Floatation

[Guest]

I have a question about the flotation discussion. I have a DS1. How do you get the old foam out of the seats, as there are no access openings? Also, I am going to upgrade my Jib to a furling system. I bought a used furler setup. My thought is to not lose the head stay and mount another chainplate aft of the headstay plate on the forward deck, and attach to bottom of the furler to this. I do not feel comfortable having just the wire in the Jib as a headstay. Has anyone done this, got any tips to make sure it works out?

fred (fred-at-roadworksauto.com)

[Guest]

Fred
I am a bit of a novice sailor and I had a furler fitted recently. The furler is fitted to the back (stern end ) holes of the forward chain plate (I think thats what it is called) The guy who fitted it at the local boat yard said that I should pull on the forestay then when the jib is fitted to slacken off the forestay so that the jib wire acted as tthe forestay and the original forestay remained in place but only came into operation in an emergency.
I sailed at the weekend and this appeared satisfactory.
John Daenke

John Daenke (jdaenke-at-bigpond.com)

[Guest]

If I can make one comment; The gib wire should be fine but as most furling systems, when you store it you will be coiling it. Be careful not to kink the wire and don't store it where it might not get air circulation. Corrosion and mechanical damage will be the worst problems to watch for.

MAKurtis (Emak41-at-excite.com)

[tony]

Recently had a capsize and lost a mast. So, in putting the boat back together I've been going over the mast flotation in the hope I can keep the mast head out of the water or atleast on the surface combined with better cockpit flotation so i can right the vessel singlehand (190lbs of me). There was a mention of someone filling their mast with injected foam. I researched the closed cell 2-part foam today. According to my calc's, for every foot of mast length based on a profile of 2.12"x2.84", 2.5 pounds of displacement bouyancy is acheived. The mast tube weighs 0.9 pounds per foot and a total weight of about 30 lbs with other standing rigging of which half is distributed to the mast tip when the boat is laying on its side. Question, if i give the cockpit more bouyancy by adding more flotation to the seats and under the gunwails, how much of the boats 575 lbs is transfered to the mast head. If this transfer is ignored, the mast will float with 15 lbs of flotation or 6 feet of mast tip filled with foam.
I figure if I can get as much of the boat out of the water then the point of rotation is hinging around the opposite gunwail.
Therefore, providing the boom is in 90 to the surface and not hold water, i should be aboe to right it.
I tested the pool nooodle today and found it held around 2.2 lbs per foot.
i'll be squeezing in about 10' of noodle into the mast before i start the pop revits. Put the 2 inspection portals in today. seat cavity where damp but the foam seemed light. noodles will replace them.
Anyway, I'm so keen to get back on the water with knowledge that if I ever capsize again i can self right the vessel and sail home.
thanks, for this awesome forum.
tony,
jacksonville, florida

[Roger]

I used spray in rigid foam insulation in the top of my mast. It is for the building/construction industry, so should be available in most hardware stores. I bought an extra 6 feet of tubing that was a close match to the tube on the can. I inserted this in the mast and sprayed it in pulling the tube out as I went, until it was full to the top.

[tony]

Roger,
Can you be more specific about how & where you injected this foam. I've heard of this foam expanding rather quickly and was wondering how others have allow for the rapid expansion. And were you able to test its bouyancy? I think i'll rip some noodles down and pull them into the mast
and test this next week on receipt of the new mast tube. I'll take photos if anyones interested in seeing the results.

best,
tony