Capsizing a Nacra 5.2 Single Handed

Greg,
A 180 pound friend flipped my I-17,...righted PDQ....!

There will be no problem for you.

..have fun and go sailing!

regards,
Bruce
St. Croix

Many Thanks. I'll follow your advice....hopefully as soon as this weekend.

This will be my 1st cat. I'm fairly clear on righting it if it doesn't turtle.

Any tips if it does? Do I stand on the back of the windward hull? What else?

Cheers.

stand on the stern of the leward hull

Stand on whatever corner of the boat is downwind if you are turtle. She'll come up and start to catch the wind. I've righted them from bow or stern as long as your weight is downwind (and your mast doesn't leak).

As far as righting, no problem with your weight! Just try to orient the bows into the wind by standing on the bow of the catamaran on it's side (this causes the bow to drag in the water and swing the boat around). It won't want to stay in this position after you leave the bow so you should already have your righting line ready to grab over the windward hull in the middle of the boat.

Wish I had read this on Friday - or in fact the replies!!

Am new Cat owner of 5.2 and had my first flip on Sunday. Found my mastdoes leak and had to get help to right. Really embarassing as I am a regular at the club as a windsurfer.

It may help you to know that I am 100kg, 225 lbs and find that the NACRA is powerful enough to whip along and lifts a hull in 8-10 knots even with my limited technique and baggy mainsail. WIth crew over 50kg its a little different, but still great fun.

My boat is about the same vintage - sail 1872.

Cheers

H

Has anyone ever tried filling their mast with foam to prevent it from filling with water when capsized?

Howard

I'm sure it's been done - but it adds weight aloft (not good), could affect the bend characteristic, and if the mast does leak, you stand a good chance of trapping the water inside for good. It's really not that hard to seal up a mast so that it is largely watertight. It's probably less effort to seal up the mast than try to fill it with some sort of foam.

Foam can absorb water over the years as well.

Not a good idea.

You are really better off using your energy to seal against leaks than to minimize the extent of the leak by adding foam. It only takes a small amount of water in the mast to foul up your righting efforts. Think about the amount of water that could be in the places where the foam is not. Eight pounds per gallon. Gaps between foam and mast. Trapped water that may never leave. The possiblity of some of the foam absorbing water. Also, think about the weight of the foam.

Ideally we would have a perfectly sealed mast that was vacuumend or filled with helium.

GARY

Hi Jake

I'm sure have read a thread about this subject before. But,- what is to be used as the sealing of the mast?

3M 5200 is about the best stuff on the planet. If you are sailing a Hobie, check the comp-tip for leaks. Most other leaks will take place at the base or masthead castings or at points where people add hardware without applying sealant underneath. As also mentioned before, take your mast (without the boat) and lay it in the water near a calm beach and look for air bubbles around where the leaks are. You will need to rotate the mast and tip it a little from end to end because if you have more than one leak, one couuld be letting the water in while the other lets the air escape.

I just use basic waterproof silicone caulk from Home Depot. Just re-check all the points every season.
I had a good experience this year - I had to remove a screw from the mast to change something or other, and as I removed the screww, there was this small whistling sound, as air either rushed in or rushed out of the mast. It had been sealed so well, that small air pressure difference was actually noticable.

For reference, I was NEVER able to right my old 5.2 singlehanded. NEVER NEVER NEVER. I have the scars to prove it. Then I put on a righting pole, no problem at all.