GUNBOAT Dismasting

[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

You can bet there were serious discussions between the skipper and owner on board. If the owner wants to abandon then that's what you do.

Frankly, I doubt there was much "discussion" at all ;-) I've stated right from the outset, I'd bet anything it was the owner who made the call...

Still, when the builder is making this sort of claim, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask 'Why?'

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One of the Gunboat Pros posting on SA has asserted this was "more than just a dismasting"... Of that, I think there is likely little doubt...

[neilpride]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

During the process of cutting the rig free, seems likely someone might have come across something that could have given them a hint, or at least ruled out certain failures, no?

But, you're probably right, and no one really knows why the decision by a pro skipper and crew to abandon an "unsinkable" boat that had not been holed was taken... Like the rig coming down, it was likely inexplicable, another one of those things that 'just happened', and can never be explained or understood, right?

;-)

In a Rayban sunny day no doubt, but i dont think so in this case, and i agree with 44C , this isue suck, you guys can google about Brand new and expensive yachts dismasted , i just see a perfect Carbon raft abandoned with a rich dude taking a Helo ride back to home...

[SailingMum]

It's not a conspiracy theory to ask obvious questions. Poor straw man to say otherwise.

And it's true that they have no obligation to answer the questions. But the market will infer a lot from the silence. That's not a conspiracy theory either, it's just really obvious.

Neilpryde - sure, but again, what condition is that carbon raft in? And why? Do you know?

[Poozer]

Originally Posted by Mirage Gecko

You know these GB people have no obligation to say anything at all about the problems this specific boat had and why think they give a hoot to what people on forums think about their product.
In the auto market there are many instances of respected manufactures fitting faulty parts to there vehicles and never making a public statements.Some of these faulty bits have been discovered the hard way too ie fatal accidents.
The Lexus brand is pretty much thought of as a luxury and reliable vehicle but at one point it topped the charts as the brand most global breakdown and recovery facilities needed to attend to.

Good point, but I think GB does (and should) care what the general sailing public think of their boats. Gunboat have worked hard to build a brand that appeals to wealthy buyers looking for cutting edge technology and demonstration of status. Kind of like buying a Lamborghini. Not everyone can afford one, and not all that can would buy one, but most everyone can agree they are very cool! There's nothing cool about a boat that is widely regarded as unsafe and unsuitable for open ocean sailing. From everything I know about GB, they truly believe in the product they are building and want to build the world's finest catamarans. I expect that GB will work out what happened, issue a statement to explain it, tell us how they are going to avoid it in the future, and restore their brand in the process.

[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by neilpride

...i agree with 44C , this isue suck, you guys can google about Brand new and expensive yachts dismasted ...

Hmmm, Goggle isn't shedding much light on how many of those had been named CRUISING WORLD’s Domestic Boat of the Year and Best Multihull Cruiser, SAIL Magazine’s 2015 Best Boat overall, and SAILING WORLD’s 2015 Best Multihull... Or, had been proclaimed in both print and video by FORBES to represent "the future of sailing", and exemplify the sort of boat "that's rocking the yachting world", for that matter...

;-)

[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

Frankly, I doubt there was much "discussion" at all ;-) I've stated right from the outset, I'd bet anything it was the owner who made the call...

Still, when the builder is making this sort of claim, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask 'Why?'


One of the Gunboat Pros posting on SA has asserted this was "more than just a dismasting"... Of that, I think there is likely little doubt...

So true Jon. Not only the users of CF need to know but most importantly the unsuspecting public who may be putting their very lives at risk if the reason behind the abandon ship decision was because of something else along the lines of a structural deficiency.

Your saying that a crew member is now saying that the fleeing of the ship was due to more than the dismasting so in the name of all that is moral doesn't the builder have an obligation to come clean with what this "more" is?

I know for one thing if a car company charged $2.5 million for a car and told all the buyers and the world that it would never breakdown and then it lost its wheels going slow on the freeway all hell would break loose. And rightly so that car company and vehicle would become the laughing stock of the industry.

This is not a matter of sticking it to a boat builder in his time of trouble. And I do feel sorry for him, his staff and even the crew. They all have a lot at stake and a lot to loose. But morally the life of other sailors is more important.

[Eumelia]

What sort of armament did this
gunboat have anyway?

Sent from my LG-D415 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

During the process of cutting the rig free, seems likely someone might have come across something that could have given them a hint, or at least ruled out certain failures, no?

But, you're probably right, and no one really knows why the decision by a pro skipper and crew to abandon an "unsinkable" boat that had not been holed was taken... Like the rig coming down, it was likely inexplicable, another one of those things that 'just happened', and can never be explained or understood, right?

;-)

AFAIK that was explained, but obviously not to everyone's satisfaction. No rig, ropes round props, so no sails, no engines, weather forecast looked like getting worse. Of course many CF keyboard heros would have simply looked on it as a minor challenge....

