Brainstorming about flotation...
Generally there is not enough usable room up high in the hull to get much
righting moment. The first requirement of flotation is to keep the boat
afloat in some manner, i.e., to keep it from sinking.
Someone suggested putting more flotation on one side of the boat. That way,
if the boat should turn turtle, it will not float level. That would make
the boat less stable in the inverted position and should make it easier to
right.
I haven't heard of a P19 turning turtle with the keel down, and I don't
recall hearing of a P14 or P15 turning turtle unless it had an open hatch
and/or unsecured centerboard. Too large a crew (3 or 4 people or 2
heavyweights) to move quickly was also often a factor in some P14/P15
capsizes.
I have at times considered attaching a self-inflating life jacket at the
masthead, but I'm not sure the 3-second inflation time would be fast
enough. Still, if it didn't prevent a turtle, it might help in recovery.
Dinghy rental fleets sometimes use a ball- or egg-shaped flotation device
on the masthead. Someone makes a flotation device that forms an inflatable
upper section of the mainsail.
How about an inflatable or permanently inflated device that runs all the
way around the boat at the gunwale? It would not only help prevent
capsizing and turtling but would also eliminate the need for a rub rail and
fenders. It wouldn't have to be inflatable; it could be made of a flexible
closed cell foam material.
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA