Whale Strike - Sunk - Pacific 2023

Here's the thing about the KP44. Great boat, nice interior room, good speed and comfort. But the hull is put together in two pieces down the centerline with fiberglass cloth connecting the two halves. First thing I thought of was a bow strike. It wouldn't just open up a hole (if single mold layup) it would split the hull. I've seen it twice. The most recent when a KP 44 hit a concrete slipway coming in to haul out. Opened a 2' elongated hole exactly on the centerline of the bow by striking a single point, albeit quite hard on concrete. That "seam" carries from bow to stern right down the middle. Might be a weak point, might not, since I'm not a naval architect. But I've seen two that had to have repairs on that "seam."

By the way - kids headed out (friend of eldest son) in a heavy duty center console aluminum outboard boat fishing out of Trinidad, CA. Going for salmon, ling and halibut. 6 miles out to fishing area. About 4 miles out they're lolling along young and dumb at speed and a blue whale surfaces under them. All they saw was a piepan size eye, a "huge fish" looking up at them (boat was tossed sideways vertically) and they miraculously landed without taking on too much water. BIG dent in the bow and undercarriage. The discussion, after a few minutes of panic, went like this ". . . well, it's 2 miles to fish and 4 miles to go back in . . . we're not leaking, let's fish." They got some halibut. I saw the dented boat. Holy ****.

There's no strut on a KP44. The hull is molded with an extension that functions as a skeg and a "skeg hung rudder." But the "skeg" is really integral to the hull. The shaft carries all the way out of the hull and terminates at the prop. Hence, no strut. So Lat 38 got it wrong if that's what it says. Fact. Lemme see . . . here you go. Show me a strut. SailboatData.com - KELLY-PETERSON 44 Sailboat

MarkofSeaLife said:

I will have a large machete lashed to the boat hook.
They can think my rudder is whatever, but they will get a jab they won't forget.

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Now, will you be in the water with them off Portugal, or swinging at them from your fantail?
Might not be a good idea to piss them off.

The whole thing is just plain bizarre. I've been monitoring for a couple years now. I wonder how this particular pod would deal with kayakers?
Bleach out the head while they're chewing might be a good idea. Who knows.