RAINMAKER DISMASTED OFF HATTERAS IN GALE

[Edith Bicknell]

CB: OC was still turning to port, and as we neared their transom, the tanker went bow down on a wave, completely exposing their massive spinning propeller. It missed our port hull by a few feet.

SA: Holy crap!

I'm not doubting Capt. Kid's perspective, especially if there was a disruptive adrenaline rush and he had glass shards and hydraulic fluid in his eyeballs. But the OC is not a tanker. Also she has a draft of 26 feet. Kid, USCG, OC crew may all have been drastically underestimating the median wave height. And we know pictures flatten out seas. Maybe a commercial mariner can answer, but probably need 40-50 footers and full steam to completely expose its massive spinning propeller.

http://www.intermarineusa.com/Modules/Intermarine/ShipsReport/ShipReportDownload.aspx?VesselId=c0dfad18-b221-6342-bb3b-ff0000b67473

 

[captpiratedog]

I don't see how this can be compared to other vessels that dropped a rig and motored home. Never seen a GB in person, but looks like other than bunks and baths in the hulls, all the controls, navs, comms, and helm are situated in the front of the giant main salon which has no hand or grab rails anywhere that I can see in the pics. So, rig goes over, but it's ten feet to the rail, so doesn't really go over, but it's stuck there. Ginormous front windscreen breaks, allowing heaps of seawater to douse the comms, electronics all control systems, save helm and engines. So, with nothing to hang onto, and being tumbled around inside a giant washing machine on rinse and spin cycle with nothing to hang onto, how does the crew fix anything??

how many times did you mention no hand holds? in the end the great Fametaker was left hands down

 

[captpiratedog]

Winches are hydraulic (run off of foot switches) and can be used manually i.e with a normal sized winch handle.Pretty typical.

2 buttons are mainsheet dump and hydro dump.

The 2 clutches fore of the "electro pod" are traveler clutches with a continuous traveler sheet.

The moonroof is controlled by a button in the "electro pod".

Some of the pics are pre-refit , some not.

There's the answers to your questions, not that I believe you really want them. Seems you're trying to create a "smoking gun" where there isn't one,but keep guessing.

Thanks for the answers Foghorn.

So daggerboards are hydraulic? Must be if so much else is.

Hydraulic pump is electric or engine driven? I'll guess battery electric. And no back-up, that seems to be the design philosophy.

I once did a gig with a fat pig of an owner of some ben that he was going to turn into the first computer controlled sailboat that would sail n dock itself...this is how that electro pos would turn out wet...broken n ditched

 

[Edith Bicknell]

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1158902

 

[Boo-Yah]

I looked it up again. Rainmaker the Gunboat 55 had Lewmar Electric 58 winches on or in the winch pit. For any that are not used to electric winches. They look and feel the same as the manual or handle ones. They work just great with a handle in them. The only difference is a optional kit motor bolted underneath. Lewmar runs on 12v or 24v.

That winch is rated for a working load by Lewmar of 3500 lbs... With 12v the Lewmar 58's will cut off at 3200 lbs of load. That is a lot or winch for halyards and small self taking jibs. There may be issues with the 55, the winch pit and island are not the achilles heel on this boat. They may be too much power for many a kid or family. The inattentive or ignorant can do great damage with a powered winch.

For the intellectually curious you can study up here.

http://www.lewmar.com/%5Cassets%5Cimg%5Cdataset%5CManual-Elec_win_WEB.pdf

 

[John Drake]

OC must be light in the loafers.

 

[SailRacer]

Put that motor near the fluxgate comapass for the autohelm and see what happends when you pusha da button..

Sail Safe!

 

[ropetrick]

Put that motor near the fluxgate comapass for the autohelm and see what happends when you pusha da button..

Sail Safe!

If Rainmaker has electric winches (not hydraulic) those motors are close to the low tech magnetic compass ahead of the wheel.

 

[Boo-Yah]

The GB are run by a massive 600AH Lithium ion battery bank coupled with a 800W solar panel rig and 100AH alternators from each running engine. The earlier gunboat are sailing around with up to 23 kwh in those lithium battery banks.

The GB has more than amble generation and battery backup power to sail and navigate. Might have to turn off the 300 gallon per day water maker, the ovens, freezers, and refrigerators in a pinch.

What would be missing on my $3Million family cruiser would be AC and Heat!

 

[Boo-Yah]

Put that motor near the fluxgate comapass for the autohelm and see what happends when you pusha da button..

Sail Safe!

If Rainmaker has electric winches (not hydraulic) those motors are close to the low tech magnetic compass ahead of the wheel.

The the GB 55 images distort the actual distances around the helm and winch pit that is forward of the helm on this 55 Foot boat. I do not know the specs here. But, I have successfully sailed many mono boats where the electric winches on both sides of the boat are very close to the binnacle. Generally positioned within arms length of the helmsman on cruising boats since at least the 80's.

