NOYB wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
NOYB wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
NOYB wrote:
"JIMinFL" wrote in message
nk.net...
Hi Wiz,
Just so you know; all boats built after 19?? and under 20 feet are
required to have level floatation built in.
Those boats won't float the powerhead though. A Whaler will.


Not necessarily true. Any number of outboard boats have enough flotation
properly placed to float the boat and its powerhead.
Bayliners? With I/O's?


The powerhead in an I/O typically is lower in the hull than an outboard
powerhead might be, and that might improve the boat's chances of remaining
afloat, if awash, assuming it has sufficient flotation.

I have seen capsized Whalers in my lifetime. They're floating, but upside
down. You put two 500-pound outboard powerheads on the stern of a big
Whaler, flip it, and then tell me it righted itself. Doubtful. If it is
awash and in heavy seas, it might flip.

Yes, they could flip. My brother took a huge rogue wave over the bow of his
18' Outrage while 18 miles from shore. The boat filled right up to the top
of the gunnel with water. He said that the boat became very tippy for a
moment, but the engine remained running and he just powered forward, the bow
popped up, and most of the water rushed out the large notched transom in the
back. That's one of the reasons why I'm a fan of the older Whalers with
notched transoms. You don't have very long before a swamped boat flips, so
you need to get that water out in a hurry. Throttling up is the quickest
way to do it.



I swamped one of my first SeaPro's once. I was anchored at a beach, and
I had the anchor line tied to the bow cleat. A sudden windstorm came up,
and waves started breaking over the bow. The boat was filling with water
faster than the drain plugs could unload it. I sliced off the anchor
line, gave the engine some RPMs and drained the water over the stern, as
your brother did. That would NOT be do-able on my Parker, because it has
a full transom and a bracket. The boat has a lot of flotation below the
deck, but my guess is it would sink like a stone if it filled with water.

Speaking of sinking like stones, I've decided to always wear my
inflatable life vest when I go forward to mess with the anchor. I'm a
good swimmer, but you just never know.