Another Rollinator

[Smithy]

Some guys I know on Fraser. We used to camp with them at the Toyota Fishing Expo. Greg used to have a Seafarer called Karma if you know them from doing that comp. This was one of the older Markham Whalers like Firecats but a 5.6m with twin 90s or something I was told. They were travelling along coming home from the North Gardners back to Waddy and it just went turtle. One second travelling along, next thing they know they are upside down 8Nm off Waddy. Had to duck dive for the Epirb and lifejackets. Sat on the upturned hull. A helicopter sent a trawler to their assistance and dropped them back at Waddy. Pretty good video report below.

http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/boat-capsize-strands-mates-at-sea/xkia4fu?cpkey=44695dd1-a99e-41b8-845a-d8d9966ea46d%7C%7C%7C%7C

[Fed]

Experienced cat driver Smithy?
Would be nice to know what really happened.
(I didn't watch the video it was taking too long)

[Muddy Toes]

Did they pick that reporter because of his name for this story?

[nigelr]

brand new boat? truly hope the owner was insured.
wonderful to see a happy ending, great attitude!

[wags on the water]

Experienced cat driver Smithy?
Would be nice to know what really happened.
(I didn't watch the video it was taking too long)
The video goes for 1min and 46 sec.

[Fed]

I just tried the link again wags and it loaded straight away, the first time I tried it sat there like a stunned mullet doing nothing.

New boat... new cat driver?

[frankgrimes]

One second travelling along, next thing they know they are upside down 8Nm off Waddy. Had to duck dive for the Epirb and lifejackets. Sat on the upturned hull. A helicopter sent a trawler to their assistance and dropped them back at Waddy.

Would have been bloody scarey!

I've been out a couple of times with Clyde(Pommy) off Goldie...hehe funny bugger....he's certainly partial to a bit of porn while fishing ;)

Mick

[Midnight]

Shouldn't matter if he was a new cat driver. If the hull design is so flawed that you must be an expert to drive the frickin thing in normal conditions, then the molds should be cut up!

Would a car be allowed on the road, if it rolled over every time a newby drove one??

[cormorant]

Brown undies moment.

Don't know what speed they were doing but how lucky must you be to roll a boat and all still be conscious and uninjured? Very lucky blokes and glad they are safe and good on the trawler and helicopter guys. . They don't even look sore- well not with adrenalin still running or did they all get flung clear. I'd love to hear more. Was the owner with experience helming at the time?


What exact boat was it , what was it powered with? Did it have the updated bow profile ? Pods? wings on motors? Steering fail? Structural failure, seized motor? Trimmed in? What exactly were the conditions? Hydraulic or cable steering? Lots of extra weight forward in the boat? Did any load , crew they were carrying move on deck? Alcohol?

With all the new computer power it would be really interesting to put it into the digital test tank and see what conditions cause these rollovers. In small cats we always travel at probably 30 degrees to the swell walking the cat even it it is a longer distance as it was always more comfortable and felt safer. ?
Does anyone here drive their small cat beam on to seas and risks a sponson being in a hole in front of a wave or swell? You know 2 foot swell , 2 foot hole and what angle to you end up on and the boat naturally wants to steer downhill and you rely on bow buoyancy on one sponson on a 45 degree angle to not submarine. ?

[Smithy]

2nd hand setup but first trip out for the new owner with its original twin 90 Oceanpro 2 strokes I think. First time cat driver. Was a Markham Whaler not a Markham Dominator I am pretty sure, I took a bit of poetic license. It had bolt on alloy pods. Boat washed up at Nkgala. He wasn't interested in doing anyting about it. Just going to wait for the insurance money to come through and start again. Clyde has had a big Cougar cat or Kevlacat. You would think if it was doing anything unsettling before hand he would have been giving suggestions to Greg or taking over or whatever.

[frankgrimes]

Brown undies moment.

Don't know what speed they were doing but how lucky must you be to roll a boat and all still be conscious and uninjured? Very lucky blokes and glad they are safe and good on the trawler and helicopter guys. . They don't even look sore- well not with adreneline still running or did they all get flung clear. I'd love to hear more. Was the owner with experience helming at the tiem?


What exact boat was it , what was it powered with? Did it have the updated bow profile ? Pods? wings on motors? Steering fail? Structural failure, seized motor? Trimmed in? What exactly were the conditions? Hydraulic or cable steering? Lots of extra weight forward in the boat? Did any load they were carrying move on deck? Alcohol?

With all the new computer power it would be really interesting to put it into the digital test tank and see what conditions cause these rollovers. In small cats we always travel at probably 30 degrees to the swell walking the cat even it it is a longer distance as it was always more comfortable and felt safer. ?
Does anyone here drive their small cat beam on to seas and risks a sponson being in a hole in front of a wave or swell? You know 2 foot swell , 2 foot hole and what angle to you end up on and the boat naturally wants to steer downhill and you rely on bow buoyancy on one sponson on a 45 degree angle to not submarine. ?

One of my mates at work is very good friends with Clyde (Pommy bloke who was onboard), Ill find out the details for you.

