Lars? Looking for input on striking rocks etc.
Professor,

I have called my insurance, will do detailed inspection in the bilges for stress cracks, etc, and finally will haul her out this week likely to give myself peace of mind. I was hoping you would check in on the subject though, as I cannot imagine this is the first time a S&S Swan has clipped a rock. As an aside, I was talking to an owner of a newer 53 footer, and he told me he hit a rock pretty hard when she was almost new, and the Swan guys came out (Pacific NW, USA), extensive checks, the boat was fine.

So, what do you think about my girl hitting that rock, any opinions on threshold of damage in terms of speed, or if the boat gets fully stopped, etc? What would it take to really hurt one of these boats? I will report back what I find later this week, hopefully I will see only chipped paint, fingers crossed.

Any input is always appreciated -

Thanks,

Geoff

Hello Geoff,

I hit a rock last summer in Sweden. I was doing about 6,5 knots on engine when the front side of the keel hit the rock. The bow went in underwater and then the front side of the keel came of the rock and she vertically hammered with the bottom of the keel on the rock for about 3 or 4 times. Very hard. Some of the wine glasses inside the table were broken. The standing rigging was damaged and had to be replaced and the laminate on the frame behind the keel was loose.  There was no further damage on the laminate of the hull.

Jan Kooistra

Swan 38/110 Yulunga

Jan -

That is a big hit, to put the bow underwater..... What did the keel itself look like? How did you fix the laminate problem - did you have to dig it all out and reglass that whole area? How long to get her back in order?

Must have been a pretty scary event it sounds like - thank you for the post.

Geoff

Geoff

Hitting rocks can happen in so many ways that a general statement can not be given. You say the yacht "skidded over", this would suggest a rather modest encounter.

A full stop with a hard impact would throw the crew against objects, and then serious structural damage can also be expected.

If damage is not found on the floor structure inside it is hardly necessary to lift the yacht.

If you want to find all the cracks use dye penetrant intended for metal. It works very well on GRP surfaces.

Kind regards

Lars

Lars

Thanks so much for the post - I see your point and agree with the impracticality of a general statement on the topic.

I would not have thought of the dye pen, though, that is a great help.  I will do just that - at my age, the eyes aren't what they used to be anyway.  I will let you know what I find.

Thanks again, as always -

Geoff

Lars

Was up to the boat this evening - found some crud in the bilge I had to clean up before trying the dye pen test, also had anti freeze in the sump below the engine, which I suspect got there from a yard guy not cleaning up after himself, so I cleaned all that up, then the bilges were a little too wet for the test - so sometime tomorrow or the next day I will dry her out really well, and try that test. My observations just looking were that there's no sign of anything moved, cracked, etc. but I will go all the way and try the dye pen and make sure. I attach a couple shots of the after area of the keel - I will also look at the forward area, although my reading points to first damage for a keel strike at the nose/front bottom of the keel will be in the after area of where the keel is attached to the boat - so I guess this is just an update, unless you see anything in these pics that makes you think of something....

Thanks,

Geoff

I'd like to comment that if there is the slightest possibility of damage to the hull laminates on the outside of the hull, say from impact or abbrasion, the yacht should be lifted from the water immedaitel, otherwise hydrostatic pressure will force sea water into the laminates at the damage site and that could lead to serious problems down the road.

John