Quote:
Originally Posted by hazelnut
Islander this has been discussed before in another thread. It truly depends on their definition of "unsinkable."
Please read the following:
http://www.boatingmag.com/article.as...§ion_id=13
Pay particular attention to the section concerning level flotation. A swamped aluminum or fiberglass bilge style boat will be submerged with a small portion above water. The term unsinkable as referred to by the Coast Guard regulation still puts people in the water. To say that a boat with 80%-90% of the hull underwater is unsinkable is using the term quite loosely.
I guess my point was and is you are less likely to end up in the water when piloting a solid foam core hull boat. I'm not sure what term to use but I believe unsinkable does a great job describing what these boats are capable of. As far as the rest of the aluminum or bilge style boats under 20 feet I think unsinkable is the wrong term. Sure they "float" or some piece of them remain above water but when do we determine when a boat has sunk. |
Let's face it, "unsinkable" meaning 80-90% under water in the middle of the broads in October/November with nobody around to aid in rescue equals DEAD after a relatively short period of time due to hypothermia, possble drowning, etc.
Hazelnuts post was well thought out and I feel quite accurate. Having owned aluminum boats in the past, especially older ones I found that they can and do sink. Been there, bailed that... Not all, but many. There are exceptions to most rules. I am confident that many of the small aluminum utility boats around the lake are older and are not up to todays standards of floatation.
I had a personal experience with a fiberglass boat taking on water and not sinking. I was in a 22' Bluefin center console about a mile outside the markers at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbor. While heading back I noticed that the boat was getting slower and more sluggish in handling. I managed to get just inside the jetty when the motor quit. After checking it out I could find no issues. I popped the access cap to the inner hull to tap on the fuel tank and water came gushing out. The inner hull was completely full of water yet the boat was still floating. I managed to get it running again after recapping the geyser and made it part way back to the launch before it quit altogether. Luckily for us we got towed the rest of the way and got it back on the trailer. We found a 6' long gash in the hull running up the keel. We had not hit anything and later found that it was a hull flaw that finally blew out due to stress. The motor dying was due to the venting on the fuel tank being compromised by the water in the hull and not being able to draw properly.
Luckily the foam floatation and the "sealed" hull got us home safely, had we truly started going down a mile or two out I may not be typing today. Upon further investigation I found that even if that boat had been full to the top of the gunnels it would have not gone down. Had I been out there in a 22' aluminum boat with a 6' gash in it I do not think the outcome would have been the same.
Hazelnut, I do have to say however you are a nut for having 3 kids under the age of 4 in a 13' boat in October or April. Weather and kids are unpredictable. I'll keep mine on a 24' tritoon...I could probably lose two toons and not be under.