 

[Foghorn77]

I looked it up again. Rainmaker the Gunboat 55 had Lewmar Electric 58 winches on or in the winch pit. For any that are not used to electric winches. They look and feel the same as the manual or handle ones. They work just great with a handle in them. The only difference is a optional kit motor bolted underneath. Lewmar runs on 12v or 24v.

That winch is rated for a working load by Lewmar of 3500 lbs... With 12v the Lewmar 58's will cut off at 3200 lbs of load. That is a lot or winch for halyards and small self taking jibs. There may be issues with the 55, the winch pit and island are not the achilles heel on this boat. They may be too much power for many a kid or family. The inattentive or ignorant can do great damage with a powered winch.

For the intellectually curious you can study up here.

http://www.lewmar.com/%5Cassets%5Cimg%5Cdataset%5CManual-Elec_win_WEB.pdf

In the interest of accuracy, reasonably sure they were replaced with Harkens, and I'm positive they were hydraulic.

 

[Crew]

I looked it up again. Rainmaker the Gunboat 55 had Lewmar Electric 58 winches on or in the winch pit. For any that are not used to electric winches. They look and feel the same as the manual or handle ones. They work just great with a handle in them. The only difference is a optional kit motor bolted underneath. Lewmar runs on 12v or 24v.

That winch is rated for a working load by Lewmar of 3500 lbs... With 12v the Lewmar 58's will cut off at 3200 lbs of load. That is a lot or winch for halyards and small self taking jibs. There may be issues with the 55, the winch pit and island are not the achilles heel on this boat. They may be too much power for many a kid or family. The inattentive or ignorant can do great damage with a powered winch.

For the intellectually curious you can study up here.

http://www.lewmar.com/%5Cassets%5Cimg%5Cdataset%5CManual-Elec_win_WEB.pdf

In the interest of accuracy, reasonably sure they were replaced with Harkens, and I'm positive they were hydraulic.

+1. Accuracy, something this thread is in need of desperately.

 

[joneisberg]

I don't see how this can be compared to other vessels that dropped a rig and motored home. Never seen a GB in person, but looks like other than bunks and baths in the hulls, all the controls, navs, comms, and helm are situated in the front of the giant main salon which has no hand or grab rails anywhere that I can see in the pics. So, rig goes over, but it's ten feet to the rail, so doesn't really go over, but it's stuck there. Ginormous front windscreen breaks, allowing heaps of seawater to douse the comms, electronics all control systems, save helm and engines. So, with nothing to hang onto, and being tumbled around inside a giant washing machine on rinse and spin cycle with nothing to hang onto, how does the crew fix anything??

Well, Miles and Beryl Smeeton are no longer around, but I'll bet a McGyver like John Guzzwell might have some clues

Have a look at this film of TZU HANG sailing in the Southern Ocean, then compare it with the long infrared shots of RAINMAKER from the CG rescue video, then hazard a guess as to which boat in the aftermath of a dismasting would be more likely to resemble being inside of a washing machine...

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist/BHC_ITN/1967/03/08/X08036702/

 

[Boo-Yah]

I looked it up again. Rainmaker the Gunboat 55 had Lewmar Electric 58 winches on or in the winch pit. For any that are not used to electric winches. They look and feel the same as the manual or handle ones. They work just great with a handle in them. The only difference is a optional kit motor bolted underneath. Lewmar runs on 12v or 24v.

That winch is rated for a working load by Lewmar of 3500 lbs... With 12v the Lewmar 58's will cut off at 3200 lbs of load. That is a lot or winch for halyards and small self taking jibs. There may be issues with the 55, the winch pit and island are not the achilles heel on this boat. They may be too much power for many a kid or family. The inattentive or ignorant can do great damage with a powered winch.

For the intellectually curious you can study up here.

http://www.lewmar.com/%5Cassets%5Cimg%5Cdataset%5CManual-Elec_win_WEB.pdf

In the interest of accuracy, reasonably sure they were replaced with Harkens, and I'm positive they were hydraulic.

If that was or is the case... sounds like they were working on the wrong problem or even an issue that did not exist? Hydraulics would simply be a little bit quieter with similar performance possibly with greater weight depending on the reservoir, piping, and remote pump(s). Electrics = greater redundancy. I do know the larger and older GB's made use of hydraulic winches.

 

[edwentawol]

It will be interesting to read episode 3 and find out if Captain Kid thinks his decision to press the button on help so early was regretted.

Nice longeron/ potential mast and sails on tramp.

SAILING WORLD March/April issue has a glossy 2 page splash on GB55/Rainmaker:

""THE CENTRAL HELM SUNROOF IS FOR VISIBILITY AND VENTILATION BUT MAY COME IN HANDY FOR WAVING AS YOU PASS SUPER MAXIS""

I saw Rainmaker on the 2014 Vineyard race and she got dead last place in her multihull division both raw and corrected times and even the 50ish ft racing monohulls had better elapsed times in a race with no dead upwind or downwind legs. Had there been a super maxi i doubt Rainmaker would have ever even gotten a glimpse of her stern

Disruptive advertising?

