Bob, thank you for the greeting. I agree with your comments about the Cutwater. I took a look, and although it does have steps, they are not the same as the full beam width versions seen in the higher performance boats. This coupled with a much lower center of gravity, the keel, and lower speed potential makes for a much more predictable, and traditionally behaving hull. I have also been a Ranger tug fan for a long time.
I was aware of the accident very early on from a local friend, and I will be the first to say I wasn't there. I was told it was a 42' Contender, it was hull #3, and it was the second real trip on the boat. There is no 42' Contender listed on their website,or elsewhere, so the fall back is that it must have been a 39', although the low hull number is puzzling. I'm sure the FWC will do a comprehensive job. I was also told that there were three passengers riding at the the second station at the time. The new Garmin chart plotters have a good chance of surviving the immersion, and since tracks "On" is the default, it is likely a good record of the vessels tracks showing the route traveled is available, along with the engine data from the ECU's. I have been following the the Hull Truth's postings, and I am, as always amazed at what people will say, and how many experts are over there. It was an accident of tragic proportions, and heart wrenching for family and friends.
The point of my story was that step hulls have some very real handling idiosyncrasies that owners must be acutely aware of at all times, and as I mentioned, the performance gains in my mind, are not worth the increased handling problems these hulls can have under some circumstances. I did communicate with an experienced step hull designer prior to writing the piece. Many thanks Bob, Bill
