SC17 carnage!

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DanBerger
Professional
Posts: 280
Joined: May 3rd, 2004, 3:29 pm
Boat Make/Model: SC 15 w/ spin!, SC 19
Location: Norfolk, VA

SC17 carnage!

Post by DanBerger »

I was on this boat an hour before it broke up. It was blowing a steady 15 with gusts up to 25 and the waves were maybe a foot--nice flat water. I got off the boat and someone else got on, they went out and on the way in, they weren't pushing it at all, but the hull broke in half!

See attached
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DanBerger
Professional
Posts: 280
Joined: May 3rd, 2004, 3:29 pm
Boat Make/Model: SC 15 w/ spin!, SC 19
Location: Norfolk, VA

Another pic

Post by DanBerger »

A close up shot--we were just about to order a new tramp for the boat!!
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DanBerger
Professional
Posts: 280
Joined: May 3rd, 2004, 3:29 pm
Boat Make/Model: SC 15 w/ spin!, SC 19
Location: Norfolk, VA

..and one more

Post by DanBerger »

You can't really see it, but it collapsed on the inside and then the rest of it just ripped off. The force of the mast coming down ripped the bow tang off of the other hull!

The difficult thing, or I guess what did the most damage to the rest of the boat was the keeper pin in the mast base. The mast step didn't break, but the mast was still attached and it was impossible to pick up while the boat was on the water.
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Steve Knapp
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Posts: 7
Joined: July 19th, 2006, 2:21 pm
Location: Augusta, Georgia

Post by Steve Knapp »

Dan,

I hope no one was injured. Sorry to see the broken SC-17. Did you notice any stress cracks or soft areas in the hull before it failed? Did the hull hit the beach at an odd angle? Do you plan on repairing the damage or parting out the SC-17? How much does a new hull cost?

I recently purchased a SC-17 from South Florida for a princely sum. Upon getting the catamaran home and cleaned up, I discovered a small 2 inch stress crack on the inside of the starboard hull a few inches in front of the forward beam which the previous owner failed to mention. I do not know if the crack completely penetrated the fiberglass. I plan on monitoring the crack to see if it enlarges. How difficult is it to repair a fiberglass crack back to its original strength or better?
Steve Knapp
SC-17
DanBerger
Professional
Posts: 280
Joined: May 3rd, 2004, 3:29 pm
Boat Make/Model: SC 15 w/ spin!, SC 19
Location: Norfolk, VA

Post by DanBerger »

Steve,

No one was hurt, but they were a little shaken up. These two guys were the ones rescued by the Coast Guard two years ago in a 70 mph Noreaster.

It is looking like I'll part the boat out for my friend, but if we could get some hulls, it would be great to have another SC in the area. Both hulls are pretty much shot and he isn't going to get new ones.

The boat didn't hit the beach, they were on their way in and it just failed. The hull sank, so it was pretty hard to tow them in.

I was crewing for the owner about an hour before it happened and we were both hiked out on that side flying a hull for like a mile. It gave us a good chance to look at the hull and I did notice some compression near the bow past the bulkhead, but we didn't notice any stress cracks or wrinkles on the inside of the hulls were it actually folded.
Steve Knapp
Novice
Posts: 7
Joined: July 19th, 2006, 2:21 pm
Location: Augusta, Georgia

Post by Steve Knapp »

Dan,

Thanks for the reply. The SC-17 owners must have some interesting sailing stories to tell. What is their next catamaran to tempt fate?

Do you think the hull was poorly constructed and designed or was it abused and ready to fail? If the price is right, I may be in the market for some spare parts in great condition.
Steve Knapp
SC-17
DanBerger
Professional
Posts: 280
Joined: May 3rd, 2004, 3:29 pm
Boat Make/Model: SC 15 w/ spin!, SC 19
Location: Norfolk, VA

Post by DanBerger »

Steve,

I think my friend may buy my 20 so he can still have a big boat. I had him out the other day in flat water and 15-20 mph winds. Crazy fast and fun! He's just a little shell-shocked over this incident.

I think Supercats are built very well and I don't blame the problem on anything structural from the builder. The boat was a beach boat that was sailed hard for a long time and I guess it was just it's time. The boat was 25 years old!

(that should get me a discount on my next ARC order!!) :twisted:

I'll be posting the parts listing on the classifieds section of this site and probably some other beachcat sites in the near future.
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