Mick

[frankgrimes]

Clyde has had a big Cougar cat or Kevlacat. You would think if it was doing anything unsettling before hand he would have been giving suggestions to Greg or taking over or whatever. Yep, def. agree there...Clydes got a lot of experience with cats...btw, he sold his other cat, now has a new 3100 noosa cat

[Lucky_Phill]

Thanks Smithy,

All that matters to me, is that some fellow fishos are safe and sound after a life threatening experience.

I know we all have a curiousity about the circumstances, is that so we can hang *&^% on them for doing the wrong thing or something different to us, or is knowing the circumstances going to assist us in our vessel driving, fishing adventures or change our minds about launching off Waddy ? There will be many variables to the incident of which none will really matter to me. What they did and survived will mean nothing to my future experiences.

However, I will take away from the report, that they survived offshore Waddy, Tiger Shark heaven and also knowing that a commercial vessel came to their assistance.:thumbup:

cheers LP

[cormorant]

Yeah I was just curious as I hate hearing boats bottom up especially with experienced guys.. Probably better for them to all get settled and then describe the circumstances if they want to as I'd hate to see em get screwed over in some way. If they can help other boaters with something that went wrong all the better. Can't believe how relaxed on the surface they seem on the video and I reckon it will soak in and a week week shore fishing watching a few sunsets will be the councilling they need and no nagging from mates and wives.

One other thing they had a GME epirb witha strobe on it and the new technology should have had them found fast. Did a call go out to all ships? The way it sounded was as if the helicopter was giving up as dusk ? Just the time when you can see a strobe easily? Was there delays as epirb rego had not been transferred over so details weren't easy to resolve? My worst nightmare being in the water and not knowing if anyone has heard it. I have portable waterproof VHF in the grab bucket in case someone can hear so I know help is on the way.

[fly_1]

Cormorant, I have never had any issues driving cats in any direction. The biggest killer is guys driving to fast for the conditions. I am not saying thats what happened here, as I dont have any idea in this case ( although I would never buy a bloody markham anything!!), but to say you cant drive cats across a sea without them digging or dropping a hull is just rubbish. Like all boats, they would rather go down the wave as apposed to across it, but thats the same with every mono I have ever been in or owned.
Trent

[fly_1]

Actually the only direction I dont like going in a cat is straight into a sea. Buts that the same for all cats..Thats about the only time a nice big deepvee mono will leave a cat for dead!!
Back to the story, hope they find the problem with these things, as the rollover tally for markham is starting to really add up!!

[frankgrimes]

One other thing they had a GME epirb witha strobe on it and the new technology should have had them found fast. Did a call go out to all ships? The way it sounded was as if the helicopter was giving up as dusk ? Just the time when you can see a strobe easily? Was there delays as epirb rego had not been transferred over so details weren't easy to resolve? My worst nightmare being in the water and not knowing if anyone has heard it. I have portable waterproof VHF in the grab bucket in case someone can hear so I know help is on the way.

Helicopter was there within an hour from what I've been told, but couldnt rescue them(Ill find out why), so they had to wait util trawler arrived...they then had to spend the night on the trawler.

[cormorant]

Probably right the news story I first heard implied they had been out there for hours which surprised me when I later saw the picture of them with the EPIRB. .

Fly I didn't say ya can't do it I said I prefer not to and it is all about conditions and boat. Same as heading straight into swell, it depends on what size and frequency and in what cat as they just eat up the small regular stuff and depends on what speed you travel at and what you can "float" over.

[SunnyCoastMark]

I have only ever owned mono's - so don't know squat about being in a Cat. Seems to me though that part of the reason we often hear about cat rollovers is because they go out in conditions that most mono hull guys wouldn't.

Therefore in spite of how much better a cat might handle chop and a bit of rough stuff - they are more often in risky situations...

Just my 2 cents.........

[Smithy]

The way the story was told to me was the trawler was called in to assist the search as it was fitted with a VMS or AIS or similar and AMSA or whoever knew it was in the vicinity so called it in to the area. It says the helicopter found them but I was told it was actually the trawler who saw the strobe. The helicopter with the direction finding gear was searching a bit off. The scariest bit for them was leaving the upturned cat to swim across to the trawler. We all know what follows trawlers out there of course. Also they had done allright on the fish front so there was heap of bait and fish smell in the water. They spent the night on the trawler and it came back into the bay at Waddy and the next morning someone from their camp launched their boat and went and picked up the boys from off the trawler.

[fly_1]

Very lucky I would say Smithy.Lots of nastys out off there!!

[TheRealAndy]

A 30ft Kevla cat is not much better. Most scared I have ever been in a boat. Easy to roll.

Problem in Aus is that cats a made to be trailered. I love cats, but the narrow beam of aussie built cats is joke. Does not matter who makes them, if they are made to run on a trailer and are over around the 25foot mark they are dangerous without a skilled operator.

[Captain Seaweed]

pretty quick rescue i recon especially off Fraser I wonder if they had the GPS EPIRB?

[fly_1]

Real Andy, Every boat is dangerous, or "easily rolled" if a clown is driving it !!!
Lets just hope these guys actually find out what happened, or went wrong with their's.