In other posts, I've read that a Weekender can be righted by one person if it goes over. Not so, however, with the Vacationer (according to the post.) So, what's a skipper to do if his Vacationer happens to hit the drink? Float back and watch it finally fill with water, seeing years of his life quietly slip beneath the waves? Obviously, I'm new to the boat thing (except for canoes & kayaks.) So there may be more options out there than I realize. I'm still trying to decide on which boat to build, but I don't want the possibility of a capsize to be a determining factor.
David Johnson
david;
any boat can fill with water, nothing is unsinkable. however there are loads of ways to make a boat "less sinkable" as i'm sure lots of the builders here can tell you. i'm starting a skipjack, and having sailed lots of larger boats (28-38 feet) i am already looking at possible ways to add some positive floatation to my boat. these can include sealed areas that hold air, or flotation etc.
i haven't built anything from these plans yet, but after reading alot of these forums, i have no doubt you'll get great advice from the folks on this board
but as my sailing instructor told me "best way to deal with a knockdown it not getting knocked down!"
good luck with whatever you pick to build
bob
You have to do a lot of stupid stuff before getting capsized in a Vacationer. If you do capsize, she'll remain floating for some time, assuming you're not holed. Even if she does actually sink, raising a boat this size is fairly easy, assuming you have diving equipment and some eagerness to refloat the bitch that dumped you.
It's usually best to not worry about things that will rarely happen and if they do it's because you no brained yourself into it. In other words, if you're sailing along in heavy air, with small craft advisories having been posted, gusts of 25 to 30 knots and you haven't tucked in a reef or two and still have the sheets cleated off; well then a capsize is pretty much what you deserve. This may sound harsh, but the best medicine for the skill building skipper, is to get caught with your pants down a few times, preferably in small craft that can be easily righted. This is a humbling, wet experience in a SunFish, but a worthy lesson to have. In short, a Vacationer is capsizable, but you have to really screw up to do it.
    When I was building my Vac, I did not make the opening between the cabin & the front hatch and I glassed the inside of the hatch, I also made an air tight hatch cover. Which I always keep closed when sailing, I also sealed the area behind the seat backs with two layers of glass, So I feel she would stay a float for some time if I did capsize. But really by just letting go of the boom line and wheel I find she gets herself out of any trouble I can put her in.
David, there's an old rule of thumb in learning to sail, which is; if all else fails, let go of everything. What this simply means is you cast off the sheets and let go of the tiller or wheel. Most skippers that are learning how things work, will become very uneasy with moderate heel angles. 20 degrees of heel in a Vacationer, feels like you're standing on your head and about to flop over. The rail is dragging in the water and the cabin side is getting wet, which is usually more then enough for a novice skipper to 'round a bit and/or ease a sheet to relieve pressure on the rig. You'll quickly realize the impact of these actions and they become instinctive and intuitive. In fact, after a time you'll find that easing a sheet in gusts produces more speed and is an easy way to regain confidence.
Vacationer will instantly stand back up right, when you release the sheets or helm. This is true in nearly every instance you might encounter. Now, there are situations you can get into where these things will be of little help and you're going over, like it or not, but these situations are very rare and more importantly, are sea state conditions you shouldn't be out in unless you're prepared and seriously skilled. In other words you can broach and get rolled over in certain sea states, but again, it's almost always a set of mistakes that causes this. The biggest mistake is attempting to continue on without reducing sail. There are lots of self justifications for this; "I'm close to shore", "I need to get back soon", "I can out run this nasty patch of weather", etc., but ultimately your decisions will govern what happens next. I can't tell you how many lives have been affected by these "excuses" for sailing stupidly. This is why it's important to take a ride in a small, easily capsized boat. Once you get spanked a few times, experience a death roll or broach a few times, you'll learn what to do to prevent it. This isn't to say you can't learn these things in a Vacationer, because you easily can, but turning a SunFish back upright is a lot easier as you get schooled. The most experienced skippers are also the most respectful and prepared. They reef without concern about how close to the loading ramp they are, because they know what can happen if they don't. They "dump" wind from their rigs without even realizing it, when a gust comes on and in building winds, they have the main sheet in their hand, not on a cleat, because sometimes, you can't be fast enough, no mater how good you are.
I seem to remember reading somewhere around here about some swampings as the result of a knock down with a Weekender. The upshot of them was that even filled with water, they will float with at least the gunnels above water even filled with fluid. Most builders add some kind of floatation during the build when everything is open and accessible. I made sealable chambers out of the entire length of the seat backs. When conditions warrant it, ( anything above 10 mph for now) I also include some packable floatation in the lockers. With some forethought during the build, you should be able to get her to at worst go turtle on you, but she shouldn't go the bottom and leave you alone.Â
Al
As alway, you guys (and gals?) are the best. I'm learning so much and i don't even have my plans ordered yet. Hopefully soon. Thanks for the input.
David j
A Weekender will not float when filled to the coming with water, without buoyancy chambers or floatation. The same is true of a Vacationer. This said is fairly easy to plan for buoyancy chambers or install floatation.
Paul,
   Would filling a hollow mast with floatation foam keep the boat from going completely turtle or would this make it to top heave?
I sailed the VAC Saralee for ~8 years ( in some stupid water too) and never came close to a knockdown. Â If it goes over you have been working like hell to get her to do it. Â This boat will tell you when you are pushing it. Â If you like water running down the deck just haul in the sheets and she will stay right where you put her. Â A couple of other notes: put reefs in your mail sail and remember this is not a blue water boat. Â Protected waters, like the ICW or lakes, rivers only.