Sounds like a great cartoon contraption -

THE ANTI TURTLE DEVISE -

blasting a loud horn and stream of air ,propelled by cold CO-2 at turtles ,

you would just make em mad , -

sorry , have a visual thinking sometimes absurd sence of humor .

It will be on the next trash T V show ,--

WHEN TURTLES ATTACK !!!



Need to get out sailing ,-

anyway -

A lightweight carbon fiber mast is the best thing I,ve experienced , but we have turtled that in extreme conditions , we have also had the boat right itself .



As mast building techniques improve and become less expensive we may see all going to lighterweight composite type materials , along with lighterweight sails making them much safer ,better performing speed wise,-much less likely to turtle , though in some severe conditions it is inevitable ..



The problem with mast floats or added devises is the added weight up the mast which initially actually encourges a capsize and potential turtle to occur ,--it is somewhat self defeating . -You would take the weight of the float times distance up the mast in ft lbs that add to moment . Just as placing a taller mast on a boat would make it easier to capsize , it,s the added weight up high .



-To roughly calc buoyancy of a mast float take the volume area it displaces in water which weighs 64 lb per sq ft ,-or 62 fresh water , then add the distance of lever arm {mast } .

Working against this to cause the boat to turtle is the weight and degree of incline of the upper hull in relation to the center of buoyancy in the lower ,-this sometimes in larger waves where this is constantly changing ,-add the force of wind on the tramp area at x mph , and also crew weight and its position relative to it, which I have no idea how to accurately figure , though may give an average estimate .

The best solution is to study existing designs and their characteristics and improve upon them ,

Setting some type of min scantling requirements for strength and buoyancy may be well intentioned ,but so many other factors come into play in total design and other potential better solutions that may be possible .



For small cats with this potential problem it seems a larger volume section ,-lighter ,well sealed mast would be fitted.



The problem of righting larger cat or tri designs has been studied extensively , all types of proposed solutions have been offered , it is an interesting problem to solve , but as Jake noted sometimes the sea wins and as is testiment in areas like Cape Hatteras N C where so many shipwrecks and old hull skelitons of all types now reside along its coastline .-Multihulls can always find a safe beach ,!!

That may be the best safety factor of all for coastal sailing .



Thanks Ed Jake and all ,