Ayerk, I am not an naval architect but I have been messing with boats
all my life and am now 76 years old. Youre Vega already has some things
going for it where sinking is concerned. She would likely climb on top
of a nearly submerged container. You are likely to see one that is
floating high. If sailing at night while you sleep it is easy to slow
her down to a safe speed by reefing. This is prudent anyway. She does
not have a balsa or foam cored hull that might be easily punctured.
There is a definite disadvantge to putting enough floation in her hull
to float her. It will take up a lot of room. Vega is narrow and
certainly not a roomy boat as compared to some others. The good news is
she is a fairly fast passage maker than some others, so less supplies
are needed. If I wanted a boat that had positive flotation I would sell
my Vega and buy or build a ballasted glass over wood sharpie where a
small amount of flotation will float her. I just don't think Vega is a
good candidate for flotation unless it's the very expensive inflatable
kinds. Even with this there has to be room for them to inflate and that
means carrying less on board. If you are only weekend sailing you may
not need a lot of room aboard and in that case it might be practical. A
person single handing doesn't need the interior space that two people
do, so this is a consideration. If It were me I would consider a small
hard dingy with a flotation collar and a sail. Let the boat sink and
sail away to the nearest land. Doug
