Old Floatation

[hp18carr]

I've heard a few pros and cons on keeping the old floatation in place, don't misunderstand if you feel the need to keep yours nothing wrong with that. As for myself I'm opting out, the small inland lake I'll be sailing in has a max depth of @ 15 feet. Land is never out of view and the danger of waves cresting over the bow... oh well. The old floatation was nasty at least in the stern a layer of mud covered most of the bottom underneath along with a number of water bugs. On a 22' sailboat you need all the open space you can use for odds and ends. just my two cents and by the photo it opens up a nice amount of space.

 

[Sunbird22358]

No argument from me on that choice! I would most likely do the same. I think that flotation is a good thing to have, but o na 22' boat, with a self-bailing cockpit, with a heavy keel to bring her back upright after a rare knockdown, and use of proper care and seamanship while sailing..... flotation is not absolutely needed (especially on a small, inland lake). However, if I were contemplating any "offshore" sailing, I'd perhaps want to have some form of emergency flotation aboard....... but in 38 seasons of sailing our old CAL 21, I only recall once that I sort-of wished we had flotation built in, it would have been nice the summer that we had a crack develop in the forward end of the trunk for the retractable keel. I found the floorboard floating one evening that I went aboard....... that was a bit un-nerving (only about 3-4" of water in bilge, but still startling!). We did manage a knockdown once, but she still never came close to taking water through the companionway hatch (just through a vent in the side of the cockpit)

I'm not taking any foam out of my DS II, although tempting....... it iasn't really in the way and it has never gotten dirty.

 

[hp18carr]

Sunbird

I'm right with you on the added safety factor in larger and deeper waters, our 22' Oday will fill the need for a closer to home weekend sailboat. When we get the time and opportunity for larger and deeper waters we will fall back on the Chrysler 26' I'm working on that should be up to speed by then.