leeward ama submerged

I am a new TI sailor. I have sailed a Hobie 16 before, but with that craft I always had to be concerned with the leeward hull becoming submerged. I am only about 165 pounds, and even with a righting bag I could not right the craft. I was out sailing today with gusty winds, and at times I noticed the leeward ama submerged. I immediately dumped wind to bring the ama above the surface for fear of capsizing (it was only a few inches below the surface). Is this of concern? I know the TI is supposedly stable and hard to capsize. Am I heavy enough to right the TI? At what point is submersing the ama is it a risk to capsize, or is it always a risk?

Thanks..

I assume that there is no leak or water inside the ama. If there is, then that needs attention right away.

Otherwise, it's normal for the leeward ama to become submerged in high or gusty winds for a period of time. The force that the wind applies to the sail is transferred to the hull via the mast which, in itself, is a lever. In addition to propulsive forces, there are also significant lateral forces. The ama is there to counteract that force and keep the boat from capsizing. The stronger the wind, the stronger the lateral force, and the more the ama will be forced into the water. However, just because the ama may become intermittently submerged, does not necessarily mean that the TI is about to capsize. It usually takes winds or gusts exceeding 20 to 25 knots before that might happen. A good TI sailor should reef the sail as soon as possible after observing the ama being too overwhelmed or when winds become too strong. Once the sail is reefed, the ama should recover quickly.

Please keep in mind that the TI is just a light-duty sailboat. It is not meant for conditions such as when a Small Craft Advisory has been issued. That would generally be 20 to 33 knots and/or seas or waves 4 feet and greater and/or when waves or seas are potentially hazardous. The TI has no business being out in such conditions. Anyone doing so had better be an excellent, experienced sailor and be physically capable and knowledgeable of righting the boat if it capsized.

You're going to need to judge for yourself if you are capable of righting a TI. It's more about technique than weight, although weight certainly helps as does athleticism and a calm demeanor. See this thread on righting a TI and even practice it if you want the most confidence. However, keep in mind that the difficulty increases in bad weather and rough conditions. It's far better never to get yourself in such a situation in the first place.

My advice to most TI owners is to add a small motor to your TI. This way, if you come across bad weather and/or rough conditions, you can strike the sail and power to the nearest shore. This greatly reduces the chance of a capsize since the sail is no longer in action and the TI is very stable without it.

Unfortunately, it seems the linked video is gone.

It works for me. Try this direct link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XjdqMUjbms&t=2s

That works. Thanks.

First off, what year is your boat? Around 2016 the hull shape was changed to provide more volume in the bows. Boats before that had more tendency to bury the ama and main hull in a puff. You could stuff the ama completely under and get a wave over the main hull without issue. Without issue needs a qualifier, this was on a lake with minimal waves to trip on. In the bay I stuffed the bow so hard a wave hit me at chest height, but the boat still stayed upright. The later hulls are much less prone to burying, on my newer boat if the lee ama buries it is no big deal but usually the rudder starts to stall so time to reef.

So not like a hobie 16, it will not trip from burying the bow. Total capsizes are very unlikely, unless a wave hits just right or the ama support fails. And even if it goes over, just fold the amas in and it is a breeze to roll back.

The tri-hull design of these boats is not like the hulls of a catamaran. Barring a mechanical failure If you hold the sheet in your hand (don’t cleat it) during stronger winds, you’d be hard pressed to flip these boats. When the leeward ama is being forced under, the boat will slow down and the lateral force of the wind will greatly increase on the sail and you will feel that through the main sheet. Simply release that added pressure and the ama will pop right up. If this becomes a consistent issue, then it’s time to reef in. These boats like to sail as flat as you can make it, that keeps the sail highest to the wind position, creates less drag and buries the dagger board for a better bite on the water. Just watch that leeward ama and play the mainsheet and tack angle (rudder control) to balance that force pushing it under water. Occasions of submerging 1-2 inches no biggie….much more than that and your just going to create more drag.

with the Ama buried and the Aka downleg running in the water you are creating a huge amount of drag (and strain on the boat).

Id be willing to bet that if you fall off a bit and re- trim so not to create so much drag .. you will actually go faster

.. any time you are figting the rudder control significantly, you will go faster reefing a round or three and releaving all that adverse pressure.

_________________
Alan W.

Papaya AI2 to replace my well worn V1
TheTwins - His/Hers 2007 Papaya Hobie Adventure Island's (v1.00.01)
.. and a Hobie Outback SUV