P-14 Levitation
james nolan (nolan_laboratories@email.msn.com)
Fri, 14 May 1999 11:41:43 -0600
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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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The brochure shows a P-14 with two 1 1/4" holes in the hull floating high
and dry. Several people have commented that this is due to the natural
bouyancy of fibreglass and the foam flotation. If this is so, couldn't a
totally swamped P-14 self recover by just punching some holes in the hull
(drain plugs would be better)? In other words if a P-14 had bilge drain
holes it would never swamp for a long period because the natural bouyancy of
the boat would force the swamping water out until it floated just like in
the picture. If this is correct then wouldn't large bilge drains be better
than bilge pumps, buckets etc? Wouldn't swamping self recovery be inherent
in the boat then? Certainly one would want to keep plugs in the bilge
drains until one swamps, and add flotation for the additional weight of the
motor etc. The flotation would have to be located low in the boat for the
bilge to self drain.
Jim Nolan