On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:20:21 -0500, Brian Whatcott
wrote:

On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:55:37 +0700, Bruce in Bangkok
wrote:


Are you stating specifically that a sailing boat that loses its mast
is in more danger of capsizing then when the rig was in place?? I
would appreciate it if you could elaborate on this as it was always my
understanding that once the rig was either cut away or retrieved and
lashed on deck the boat rode no worse then it had with the rig in
place.

It was always my thought that once the rig was gone that stability of
the ballasted hull would become slightly better with no weight above
the deck line.

I emphasize that I have no interest in this discussion other then this
single point which is probably of interest to most cruising sailors.


Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)

There are conflicting factors (as usual): the pro-stability factor is
the considerable mass far from the roll center (called moment of
iniertia) which slows the rate of roll in adverse seas.
The con-stab factor is the increased windage and weight above the
water line.

Brian W

Certainly the weight of the rig slows the roll speed by some figure
but whether it has an effect on the boat rolling over I seriously
doubt. I have had the spreaders in the water (not on purpose, I might
say) and the boat popped right back up. I don't believe that a
properly designed sail boat will roll over except when it is overcome
with a breaking wave and the boat effectively falls down the face of
the wave.

This assumes some mediocre level of seamanship, i.e., not full sails
in a typhoon....

Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)