Here's the message I just sent privately to Mike Stallings. I've modified one
sentence that might have offended other list members:
Mike,
Since our boats are similar in vintage (I have #1632) I'm going to assume
that the factory floation is the same - Long rectalinear blocks of white EPS
bead board under the cockpit seats and some unknown quantity of the same
stuff in the forward sections under the liner. I'm told that both material
and location have changed over the years so the solution for one P-15 may be
different than that for another.
Personally, I like the idea of using something inflatable under the cockpit
floor. One fellow put a truck inner tube in there, but I'd like to try
something that could do double duty, like a partially inflated cheap dinghy.
The biggest hassle there would be having to deflate it in order to get it out
and use it.
Some folks have suggested other tactics like putting two inches of foam on
the ceiling. I think they may be forgetting that the floatation has no
benefit until it's immersed, or maybe it's there to help in the event of a
turtle.
I have a semi-wacky idea in progress: I bought a masthead float, std.
equipment on the 13 ft. Hobie "Wave" catamaran, and I'm going to make a mount
to put it at the top of the Potter mast. Masthead floats are popular on
catamarans since cats are so difficult to right if they get turtled. My
calculations indicate that once that float hits the water in a knock down my
P-15 will have as much righting moment as a Potter 19. I think that if the
P-15 can be kept from turning turtle it will take little to no water into the
cabin in a capsize, even with the companionway open. Once upright the cockpit
will drain over a period of five minutes or so and the boat should soon be
on her way again. My thought is that placing 1/2 cu. ft. at the top of the
mast will have far greater benefit than placing many cubic feet in the
interior. Do you think I'm nuts?
Regards,
Dave Kautz