Too much down tab can force the bow into oncoming waves while no tabs allow the hull to plane as designed.

Power boat in rough seas. Yes catamarans were designed with a twin-hull that creates the ideal structure for stability and power. The 29-year-old was knocked unconscious when her boat pitchpoled end over end in rough seas and high winds. There are some old threads from member Kelp about a 36ft Thomas Colvin power dory that he built and which obviously had bad motion problems that even the designer couldnt resolve.

You may recall the incident offshore Mayport where a 21 foot Hydra Sport capsized in rough seas. The problem is not always the design of the boat. Id say look for a deadrise of more than 20 degrees he advised and a length-to-beam ratio on the waterline that is greater than 35 to 1.

Use the trim tabs carefully. Whenever a ship pitches and heaves heavily at the bow an equivalent heaving motion is generated at the stern. The more excellent stability is due to a wide stance double-hull design.

At slow displacement speeds 15 knots or less they tend to be uncomfortable especially in any rougher seas that force all. If your boat loses power in rough seas put out your sea anchor to help keep your bow into the wind. As cold weather fronts begin moving through our area over the next couple of months we can expect to encounter more severe weather and rougher seas when we head out to our favorite fishing spot.

The anchor takes hold but the scope is too short to allow the boat to float freely. When navigating at reduced speeds in rough water and your engine stops immediately you should be dropping anchor from the bow. Statistics note most loss of life and vessel damage is the result of operator error not a boats ability to handle rough seas.

In addition the rough sea weather conditions result to. She was eventually picked up by a cargo ship on its way to Argentina. You can use a bucket or other item if your boat does not have a sea anchor.