Mary,

I've been discussing anti-turtling devices and righting techniques with the Catri designer one or two years ago and also followed the recent discussion regarding mast floats in the F-Boat discussion group.

The following is a summary of what I consider to be the concepts to be followed for the anti-turtling device:

1-In a big and wide multihull a sealed/floating mast does not help much because the relatively thiner mast would have to sink A LOT before providing a reasonable righting torque. This is especially true in wider tris.

2-An efficient mast top float for big multihulls would be bigger and clumsier then one designed for beach cats. This is due to scaling, as Carl explained earlier in this thread.

3-An airbag is NOT a feasible solution - they are activated by explosives and destruction of the mast top is a real possibility, while reinforcing this area is not desirable (weigth). Since in our case the time lapse available for activation is a lot bigger then in a car crash, there is a better solution.

4-A water activated inflatable masthead float resembling a water activated life jacket (but for the shape and size) seems to be the best solution.

5-The water activated sensor must be protected from the rain.

6-The water activated masthead float should be stored in a flat or aerodynamic package, attachable to the head of the mainsail or its halyard, so that it can be removed with the mainsail/from the mainsail. This increases durability and simplifies maintenance.

7-Speed adicts could possibly try to separate the bottle of gas to keep it on deck. This would reduce the weight aloft, but there would be a tube all the way to the top to complicate things. I tend to prefer the simple, self-contained, removable unit.

8-The device is simple, all parts already exist in the market and are relatively inexpensive. It increases safety and greatly reduces the costs and difficulties of recovering from a capsize. The only mistery is why it is not for sale already...

Cheers,