23 Seafari flips, all safe
 

Glad all hands are safe- yall be careful out there!!!!

http://www.tidalfish.com/boards2/vie...8799&id=181918

edit-Sceptre not Seafari [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Re: 23 Seafari flips, all safe
 

Craig, do you know that guy?

Re: 23 Seafari flips, all safe
 

Hey Graham- not at all- not sure if Ive ever seen the boat either- i dont know the name- sounds to me like either a live well or thru hull fitting must have broken off and they didnt know. did you see them pull the boat into rudee ???? Not a bad idea the one guy has about putting an alarm on another float switch up higher in the bilge. scary sheet for sure for the guy getting the pfd's. i got your message about 3 days after the fact from my son last week?? and didnt have your number if you still want me to look at your console- anyways have a great 4th- i hope to fish most of next week (im off) for cobes, spades and sheepies. also some really big flatties being caught just north of the 4th at cbbt. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: 23 Seafari flips, all safe
 

I didn't see em bring it in, but apparently it was quite a sight! Definitely not a good day on the water. I just can't understand why he tried to gun it, all that does is send water to the back of the boat and drop your motors. I would be different if he had a boston whaler w/ no drain plug or something like that, but a boat with a full bilge?

Re: 23 Seafari flips, all safe
 

seems like this is a second time a seacraft flips over. the first one was some where in florida and not sure if it is a sceptre. is the sceptre top heavy to make it more prone to a flip over than a CC?

Re: 23 Seafari flips, all safe
 

I wouldn't say top heavy unless it had a hard top and/or tower. It does, however, have more weight forward than a CC due to the cuddy and full windshield.

Re: 23 Seafari flips, all safe
 

found the previous seacraft capsized article at

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/987845/posts

couple of question that concerns me as i am going to restore a 76 sceptre.

1. both boats are from the 80's. do they have a cut down transom that facilitate water entry from the stern?

2. possibly the additional weight/height distribution of sceptre cabin makes it more prone to a capsize?

3. any other thoughts?

Re: 23 Seafari flips, all safe
 

This boat had 8 passengers and were anchored up in 5-7 foot seas and 20-knot winds, plus their VHF didn't work. I realize 6 people went diving leaving 2 people aboard when it flipped, but those seas along with all the diving gear and other stuff they brought along most likely caused the problem.

1) Yes, the '80s 23's have an open splashwell with a fold-down gate. I guess you could say it makes water entry easier than the Potter hulls with the full height splashwell, but I don't think it "facilitates" water entry.

2) IMO, the cabin does NOT make it more prone to capsizing.

3) Capsizing is typically due to a boat being placed in a bad situation, whether it is overloaded with passengers and gear, or if it's anchored in a rip or high traffic area where waves can overtake the boat. In the 8 seasons my father has had his '82 23' Sceptre we have never once been in a situation where capsizing was a threat. Just use your head while you're out there, check all your thru-hull fittings frequently (inlcuding the plug), and don't put yourself in a bad situation.

Re: 23 Seafari flips, all safe
 

I wonder if they let out enough scope on the anchor to compensate for the 5-7 foot seas. If they did not let out enough...I am sure the boat was pitching up and down severly...

Re: 23 Seafari flips, all safe
 

Anyway you look at it, 8 divers in a 23 foot boat in those seas is just asking for trouble. Yes, our boats are great in almost any sea while underway but that great hull that lets us ride in almost any weather with impunity is not the best for stable diving in big seas. The adult boat owners should have checked the weather first before letting their son take out the boat with Coast Guard warnings out. It's almost as irresponsible as letting your kid spend the night with Michael Jackson at Neverland!