Excellent and well thought out responses from all!  The issue is that a
designer cannot easily design for all contingencies.  I went back and looked
at the photos of the Carolina Classic, and the hinge point for the engine
hatch is at least 8" above the flat deck aft, on the raised portion of the
midships steering station and a seating area/bait station etc.  Certainly a
boat well regarded in offshore work--and to further develope Bob's
points--these engines are from the mid 400's to almost 600 hp, so they are
large physcially and although one could bolt down the engine hatch with
gaskets, even then, in the extraordinary circumstance--which occured in the
sinking--the boat would take on water, because of the altered stability and
lower freeboard of water in the bilge.

Back to cats.  I understand that a cat (Sail?) capsized off the Oregan coast
in the last few days.  Actually dual engine failure is more common than we
would like to think--since engines depend on both good clean fuel--and today
the electronics.  If one were to have taken on bad fuel--both engines may be
effected--and if all power is lost, again both engines may be effected.  The
boat then may be allowed to be in a compormising position (beam to
seas)--before the engine problem is remedied or a sea anchor is deployed.
Also if there were flooding on one engine room--and in the PDQ (not to pick on
one boat)--if there were severe conditons, a shaft seal failed, and the engine
compartment filled with water, as the boat sank lower--the partial bulkhead
might allow water to enter more of the hull.    I am not saying bad design--I
am saying that under a certain set of tradgic circumstances, almost any boat
can be compromised.  It is very difficult to economically design a boat which
will not fail under the right conditions. Even some of the CG motor lifeboats
have been lost.

Builders should attempt to make a boat as safe as possiable--and hopefully all
cat builders are doing this.  For example in my Tom Cat 255, the cockpit has
sealing hatches to all potentail openings, including the pilot house door
(Diamond Sea Glaze, with gaskets)

Regards,

Bob Austin

Bob,

The Oregon capsize happened a few weeks ago while the PNW was getting
pounded with a major storm (Seattle got a ton of snow/wind and some places
were w/o power for over a week, climbers were lost on Mt. Hood... you might
have heard about that in the media).  I don't have all of the details, but
what I gathered was:

• it was a sailing cat, being delivered from S. Africa to Seattle for an
  upcoming boat show.  The delivery crew was British (3-4 people I think).
  I'm assuming the boat was new.  Don't know the make.

• All hands were lost - don't know if all bodies were recovered, though at
  least one washed up on an Oregon beach.

• the capsized boat was located.  It remained afloat.  A line tied to one
  of the props suggested that at least some crewmembers tried to hang on for
  awhile.

That's about all of the details I have.  I'd be curious to know more.  Maybe
Rod Gibbons has some add'l info.

The WA/OR coast in December is pretty forbidding in even good conditions.
They must have faced some incredible seas during that storm.  What a rotten
time to be doing a delivery.

Bob Deering
Juneau Alaska