Unsinkables

tsmwebb · Jul 4, 2009

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/category/type/Etap
http://www.tollesbury-marina.co.uk/etapfeatures/etap_features.htm

--Tom.

Tim R. · Jul 6, 2009

My father in law has an Etap 39 that he loves. I am not a big fan. Charter boat layout, very small cockpit with a low boom. Not a good coastal cruiser which is what he uses it for. Although it is supposed to be a fast boat he could not come close to keeping up with my Ericson 35. I blame that on the fact that he is an armchair sailor. He thinks he knows it all becuase he has read it. He has very little sailing experience.

For a boat to be conisdered unsinkable(I think this is a CE standard), it has to be holed and then sailed at a certain speed.

Just be aware that unsinkable does not mean fireproof. I read somewhere that more boat burn than sink.

Ross · Jul 6, 2009

Water tight bulkheads and good damage control planning and methods will keep most boats afloat. Sailing with all of the hatches open, no damage control plan, and a thin single skin boat is a receipe for a quick sinking in the event of a storm or an impact that holes the hull. Boats can be make less likely to sink but being run down by a ship makes sinking a moot question.

sailingdog · Jul 7, 2009

Etaps and a few other monohulls are "unsinkable". So are most multihulls. If room and comfort are a priority, get a catamaran.

It'll have more room and comfort than any of the unsinkable monohulls, which end up with fairly tiny interiors due to the space taken up by the foam used for flotation.

tsmwebb · Jul 8, 2009

Panic Free said:
... Can a multi-hull structure handle 200+ mph wind and 100+ft. waves, flip end over end ( Cartwheel ) for hours and laugh about it, like the Trident ( Hazana ) did? If people think I'm going overboard with this, tell that to this person http://www.tamiashcraft.com/

Honestly, no boat can except with an amazing amount of luck.

But, extraordinary stories are, well extra-ordinary. I happen to have made that passage in a multi-hull and would do it again without hesitation. But, in the storm season I'd go to the line islands and then cut up to Hawaii and then from Hawaii to SD. They took a very big gamble sailing direct at that time of year and they lost. That's sad, but hardly grounds for eschewing all boats that can't survive a 200+ [sic] storm -- there are none of those.

--Tom.

sailingdog · Jul 8, 2009

If you're planning on sailing in 200+ MPH winds and 100'+ seas, you're looking to earn a Darwin award. While most multihulls aren't going to be up to that kind of punishment, either are most monohulls. In your OP you state:

I wanna buy a sailboat in the future ( 2 years ) and am committed to an unsinkable.

1. Who makes unsinkables?

2. Must be between 25 and 35 ft.

3. Room and comfort are more important then performance.

If you want an unsinkable, you're going to generally give up ROOM and COMFORT, unless you go with a multihull. The monohulls have to sacrifice ROOM and COMFORT to provide enough space for the flotation to make them unsinkable.

Most sailors aren't going to get caught in a hurricane if they have any common sense and are keeping a proper eye on the weather. Modern forecasting makes it pretty difficult to get caught.

Panic Free said:
I plan to sail from Louisiana to Florida, hurricane alley if you will. I believe in overkill and always expect the unexpected. Sailing out of hurricane season is not good enough for me. Can a multi-hull structure handle 200+ mph wind and 100+ft. waves, flip end over end ( Cartwheel ) for hours and laugh about it, like the Trident ( Hazana ) did? If people think I'm going overboard with this, tell that to this person http://www.tamiashcraft.com/

MrBee · Jul 8, 2009

In the questions and Answers section from her web site, Tami states that if it was any other boat it probably would not have made it, that's bull. I do think the boat had something to do with it but there are plenty of others that would have survived also.
In one of the pictures it states that the Hull is full of water...Can't be or it would not be floating at the designed water line.
I'm not discounting what she went through just that there is some stretching there.
With conditions that bad, they should have Hove to or ran. But I aint nobody that should second guess their choice

To say you want an unsinkable boat based on what happened to that boat is absurd, unless you intend to sail into a HURRACANE just for the fun of it. IF thats the case you should have a custom boat built just to meet your specs.

Bee

okawbow · Jul 9, 2009

Maybe sinkable is the way to go. A sailing submarine would be just the ticket. You could lower your hydraulic masts and submerge until the storm passes

tsmwebb · Jul 9, 2009

Panic Free said:
...
Being I can't get a roomy, comfortable, unsinkable, in the year 2009, perhaps I need to wait longer.

Whatever. If you're serious and it "floats your boat", check out the Etap line. They seem custom made for folks like you. They should be comfortable and unsinkable and have plenty of living room. Stowage space may be less than in conventional yachts of similar dimensions but it will still likely be adequate to most needs. They aren't designed to keep you safe in a category 4 storm. But here's the deal: lacking the intervention of angles, everyone who sails into a fully developed hurricane in a small boat dies. By the time you're in a cat 4 the boat doesn't matter; it's all about your relationship with the divine chance -- expect to loose.

--Tom.