Capsizing a 27?

[Wayne]

Off the wall question.....It comes from someone who was considering a 27 and didn't know how to answer him.How possible is it to capsize a boat the size of a 27? And if it did, is there any positive buoyancy to it? Since I've not heard of it hapenning I'm assuming it's pretty unlikely.TIA

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners]

Not likely

The C27 is a full on keel boat, not some swing keel light little thing. You would have to be in a MAJOR storm and receive some kind of major knockdown to "capsize" the boat. And if you're out in conditions like that...well, you shouldn't be getting a C27! We're talking blue water ocean stuff here. Now there is the possibility of getting a knockdown in the boat but you'd really have to try. Say, flying the spinnaker in WAY too much wind & losing control, or something of that nature. Even then the boat wouldn't capsize. But there are few boats out there that have true positive floatation. MacGregor is one and I think there are a couple of others. It's not really necessary unless you plan on punching a hole in the bottom of the boat!So, to make a long explanation even longer, your friend shouldn't worry about capsizing a C27. It's *possible* but so is winning the lottery.LaDonna

 

[Randy]

Hard to do

Capsizing a 27 would be real tough, barring some freak occurrence. The 27s have fixed keels weighing around 3000lbs. (As much as a Honda Accord.) The physics make it nearly impossible: the further the boat heels in a gust, the force on the sails is reduced as more wind is spilled from the sails. At the same time, as the boat heels further, the righting moment of the keel becomes greater. Even a severely over-canvassed boat shouldn't capsize, unless some freak combination of wind gust and rogue wave caused the boat to take on significant water and sink. Under anything near normal circumstances, even bad weather and rough seas, capsize is unlikely.Randy

 

[Peter Hine]

What's a"capsize"?

Not sure what you mean by capsize. I think of capsize as something you can do in a dinghy or other centerboard boat that doesn't have the weight of the keel to right it and bring it back up to vertical. A keel boat like a C27 isn't thought of as capsizing. It is possible to get a knockdown, the wind pushing you over so the boat approached horizontal. But the with the wind pressure gone from the sails, and the lever of all that keel weight trying to regain vertical position, the boat is not stable on its side or upside down, so it rights. Bigger problem is downflooding of the cabin when the boat is over, and sinking. That's why you have the hatchboards in (and secured!) when you're in heavy conditions. C27 is particularly vulnerable to downflooding in a knockdown, since the companionway is so large and so low to the cockpit sole. I've had 8" of green water pouring into the cabin after a spinnaker rounddown in 30 knots, and it's a sight to get you religion real fast about those hatchboards!But capsize-NO WAY!