On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 11:01 AM, John H <seajohnkayak_at_yahoo.com> wrote: > Craig, et al - > In you best guess estimate ... assuming speed was "fast" what would be > affect > of an the impact with a "sit-on-top" kayak have on the hull of a "bayliner" > ? > Visible damage? Structural damage? > > Inquiring minds and all that... > > This is an excellent question. The SOT (which appears to be plastic not f/g) had a hole in it and the boy's head had a 3-inch piece of the skull broken. I'm not a structural engineer or a naval architect so this is pure speculation. A plastic kayak is much more flexible than the fiberglass hull of a Bayliner so it's possible that the combination of that flex, the fact that the vee of a powerboat's bow is very strong, and the cushioning effect of water might result in very little visible damage to the powerboat itself. Especially if the powerboat hit the kayak straight on. These little speedboats often hit logs and other debris and as long as the debris isn't vertical (so the boat's hull is impaled on it) there is often no damage at all; they just ride up onto the obstruction. And I've had plastic w/w kayaks fly off the room of an SUV at 50mph and survive with little more than deep scratches. The propeller and its associated gear might be another matter, however. The hole in the kayak could have been done by the prop on the powerboat which could slice into the plastic and excise a chunk (as opposed to simple collision damage). I'd expect to see damage on the lower section of the outdrive (or outboard) and bent prop blades. If it's a pure inboard with prop shaft on struts I'd expect to see some significant damage to the shaft struts and shaft. But given the nature of a plastic kayak there might be little obvious damage to the powerboat. And lots of small powerboats run around with bent propeller blades and nicks in the outdrive. If the operator of the powerboat tried to avoid the collision at the last minute and turned away or hit the kayak at a slant, then there could be some damage to the forward hull near the bow including penetration. If I were the cops in that area I'd be looking for a vehicle towing a boat (not that many at this time of year) away from American Lake and using all the traffic cams available. I would also be carefully inspecting all the vessels moored or stored near the area. And trying to find anyone who might have launched there that day. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Mar 05 2009 - 11:33:16 PST
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