Small boat handling characteristics

[Dicko]

Well said Karl, for me roll bars and seat belts go together, as in a sprint boat, not in an Adventure boat where you are constantly dodging willow trees, famers fences and the like.

[mohawk]

 Karl , I would expect a little boat too roll over quite easy .
 Dump all your boats on the lawn and see which is easyest too flip       

[roland]

 

[Nigel]

biggest thing I can see is if it's a bar or  the likes is to take it straight on and not throw it sideways... going to run aground hit it straight...

saw Rolands vid of his crash and amazed where it happened ant that it ripped over....

[mohawk]

Thats what spooked me when I fliped, I was just wizzing along at an average pace and next thing I know Im lying in the water beside the boat.
I can see it happening alot more often with the small boat craze booming like it is at the moment 

[Nigel]

  yip and the power and speed of some of these new boats being made

[mohawk]

And the fact many of them have no idea what a jet boat cant do 

[boon]

  the more little boats come along the more we're going to see flips, spins and crashes. I think if your going to make a small boat make them very light so one person can maneuver or flip it back over if it does flip. Or put bars and really high sides.

[roland]

i think high sides are the way to go in small boats, that'll keep a lower center of gravity,a bar at the back like the tour boats and a higher windscreen would help stop trapping people under too.

[boon]

In terms of rollover tendencies, small boats are no different to large boats.

Not sure I agree with you on that mate...

[boon]

i think high sides are the way to go in small boats, that'll keep a lower center of gravity.

Haha not sure I agree with that either! Higher sides will just mean that there is more room under the boat if you do flip and get trapped! And less chance of water flooding over the gunnels or transom

[roland]

so in the interest of enlightening people of how quickly things go wrong in small boats, heres the accident video.
low speed,approx 40-50kmh,mistakes in judgment were made and ive learnt from them,kinda hard not to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E-WAGgkPAU&feature=youtu.be

[boon]

Still gives me the shivers! Wish I had my camera rolling on the bow...would have made for good viewing... silly me...

[roland]

Still gives me the shivers!

me too,think about it every day and what could have been.

[Brizz]

I would expect a small (light) boat to flip a lot easier. A simple calc would suggest with 2 people in the weight dynamics are quite different, ie probably heavier at the front than the back.  I would theorize two  probabilities..... the back jumps when it impacts and likely causes the opposite front corner to dip and dig in. Given that I am building a larger small (light) boat I will be going back to basics when it hits the water.  practice, practice, practice, in simple situations until I am totally familiar with its quirks.