BTW nobody has said the rig coming down is "one of those things that just happened" (except you). Certainly there's a reason. But it's probably going to need the boat and rig to be salvaged to find out why.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by GoingWalkabout

So true Jon. Not only the users of CF need to know but most importantly the unsuspecting public who may be putting their very lives at risk if the reason behind the abandon ship decision was because of something else along the lines of a structural deficiency.

Your saying that a crew member is now saying that the fleeing of the ship was due to more than the dismasting so in the name of all that is moral doesn't the builder have an obligation to come clean with what this "more" is?

I know for one thing if a car company charged $2.5 million for a car and told all the buyers and the world that it would never breakdown and then it lost its wheels going slow on the freeway all hell would break loose. And rightly so that car company and vehicle would become the laughing stock of the industry.

This is not a matter of sticking it to a boat builder in his time of trouble. And I do feel sorry for him, his staff and even the crew. They all have a lot at stake and a lot to loose. But morally the life of other sailors is more important.

You should email them and DEMAND ANSWERS!

You have a RIGHT TO KNOW!

Gunboat OWES YOU AN EXPLAINATION!

[neilpride]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

Hmmm, Goggle isn't shedding much light on how many of those had been named CRUISING WORLD’s Domestic Boat of the Year and Best Multihull Cruiser, SAIL Magazine’s 2015 Best Boat overall, and SAILING WORLD’s 2015 Best Multihull... Or, had been proclaimed in both print and video by FORBES to represent "the future of sailing", and exemplify the sort of boat "that's rocking the yachting world", for that matter...

;-)

But those funny awards mean nothing after all, all this drama for a frocking multihull abandoned by a dismasting,, be in CF dont mean is bulletproof , is just a chain reaction of mistakes and misfortune by the crew and the owner... i just see a lack of Side stays in the lower part of the mast , kind of lowers , but just me, who i am to discredit a reputable mast maker and their design... on those weather conditions lots of things can happen , one is a genuine dismasting....

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

Hmmm, Goggle isn't shedding much light on how many of those had been named CRUISING WORLD’s Domestic Boat of the Year and Best Multihull Cruiser, SAIL Magazine’s 2015 Best Boat overall, and SAILING WORLD’s 2015 Best Multihull... Or, had been proclaimed in both print and video by FORBES to represent "the future of sailing", and exemplify the sort of boat "that's rocking the yachting world", for that matter...

;-)

What on earth does that have to do with anything? Some journalists liked the boat, therefore it must be impervious to damage or failure of any type?

The idiocy of this thread continues unabated...

[Imprezza72]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

What on earth does that have to do with anything? Some journalists liked the boat, therefore it must be impervious to damage or failure of any type?

The idiocy of this thread continues unabated...

It does make for some good entertainment during another snowstorm!!!

[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

AFAIK that was explained, but obviously not to everyone's satisfaction. No rig, ropes round props, so no sails, no engines, weather forecast looked like getting worse. Of course many CF keyboard heros would have simply looked on it as a minor challenge....

Would that set of circumstances inspire you to prepare to step off into a lifefaft, as the crew of RAINMAKER was ready to do by the time the CG helo arrived?

I'm not second-guessing the decision to abandon at all, I'm simply pointing out that there was a high probability that there were far greater problems than Mr Johnstone has thus far let on... Not hard to picture an inexperienced owner's initial panic, and desire to call 911 to "Get me the hell OFF this thing"... However, for a pro skipper like Chris Bailet to consider allowing a 350' merchant vessel to attempt to maneuver alongside RAINMAKER, dead in the water, in those conditions, well... to me that strongly suggests some degree of 'desperation', and that they might have been dealing with issues or concerns far greater than the loss of a rig that had been quickly jettisoned, or lines around the props, or the weather that they had deliberately sailed into in the first place, and probably had very legitimate reasons to try to get off that boat as soon as possible...



;-)

[Saleen411]

- why, for the period before the failure, was a 300+nm/day spaceship with three pro crew matching the typical speed of a plywood gaff rigged wharram sailed by a bearded old hippie in his underpants?

That right there is some funny schit.

Great post SailingMum!

[Tx J]

Originally Posted by Delancey

New GB 55 - $2.5M
EPIRB - $500
USCG helicopter ride - Priceless (as in doesn't cost a dime)

x10 (from one whose kids serve, Semper Paratus; it does cost a bit, but it's all good 'practice')

Typical "Privatize the Profits, Socialize the Losses" outlook, eh?

Before the flamethrowers get unlimbered, I know that might be a stretch and politicizing it a bit. But a lot of comments have strayed over there anyway so far, and reading 'insider' teaser-tripe like that of 'something'13 (rightly lambasted by a few others already) pushed me over the edge .
Way back when I was a YC 'junior' more than a half-century ago, it was pointed out that the ones with the 'real stuff' tended to be the scruffy-looking guys (usually seen) driving the old station wagons loaded with varnish and brushes pulling up to the boat; not the slick new Lincoln/Caddy jocks (in hock to the eyeballs) strutting the deck and docks. Mr. Scruffy could just write a check for about anything under the sun, Mr. Slick would need a bit of 'financing'...