would provide
sufficient flotation.

Good instincts there, Bill.

Charlie Morgan wrote:
On 22 Jan 2007 11:43:42 -0800, "Joe" wrote:


otnmbrd wrote:
"Ellen MacArthur" wrote in
reenews.net:


"otnmbrd" wrote
deleted it this time

Oh, something to ask an expert. Look at the dent in the top of
that container.
Doesn't it look like the corner of another container got dropped on
top of it?

Entirely possible


Maybe more than one fell off the ship and the one in the
water got hit by another one dropping down on it???

Entirely possible.

And why do they float? Do they have waterproof gaskets on the
doors?

Not a container expert but the reefers are far better sealed than the non
reefers. All containers have a pretty good seal but I wouldn't call it
"waterproof".
As for floating...... depends on what's inside..... load of lead, sink like
a rock..... load of packing peanuts in hermetically sealed bags, float
forever.

reefers also have foot thick foam walls, great floation.

Joe


Do the math, Joe. a foot thick foam lining is not going to float a
flooded container.

I said it provided great flotation. A 20' box has a volume of just
over 1341 cubic feet, and a 40' box a volume of 2719 cubic feet. The
density of sea water really depends on a number of variables, including
the temperature, the amount of salt and whatever other foreign items
may be present, and the depth, thus the pressure, but basically at the
surface, on average just over 64.1 lbs per cubic foot. The forces
required to push the box under the water, or to sink it, must therefore
exceed the volume of water to be displaced. A 20' box is allowed a
maximum gross weight of 63,800 pounds and a 40' box a maximum of
67056 lbs. It therefore seems that if either size of container is
watertight and not overloaded then it will float. Foam provides great
flotation, i'd guess most container lost far offshore that make it to
land are reefers.

Anyhow BB, your claim to be a Harvard Man... if the seal was leaking on
the small 20 ft container... and it was taking on 3 gallons of seawater
per hour, how many days will it take to sink?


Joe








CWM

it's not that thick.


Scotty

"Joe" wrote in message
ups.com...

reefers also have foot thick foam walls, great floation.

Joe

"Scotty" wrote
it's not that thick.

Be careful Scotty. I've seen some second-hand posts from Capt. JG.
You shouldn't talk about thickness around his kind.... :-)))))))))))))))

Cheers,
Ellen

"Edgar" wrote i

Cheers,
Ellen

I do not claim first-hand knowledge but have heard that
the test consists of
shutting someone in the empty container and if he cannot
see daylight
anywhere the container is judged OK for use.


That's what the repair shops do to look for holes to patch.

Scotty

"Ellen MacArthur" wrote in
You must be right. I left a bag out in the hot sun in
the cockpit one afternoon
and they tasted oily and stale.....


you eat Doritos? I wouldn't have thunk it after seeing your
pics.

SCOTTY

"Ellen MacArthur" wrote

It looks like a freezer container. How come they
freeze Doritos?


So they don't melt.

SBV