PDRacer Sailboat - Emergency / Reserve Floatation

Emergency / Reserve Floatation
While the PDRacer is a very stable boat, there are many scenarios which you can get knocked over besides heavy weather. Being able to self rescue your sailboat is a very important feature, and could save your life. If your boat becomes swamped a distance from shore, you could die from hypothermia in as little as 15 minutes, on a warm sunny day. This is a chart from the U.S. Coast Guard about the effects of hypothermia, and how quickly it can effect you.

Water Temp and Hypothermia
WATER TEMP	UNCONSCIOUSNESS	DEATH
32.5	under 15 min	15 to 45 min
32.5 to 40	15 to 30 min	30 to 90 min
40 to 50	30 to 60 min	1 to 3 hrs
50 to 60	1 to 2 hrs	1 to 6 hrs
60 to 70	2 to 7 hrs	2 to 40 hrs
70 to 80	2 to 12 hrs	3 hrs to indefinite
Over 80	indefinite	indefinite

Here are some methods used to provide emergency floatation in PDRacers:
Fun Noodles Under Decks
18" Stern Airbox, 12" Bow Airbox
ACME
Side Air tanks
Board Boat

Recovering from a capsize

See Jim Michalak's essay on emergency floatation.

Kids and Hypothermia:
Kids are at a greater risk of hypothermia because they have smaller bodies, less mass, and loose body heat quicker. If you take kids sailing with you, you really need to be absolutely sure that you can quickly recover your boat when it becomes swamped. In addition, consider carrying an inflatable boat as a backup. Even the cheap little $10 inflatable boat sold by pool supply stores is better than nothing, they are about 6' long, yet can carry an adult plus 2 kids piled on top.

Common Scenarios to get knocked over:
Rogue Wave - It can be a calm day, and all of a sudden an abnormally large wave comes from nowhere. These can be combinations of much smaller waves, or caused by something far off.
Power Boat Wakes - Many power boaters do not realize how hazardous their boat wakes are. They can create a series of wakes that are very steep, and close together. A normal wave of the same size might not be as hazardous, but because of the steepness and close requency, the power boat wakes can toss a boat over.
Sitting On The Main Sheet - As you scurry around inside the boat, the main sheet can easily get a kink in it, or find itself under your bottom or feet. If a gust hits, and you can release the main, over you go. A good practice is to follow the end of main sheet after each tack to make sure it is clear. On larger racing sailboats, the routine is called "Tack and Cleanup".
Loosing Wind - While sitting inside your pdracer, it is stable enough that a sudden loss of wind is unlikely to knock your boat over, but if you were hiking out over the side, and that nice breeeze you were riding suddenly quits, you could pull your boat over.
Heavy Weather - This is actually the least likely cause of getting knocked over. If the weather is bad, you probably won't be going out in it, or if you are caught out, you will probably reef your sail and head for the nearest beach or sheltered water to wait out the bad weather. If you pull your pdracer up on the beach, lay over on her side, you can use the sail and hull as a very effective shelter.

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