SkyeFire@aol.com wrote:
In a message dated 7/18/02 1:42:41 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
goldbb2@earthlink.net writes:
Without the weight of the keel to balance it, the
> craft was listing dangerously to port, as all on deck
> scrambled for hand and foot holds.
The purpose of the keel is not to balance the boat -- that's what
ballast is for.
<snip>
I'm not sure how you can correct this without making serious
changes to your story.
Well, any impact that can break the keel would probably be able to
spring some seems in the hull -- if the lower hull started to fill
fast, and if the ballast shifted from the impact, I could see how you
might be able to justify the boat starting to roll quickly.
It's been pointed out to me by someone else that there's a much bigger
problem with this bit about the keel: Any impact strong enough to shear
off the keel would likely throw *everone* overboard who was standing on
deck, or at least smash them into something quite hard.
Plus, as you say, it would spring seams, and the hull would be filling
quickly.
It seems to me that there wouldn't be much of a boat left for them to
get to shore in.
I *can* now, see a way of resolving this though... Have the sea be dead
calm (no waves to smash the people and boat into the reef that knocked
off the keel), but have the boat be going along much much too fast.
This would be enough to knock off the keel, but not put anyone in
immediate danger of death, except perhaps by drowning. Someone would
have to rescue Akane (unless she wore a life preserver) and then
*everyone* would have to swim for shore; the boat would be lost
entirely.