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All the discussion since last weekend regarding swamped/capsized boats has left me with a question. Fortunately, I've never personally had to deal with a capsized boat of any size anyway. I was curious if any of our forum members have personal experience and could provide some description about how a capsized boat could be righted again. Let's say a 18 to 20 foot fiberglass, no T top to make it perhaps a bit simpler. Looking forward to hearing how it would be accomplished. Thanks.

I really do not know if you are asking about doing it with equipment available after towing it in to a dock, or like 20 miles out with just 2 or 3 folks.

I can speak from experience about righting an 11 foot JetSki many times. It is all about shifting the weight to one side enough to make it slowly roll back over. You grab on to something in the center (jetskis have grates, boats do not, their hull is slick) and lean way out to make the roll start. It will SLOWLY roll back over.

That said, I do not think it would be feasible for only a couple of men to right a 20 footer. There would not be enough weight. There is also the danger that if one of the watertight compartments is compromised (like opeing a hatch to get PFD's out), you could actually cause it to sink if you tried to right it. You will also be using strength you may need to save your arse in the hours to come waiting on rescue. Even if you did right it, what would you have more than you had with it upside down? The batteries would probably be dead and fuel compromised, so no engine or bilge pumps. Why not just sit on the hull bottom?

And of course, the smart thing is to NOT GO OUT in conditions bad enough to roll you in the first place.

Dubble

I was thinking about a recent manufactured hull with floatation that would not allow it to sink. Lets take a bay boat or a skiff type. Rightside up and full of water (as much as the floation and weight would allow) would be much preferable to up side down. Sure...if it were dock side and cranes, barges, winches, etc were available then that's one thing. I was just wondering if anyone had righted one away from facilities and how it was accomplished. I would suspect that a vee (pointed bow) would be easier to roll back over?? The skiff would seem to be more difficult (logically imo) If a bow rope were connected and a stern line connected would the hull be more likely to roll over?? A hull full of water is pretty easy to capsize(roll over) I've seen it happen while a boat was tied at the dock.

I've had the displeasure of seeing several overturned boats. If survival
is key I agree with Dubble Trubble about sitting/laying on the bottom.
I've helped righten two overturned boats by using two boats with
lines and pulling them slowly over. One required several swimmers
to assist and was quite dangerous. Boats that are simply swamped
can often be raised by pulling with enough power and speed for them to
selfdrain until they float and go from there.

Let me add one more point of clarification. I'm not suggesting that the process be attempted while folks are at risk. I'm just playing mental gymnastic's with the physics that would be involved.

You need one of these, they are self righting

Thanks for those pic's jsuber Your standing 3rd from the left?

I had to look for some old pictures. Government approved.

I was thinking something along those lines jsuber tie the lines to the cleats, run line under and back across the top, a person on each line "more if ya got em" on the same side that the rope is tied to and use your weight to push down on that side while pulling the rope to flip it sounds doable to me anyhow

I did a lot of thinking about that this weekend while looking at that jonboat outside the Lighhouse Boat canal. It was upside down. I know some ways to right a kayak, but a jon boat will have a lot of suction keeping you from rolling it over, but standing on one side should help break that seal.

I actually have been involved with successfully righting a small center center console, about 19 ft. It took two boats... our 28ft mako twin 225s and a about a 25ft dive boat with a 250. we watched it capsize years ago at the bouy 24 barge. we set up perpendicular to it and tied to the cleats on the opposite side with the other boat tied to the bow. it took good timing and a heckuva lot of power. and, by the way, freakin FWC never showed up. we towed it back in and had some chioce words with them when we found em watchin us from the gas dock at shields