For boats w/out a bowsprit, a good thick strip of SS, say 3/16 x 1 (or
1-1/2), running down the stem from below the forestay fitting to the
curve of the forefoot would help reduce damage. Would also help when
indulging in a little "Chicago parking" into concrete docks at a couple
knots... g

Bowsprits usually have a stay (correct name escapes me at the moment)
down to the water line. In this case you could run the SS strip from the
lower end of the stay down the forefoot, but if you charged into
anything above the water, you'd catch 'sprit stay. Probably the strip
would still help, though.

Rufus

Jeff Morris wrote:
Avoidance strategies might reduce the odds of collision somewhat, but not enough to
consider the risk eliminated. Radar, for instance, might work in some conditions, but not
all.

This leaves two approaches: one, which has been discussed, is preparing to handle the
damage efficiently. I'd be curious what percentage of collision damages event can be
handled with a collision mat, and how many required abandoning ship. Clearly, when the
damage is too severe, most vessels will sink like the proverbial stone, but there are
certain levels of damage where a mat will save the day.

The third approach is to reduce the odds of the vessel sinking, with positive floatation
and/or collision bulkheads. Multihulls have an advantage, since they don't have the dead
weight of the keel, and the hulls are shaped to facilitate flotation chambers. But any
relatively light vessel can be made reasonably unsinkable. One can make a case that
floatation bags are a better investment than a liferaft.