Drogue/sea anchor for heavy weather

[justsomeguy]

Call me cheap, but I like to find uses for some of the stuff that our tenants leave behind. Case in point: What appear to be drag-racing drogue parachutes. I say "appear" because I'm not sure that's exactly what they are. They're about 8-10 feet in diameter, light, porous nylon, with about 20 feet of suspension lines. Each was tightly packed into a canvas sleeve.

I suppose I could make a jump with one to see if it'll hold up to our terminal velocity , but water being 800+ times more dense than air...I guess I should just toss one off the stern while underway and see the results, eh?

 

[DRhoads]

Might be an aircraft drag chute looks simular

 

[thinwater]

Might be an aircraft drag chute looks simular

Agreed. But either way, it's not going to hold up in any sort of storm and would probably be a poor idea.

Here are some test results on a number of drogue types, including towed lines. Perhaps if will give you some ideas.http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2010/03/sea-brake-24-test-in-calm-weather-but.html

Given the light wieght of your boat, if you attach on with ~ 150 feet of 1/2 line there won't be much of a jerk when it comes up tight at normal sailing speeds (I've done that with sea anchors in testing). Also, read some of the parachute deployment guidence in the links of the above post. At the very least, even for a fun test, you will need a float with ~ 15 feet of line on both ends attached to he apex of the chute (other wise you will never get it back on the boat).

 

[justsomeguy]

Agreed. But either way, it's not going to hold up in any sort of storm and would probably be a poor idea.

That's probably true, seeing the hardware some of these sport specific manufacturers employ. Big 'ol stainless.

Here are some test results on a number of drogue types, including towed lines. Perhaps if will give you some ideas.http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2010/03/sea-brake-24-test-in-calm-weather-but.html

Given the light wieght of your boat, if you attach on with ~ 150 feet of 1/2 line there won't be much of a jerk when it comes up tight at normal sailing speeds (I've done that with sea anchors in testing). Also, read some of the parachute deployment guidence in the links of the above post. At the very least, even for a fun test, you will need a float with ~ 15 feet of line on both ends attached to he apex of the chute (other wise you will never get it back on the boat).

Thanks to both of you for your replies. The float with a trip line would be a part of the system, along with some weight for the leading edge of the 'chute. Good thing this stuff was free, so all I'll worry about is cleaning up the debris when it falls apart during testing.

 

[Bad Obsession]

If you have a MacGregor, You probably should be anywhere near weather in which you need to deploy a drogue. Just my thoughts. I wouldn't want to do that in a Catalina 30!

 

[justsomeguy]

You're right. I don't plan on being caught in a blow, but I don't want to be without a plan if it does happen. Thanks!