Unsinkable

[dupek]

To my understanding, mono-hulls sink if they flip. Are any mono-hulls made unsinkable? I never had sailboat and have to learn. During the "learning process"
it is good chance that I could flip the boat and I do not know if I can swim few miles to shore.

[Faster]

Most sailing dinghies have flotation compartments and won't sink if flipped. Smaller ones can be re-righted in the water.

Ballasted keel boats generally are not 'unsinkable', although the builders Elan or Etap does produce a line that makes the claim. A well designed keel boat should not "flip" except in extremely severe weather.

[Mimsy]

If a monohull keel boat is upside down, it probably means you've lost the keel in which case you are screwed anyway.

If you are sailing a small dinghy, and you flip it you have to right the boat but this isn't usually too impossible. I've never seen one sink unless it was holed. I capsized my granddads Sunfish loads of time as a small girl and never had to swim to shore. Struggle to right the boat, yes but abandon the boat? Never.

Wear a PFD.

[CaptainForce]

Most boats that go down do so in their fully upright position! Take care and joy, Aythya crew

[dupek]

I am thinking of 30 feet boat. It could be hard for one person to "flip it" upright.
Just wander, if the cockpit would be water tight then the boat would not sink?
Why mono sink and multi float? It is because bouyoncy of two hulls?

[radioguy]

I once read about a boat that was unsinkable.

[Mimsy]

You are not going to capsize a 30 foot keel boat under normal conditions. You can have the sails touch the water and the keel will cause it to right itself.

The cockpit is the open area in which you sit. You can not make an open air area water tight unless you use your special magical powers. If you are using special magical powers, every boat is unsinkable.

[dupek]

Originally Posted by Mimsy

You are not going to capsize a 30 foot keel boat under normal conditions. You can have the sails touch the water and the keel will cause it to right itself.

The cockpit is the open area in which you sit. You can not make an open air area water tight unless you use your special magical powers. If you are using special magical powers, every boat is unsinkable.

That tell you how much I know about sailboats. I tough that cockpit is inside the cabin.

[Mimsy]

Everyone has to start somewhere. No shame in not knowing something, which gives me great comfort as I don't know a whole heck of a lot more than I do.

I'm guessing you've not been sailing much. My husband paid for University by coming to the States every summer and teaching dinghy sailing at a camp in upstate NY. He started every sailor off the same way. He would sail the boat out into the middle of the lake, look the student in they eye and say "lets get this over with". Then he would intentionally capsize the boat and get the student to right it and climb on board. First lesson over.

He does the same thing with new sailors o our boat, only since its a keel boat you can't capsize it. "Lets get this over with" followed by catching the wind to heel as far over as possible. After the shrieks subside, he tells them "See? We are not going to Capsize". Then everything else is fun.

[mpickering]

I once calculated to place enough reserve buoyancy in my Catalina 27 that would allow her to stay afloat if full of water that I would have to fill every storage space with floatation foam or airbags. Essentially I would turn her 27 foot dinghy. Obviously not worth it.

Dinghys are not necessarily unsinkable. They need to be designed that way. All of the dinghies I sail are unsinkable and fun to capsize. I recommend trying it once even if you sail keelboats to feel how these boats balance and keep them on the edge of control.

I believe some racing keelboats are more or less unsinkable but they are also light displacement hulls lacking lots of heavy items typically found on typical cruisers. Like bunks and cabins. But these boats are designed with reserve buoyancy built in. Such examples are really more big racing dinghies but do include boats like the Yngling. Not exactly what you're after.

The only boat I know of that would meet your requirements in a keelboat would be the Rhodes 22.

Matt