Tipping Your Hatt

[rsmith]

We’ve laid offshore many times drifting for swordfish in some pretty nasty conditions. You know it’s picking up when the chine comes out of the water you can’t really use sea anchors half the time they end up drifting under the boat in the current. Plus when you hook up you need to fire up and start maneuvering on the fish. If your not used to drifting in a seaway it can be a little unnerving but the boat will take more than you can.

[dar636]

Wow, I'm glad to hear how this turned out vs reading about it from another source. I really appreciate the information and stories shared on this site, and think how fortunate I have been to own one of these monsters and have the forums community to expand my knowledge level while I gain experience.

The experiences I've had flying (general aviation) share the same thread in that it is amazing how fast something can go wrong, or go from bad to worse faster than can be explained. It is also hard to explain how hard it is to recognize the need to turn around before that option disappears. In flying light aircraft I was taught to always leave myself an 'out' and I've come to realize I haven't always been thinking that way in the Hatt - but I better start to do so.

Otherwise, like most of us I come away from reading each post thinking "oh s--t, now I need sea anchors" or (fill in the blank) and about how dirty my bilges are compared to one particular members boat ...

And as for 'reputable professional mechanics' being one I sympathize for both sides. I've corrected enough of my own mistakes and swore mostly quietly at enough other professionals to know how unforgiving machines are of poor maintenance.

Thanks again ya'll.

[Freeebird]

What engines did the boat have ? Not DD?

A few years back I did a delivery (non hatt but HOF member). I forgot the details but we lost power somewhere north of the keys. Owner had just spend well over $10 or $15k of mechanicals but reputable professional mechanics had not tightened the battery cables ...

Cummins 8.3 450HP. One of those times I’d rather have the big, heavy DD boat anchors.

I will say they performed flawlessly (short of the short), and we averaged around 1MPG with mixed running. I had intended to run that last 75 mile leg on plane to give him a good baseline number, but fate didn’t allow that.

[Freeebird]

Here’s a little video I shot before we found ourselves in the really nasty stuff. At that point, I had throttled down to match the rhythm of the waves, and we were sitting on the bench seat ahead of the helm in front of our propane heater. Had the autopilot on and was tracking our course with my iPhone and Navionics.

“Do these waves seem to be getting bigger?”

“Yep”

That’s when I returned to the helm, adjusted our speed again, and the really big stuff appeared. They came on fast, and we became committed. After several minutes of pounding, I remember saying to the owner, “This one’s gonna hurt.”

It did, and that’s likely when the terminal situation became... terminal. It was quite a jolt when we came down from that wave to find the next one. Again, brutal is the only way I can describe it. Had it stayed like it was in the video, we would have been shaken, but not stirred (Bond, James Bond).

https://youtu.be/Z-hBtGVBY5c

[Freeebird]

Our track that morning. It’s pretty easy to see where we lost power and then found it again.

[Photolomy]

Just to be sure, the only reason you would consider dropping anchor in rough seas is IF you lost all power, correct? I tried to use anchor once off the coast and the it just made it worst because the current was putting us beam to the waves. I had power though, I was just trying to park.

Also, to the OP's question, in still water, you could tip these boats pretty (really) far and they would bob right back, as others have noted because of the weight distribution, not withstanding flooding of the lower deck. But the situation is different in a wave because it lifts and you roll down its side. And you can watch youtubes of boats not making through inlets and getting "tossed" over. Not "tipping" over.

My worry is more about me falling off, but the Hatteras just fine rolling back and forth like an amusement ride.

[34Hatt]

Dropping the anchor only works if it reaches the bottom I have tried to use it offshore like a drogue it does absolutely nothing boat still was side to the waves.

I thought it would help also so I tried it

To keep the cummin running with flaky power you need a tie wrap and can tie wrap the fuel stop to stay open. Just sharing that for all something to remember but can be tough to do when its shitty out and stuff always happens when it shitty out. That was when I lost my port engine back with the bottle cap in the tank issue
Nothing could help me then but I was able to get about 1200 rpm out of it which made a big difference

[ageless]

Bad as your day was, it could have gotten a lot worse a lot sooner had you decided to run outside from Hilton Head.https://www.postandcourier.com/news/...eb17ea997.html

Wow!! Thanks for posting this. I stayed at Harbor Town two weeks ago, took that cut from the southern inlet north and boy the maps (depths) were off. I exited the southern channel right where 22’ was indicated and it went to 6’ real quick, granted it was just short of low tide. In dis siding the approach with the deck hand he gave me a map they constructed, no mention of the vessel, either voiced or via the map https://photos.app.goo.gl/V3ob8Pin5EMnzovx6

[ageless]

I’ve followed you on FB Randy, glad everything worked out for you. As you know, I ran the ICW from Wrightsville beach to Georgetown and the outside from Port Canaveral to Pompano Beach solo. I spent a lot of time pondering what I would do if this or that but it seems the scenario you imagine never plays out the way you envisioned it.