"Goofball_star_dot_etal" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:37:04 -0400, Jeff wrote:

* Wilbur Hubbard wrote, On 8/3/2007 7:31 PM:
Rescue required. When are they gonna do something about dangerous,
unseaworthy catamarans?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/6930023.stm

Wilbur Hubbard

An old boat, with known structural problems has a complete structural
failure in rough weather and yet doesn't sink and all three elderly
sailors are rescued without injury. How many monohulls could break in
half, or even sustain a small puncture, without sinking?

I've been trying to find more info on this incident. It certainly
wasn't a normal cruising cat, since the two hulls are usually molded
as one, and breaking in half isn't possible without major trauma. It
was probably a racing cat converted to cruising, or a old homemade
boat.

There is a bit more he
http://www.lep.co.uk/news?articleid=3097982


Thanks for the link. It looks like Tantara was a Lagoon 38. At least
that's what Google returns. Sort of blows Jeff's theory all to hell that
it was some kind of cheap homebuilt. Notice how Tantara has the large
aluminum spar at the bow where the standing rigging attaches. Let the
bolts carry away on that and it's Katy bar the door.

Catamaran designs are inherently dangerous. You shouldn't have to go
around tightening bolts to keep your sailboat from falling apart.

Wilbur Hubbard