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I stand by my original contention that mast with a comptip is not as bouyant, and more prone to turtling, and trapping a sailor, even if it doesn't leak.

On the other hand, I will agree based on what's in this thread, that lives have been spared from electrocution. But the fact remains that under similar circumstances, you're more apt to turtle a Hobie 20 than a Nacra F18 for example.

I have friends in our club who ditched the H20 for Nacra F18, and were absolutely dumbfounded by the fact that the mast didn't sink when they tipped over. Unbelievable! Sure, they'll have to make sure the rivets are always sealed, etc., but that is amazing.

I've heard hairy stories of people drowning under turtled cats. I almost got caught under mine a few years ago, and was delighted that the water was shallower than the mast was tall. I now make sure that my crew and I carry knives. I recently heard the retelling of a horrific drowning under a Hobie 18 with a comptip in Canada. Apparently that boat turtled immediately. There may have been other circumstances in that case, but the fact remains: a boat with a comptip will turtle faster than an equivalent boat without a comptip. Prediction: thanks to another lawsuit, someday all Hobies will be required to have a bob to make them class legal.

This weekend, I'm going to pressurize my mast and find the leaks. Then I'm going to make damn sure I don't tip again. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Tim


I think the problem with bouyancy and comptips has more to do with the tapered shape, not the material. The taper just doesn't give enough displacement at the end of the mast to keep the boat floating solidly on its side. Of the cats I've had, the H-20 did want to sink the mast fast, and even when I got the boat the advice I was given by quite a few was that in a capsize somebody had to get on the righting line immediately to keep the boat from going turtle. My 18 with an all metal mast with no taper floated fine.

The 18 and 20 comptips with the taper give less displacement at the end of mast when in the water.

So far my 6.0na and the Inter-20 have seemed to be the most rock solid after a capsize as far as resistance to turtling, and both boats are far easier to right than the Hobies I've had.

Pirates of the Chesapeake
WRCRA