Posted: Sun May 09, 2004 10:19 am
Among numerous owner reports of knockdowns, nobody has ever reported the companionway taking water and flooding the cabin. At 90 degrees prone, the boat floats with the base of the mast well above the waterline, perhaps ~2' or more. If the mast tip was immersed, it would be at an angle of declination, permitting it to self-drain ... the X-mast certainly should not fill like a straw unless the cabin is fully flooded.The top of the mast on an x is wide open. It will fill, like a huge straw, as it dips into the water. ... I wonder how much weight it would take on trying to fill it with flotation? This may induce more heel for more weight being aloft ...
If a knockdown happened with "partially full ballast tank" then the story could be different, since the 90* waterline would be closer to the companionway. In heavy conditions, you could easily surmise the cabin taking water. While it's doubtful you'd see the mast horizontal on the water, it's easy to imagine that it could hold enough water to deter self-righting. IMO, filling the mast completely with flotation would add way too much weight aloft. Otherwise, the factory would just foam the entire M-mast, rather than foaming-in "air-plugs."
Would an air-plug near the mast top add some level of insurance to prevent a "mast-under" condition? ... Would it have kept the cabin more accessible on July 4, 2002? ... seems to me it might have.