I've seen a few boats come in missing stanchions or having them bent over 60˚ or so... and asked what happened.... in one case it was a surfboard, in one it was a
liferaft canister, in the other two it was kayaks...
A cubic foot of seawater weighs 64 lbs. What is the surface area of the kayak? 20 sq. ft. or so... maybe more...what kind of stress do you think the stanchions are rated for... 20 * 64 = 1280 lbs... x 15 mph... hmm... not good...
On one boat, they actually were very lucky, since the stanchions were tied into the hull-deck join, and they had about six feet of the hull-deck join rip open... fortunately, the bilge
pumps were able to keep up with the leaks through the tear in the join... If all three stanchions on that boat had gone, they would have had a 12' long rip in the hull deck join...
Having the kayak strapped down to the deck upside down will present the least windage and be the least likely to allow it to tear from the deck. However, if you're on a smaller boat, this isn't going to be an option. But seeing as you're on a 40' LRC, you should be okay... with a smaller kayak at least.
__________________
Sailingdog
Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
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