capsize!

[casem]

Unfortunately it happened while on the trailer. I was working on the rigging on my Whilly boat (15' plywood and epoxy double ender, sloop rigged) when a gust came along and capsized her. The main sheet was apparentely in a knot tangled up in the floorboards, but I was actually inside the house when it happened. So the boat fell off the trailer and landed on the gunwale.

Obviously, I'm worried about damage. The gunwale is scraped up but other than that I can't find any (like cracks in the wood, split glue lines, etc). I'm assuming it's okay but can anyone thing of anyway to detect any damage that might not be visible?

[paladin]

put it in water, if it sinks there's a leak.....

[Levi]

The fall from the trailer might not have damaged the hull at all but I would check the mast & rigging for damage also. Launch her carefully the next time & check her out in the water before you go sailing. An unfortunate accident that could happen to any of us. Hope everything turns out ok.

[Ian McColgin]

You're probably fine if you can't see anything. The gunnel is one of the strongest parts of the boat and can take a bit of flex anyway.

It's like the traditional lore about making whaling ships up the North River in Marshfield, MA. This is well up a long tidal creek to get near the forest wood supply of the day. No way a ship hull could be floated down except on the highest spring tide on the spring (season, not tide) rain caused flooding. The creek is too narrow to launch stern first and those old timers were too lazy to make a side-ramp down the bank to the water. They'd just knock out the waterside shores and let the ship make a full bang on one gunnel, over, trip right near the water on the other gunnel and end up floating as an empty hollow undecked unbulkheaded hull pretty much filling the creek.

It was said that this proove the robustness of the hull for arctic whaling but having banged my share of boats pretty hard, I think any proper hull can take this abuse when unballasted.

But keep the bragging rights - "She's so strong that . . ."

[Wild Wassa]

Also lay a few battens athwart, space them about a metre or so, apart. Check the parallel of the batten's horizontals over the boat's entire length, just by eye. Quick an' easy and the battens (if they are true) will reveal all, if there is a twist to be found.

Warren.

[ 04-26-2005, 02:07 AM: Message edited by: Wild Wassa ]

[casem]

Thanks everyone. I went over the boat again and found nothing, no cracks, no twist. I also went around knocking on the hull listening for anything unusual but heard nothing. I guess I lucked out, or at least I wasn't as unlucky as I could have been.

I hope to launch on Friday You'll definately hear about it if there is a problem.