In a message dated 1/4/00 5:54:22 PM Mountain Standard Time, Heymatey@AOL.COM
writes:
<< Why do we have the rule about removing the foam blocks?? >>
In North America, where our boats have been built with plastic bottles for
flotation instead of foam blocks for years now, we've known this rule was
ridiculous for years.
Ian and I have both brought up the subject at World Council meetings in the
past few years. It's always shut down.
Allan (I think) found out that in Australia they still use foam blocks even
in new boats. I sure hope they're using some better foam than the old stuff
we used to have that soaked up water and disintegrated eventually. Somebody
speculated that the Aussies like having the foam instead of bottles because
they can shove the blocks around inside the hull and use their placement to
stiffen the hull sections that otherwise "oilcan" in waves. I have no idea
if this is true . . .
Anyway, we've always taken a very liberal attitude towards this rule in North
America
because it's so obvious that an old Laser is much safer with new (illegal)
flotation bottles in it than vestiges of that horrible old foam stuff
festering in there.
I can't speak for Fred, but I promise NEVER to check inside your boat for
foam blocks at a regatta.
Something to check, if you have an inspection port in your boat, is whether
the caps are on all the flotation bottles. It's a trick to move them around
in there so you can see them, but I've lifted up more than one boat that has
made ominous "foreign plastic object floating around inside me" noises.
Twice I've replaced the lids on flotation bottles in boats I've had.
Lainie
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