Masthead buoyancy

Some things not mentioned in the other posts. Buy a non-legal oppie buoyancy bag from Northampton sailboats (£10ish)and put it in a canvass bag (i.e. old sail bag cut down and resown or similar improvisation using rope and gaffer tape).

Attach bouancy to mast with a short length of rope so the mast tip is about 300mm under the water (wind can't get under and blow you upright unexpectedly if you capsize to windward (it also reduces the risk of tangles).

Only disadvantage is if you let go of boat it will blow away from you faster and won't eventually stop when it turtles. Masthead buoyancy makes entrapement less likely, training easier and you don't bend the mast.



Edited by Garry

Originally posted by jpbuzz591 Originally posted by carshalton fc i think they were having u on. that is about 20 large coke bottle's!  were i work we have the crewsaver bouancy bags (looks like a cheesy watsit) they will stop masts inverting! Well according to the RYA's entrapment thingy,    "30–40 litres of air at the masthead appeared to prevent inversions in a range of boats and conditions during trials, with no evidence of masts breaking. The impact on sailing performance is minimal for basic training and coaching. Undoubtedly significantly less buoyancy would be effective in many boats, but a fast windward capsize can result in very rapid inversions. 20 litres was insufficient on many classes." Quoted from RYA.

i think that must be rubbish. a 4000 mast which must be the heavest mast ever made wont invert with 4 letres or bouancy on it!!

If you have a hollow mast, put Ping-Pong balls down the mast, and then reseal it?

i always attach two milk bottles to my buzz, doesn't stop it inverting but does slow it down

have always had the bottles since mast breakage

finally i should really get out more

Edited by MRJP BUZZ 585

Hiya bigum,

Hope you're enjoying the warm weather. Ideal for capsizing!

As a fellow swimmer, I have considered attaching a floatation bag at the top of the mast but the Contender experts in our club weren't convinced. It might be more hassle than it's worth. When hoisting the sail, you've got to be careful the buoyancy aids don't get entangled in the halyard.

You might want to make sure you tape all the holes on the mast first and don't take in too much water when you capsize. It's also a good idea to release the kicker (and the other controls, but kicker is most effective) as soon as you feel you've reached the point of no return. That will prevent the boat from turtling instantly. It will also prevent you from banging your head on the boom when you clamber back on board with the boat head-to-wind.

Now you just need to get on that centreboard, grab the trapeze rope (in my case - I need all the leverage I can get) and start pulling! Watch out for the trap hook on the side decks!