mast-head flotation

[Guest]

I'm curious. No vested interest or anything, but I've looked through the forum archives and seen a number of turtling anecdotes. Do the class rules prohibit a masthead flotation panel or is it something that's undiscovered in the class? Seems potentially useful on really gusty days.

These floatie panels slip over the very top of the sail, with cloth wrapping around the leech (?) of the main, and get hauled up the mast track with the main. I've only seen them used on Y's, never on Thistles etc. which is pretty ironic when you think about it.

Also, I've gleaned from the archives, that while the original DS1's have some weaknesses, the single hull construction might last just shy of forever, while the DS2's may or may not, and the balsa cored versions, while stiff, can get expensive if the integrity of the covering is compromised.

I don't own one, but they seem like an interesting boat.


Howard (bishop2398-at-yahoo.com)