Anyone ever swamp or capsize a C-Dory?

[nntucket]

I've read the U.S. Coast Guard Safety Standard regarding Level Flotation for small boats that are 20' or less, (http://www.uscg.mil/d8/mso/louisville/WebStuff/comdtpubp16761_3b.pdf), and I assume that C-Dory meets/exceeds this standard, but has anyone actually had the experience of swamping or capsizing a C-Dory? I'm particularly interested in hearing anyone's experience in a 16' Cruiser, because I have one. I once had the experience of completely swamping a small Boston Whaler. The bilge pump quickly emptied all the water from the boat and I was on my way. I assume that in my C-Dory, because the batteries would be under water, I could not rely upon the bilge pump in the same situation, but perhaps hand-bailing would work in that situation. I'm just preparing for the worst case. Thanks for any information.

[lloyds]

Having capsized in the pacific many years ago, in a small boston whaler, I don't think you ever want to go there in a C-Dory of any size. I am confident they will remain afloat, but the pressure of breaking waves and current on them will roll them and push them all over. If the water conditions aren't too bad then you could stay right with them. I guess that might be the case if you took on water from a hole or hose and just swamped, but bad conditions causing a capsize dictate staying away from the boat after it is down to prevent from getting trapped or rolled over. I had to swim away from the whaler everytime a breaking wave appeared. But the pumps and batteries will probably continue to operate if swamped, at least for a little while. I was in a tollycraft that struck a submerged piling and quickly started filling with water, the battery submerged but the pump kept working. We were only about 20 minutes from a ramp, where we beached it, but the pump worked that long.

[Sea Wolf]

nntucket-

Here are some threads you may like to read from the Search Engine:

Capsized in Cook Inlet (CD-25)

Self-Bailing Cockpits Read last two posts, especially!

Shorting Batttery Due to a Flooding Cockpit

Joe.

[mediaman]

One this topic. Yes - very nearly swamped C-Dory 16 Angler and turned it over. Most terrifying experience of my life and I am an airplane pilot. Anyhow 16 C-Dory was caught between two 40 foot boat wakes in an Intercoastal Waterway channel already churned up. I accidentally let a friend drive the boat and he decides to punch it like a ski boat and go over these colliding wakes - the C-Dory curls into the wake instantly corkscrew style - throws out two passengers in street clothes into the water violently, rips the seats out and nearly killed the driver and cockpit passenger. At the last, last second the driver was able to kill the power and the boat recovered and everyone survived, but VERY shaken and bruised. NOT the C-Dory's fault - largely my fault for letting a driver with no C-Dory experience handle the hull and punching it to go over the colliding wakes - really bad more - can't recommend it. My feeling is it takes a good six months to feel the knife butter action of my C-Dory's on the water. The boat did not turn over, but very, very close and we still have nightmares about it today - it really scared the boats around that saw the situation and there was some potential liability on the part of the people's boat who left these wakes - but we were also likely following too close - the boat was otherwise undamaged remarkably after the seats were bolted back in. BE CAREFUL or at least more careful than we were...