(posted by a newbie had to join feeling sick looking at the ad)

 

[billy backstay]

I don't see how this can be compared to other vessels that dropped a rig and motored home. Never seen a GB in person, but looks like other than bunks and baths in the hulls, all the controls, navs, comms, and helm are situated in the front of the giant main salon which has no hand or grab rails anywhere that I can see in the pics. So, rig goes over, but it's ten feet to the rail, so doesn't really go over, but it's stuck there. Ginormous front windscreen breaks, allowing heaps of seawater to douse the comms, electronics all control systems, save helm and engines. So, with nothing to hang onto, and being tumbled around inside a giant washing machine on rinse and spin cycle with nothing to hang onto, how does the crew fix anything??

Well, Miles and Beryl Smeeton are no longer around, but I'll bet a McGyver like John Guzzwell might have some clues

Have a look at this film of TZU HANG sailing in the Southern Ocean, then compare it with the long infrared shots of RAINMAKER from the CG rescue video, then hazard a guess as to which boat in the aftermath of a dismasting would be more likely to resemble being inside of a washing machine...

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist/BHC_ITN/1967/03/08/X08036702/

Great video, thanks for sharing!!

Amazing that Mrs. Smeeten was able to get back on board, after having been thrown from the helm, 60 feet clear of Tzu Hang, when they did that 360 degree forward roll.

 

[ProaSailor]

I don't see how this can be compared to other vessels that dropped a rig and motored home. Never seen a GB in person, but looks like other than bunks and baths in the hulls, all the controls, navs, comms, and helm are situated in the front of the giant main salon which has no hand or grab rails anywhere that I can see in the pics. So, rig goes over, but it's ten feet to the rail, so doesn't really go over, but it's stuck there. Ginormous front windscreen breaks, allowing heaps of seawater to douse the comms, electronics all control systems, save helm and engines. So, with nothing to hang onto, and being tumbled around inside a giant washing machine on rinse and spin cycle with nothing to hang onto, how does the crew fix anything??

Well, Miles and Beryl Smeeton are no longer around, but I'll bet a McGyver like John Guzzwell might have some clues

Have a look at this film of TZU HANG sailing in the Southern Ocean, then compare it with the long infrared shots of RAINMAKER from the CG rescue video, then hazard a guess as to which boat in the aftermath of a dismasting would be more likely to resemble being inside of a washing machine...

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist/BHC_ITN/1967/03/08/X08036702/

Great video, thanks for sharing!!

Amazing that Mrs. Smeeten was able to get back on board, after having been thrown from the helm, 60 feet clear of Tzu Hang, when they did that 360 degree forward roll.

And they arrived in port under their own jury rig 40 days later, after losing mast and rudder when she went briefly MOB! Amazing. 1957. Some great footage.

Wonder if they got any video on Rainmaker's last trip?

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Here's some more disruptive technology fer ya. The Garden Shed.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2971402/Across-Atlantic-garden-shed-84-year-olds-settle-Saga-cruise-ancient-mariner-ideas.html

 

[billy backstay]

Here's some more disruptive technology fer ya. The Garden Shed.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2971402/Across-Atlantic-garden-shed-84-year-olds-settle-Saga-cruise-ancient-mariner-ideas.html

I believe this crackpot and his vessel has been discussed in the Rimas around alone on a SJ24 thread.

 

[Foghorn77]

I looked it up again. Rainmaker the Gunboat 55 had Lewmar Electric 58 winches on or in the winch pit. For any that are not used to electric winches. They look and feel the same as the manual or handle ones. They work just great with a handle in them. The only difference is a optional kit motor bolted underneath. Lewmar runs on 12v or 24v.

That winch is rated for a working load by Lewmar of 3500 lbs... With 12v the Lewmar 58's will cut off at 3200 lbs of load. That is a lot or winch for halyards and small self taking jibs. There may be issues with the 55, the winch pit and island are not the achilles heel on this boat. They may be too much power for many a kid or family. The inattentive or ignorant can do great damage with a powered winch.

For the intellectually curious you can study up here.

http://www.lewmar.com/%5Cassets%5Cimg%5Cdataset%5CManual-Elec_win_WEB.pdf

In the interest of accuracy, reasonably sure they were replaced with Harkens, and I'm positive they were hydraulic.

If that was or is the case... sounds like they were working on the wrong problem or even an issue that did not exist? Hydraulics would simply be a little bit quieter with similar performance possibly with greater weight depending on the reservoir, piping, and remote pump(s). Electrics = greater redundancy. I do know the larger and older GB's made use of hydraulic winches.

They were never electric, ever.