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Old 07-17-2012, 12:57 PM   #10
Nomad Willy
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City: Concrete Washington State
Vessel Name: Willy
Vessel Model: Willard Nomad 30'
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 18,743
Probably would be considerable pounding in head seas but if the boat stays together it should not be considered unseaworthy My father pounded the windows out of a light plywood cruiser in Alaska but her lightness kept her on top out of serious trouble.
Barges are wide and flat and they take terrible poundings regularly up the PNW coast. Never heard of one lost. High beam to length ratios shouldn't mean unseaworthyness in itself but the seaworthiness issue is quite complex and seaworthiness issues are often just (or largely) discomfort. A wide flat boat may broach more easily (especially one w/o much keel) but the serious trouble comes from capsizing. That IS a seaworthiness issue.
The Manatee's bow won't help directional stability much but her full disp stern and fairly high Quarter Beam Buttock Lines will definitely put her ahead of MANY boats on this forum w flatter sterns and much lower QBBLs.
In certain beam sea conditions ther'e may be some fairly strong, quick and uncomfortable "snap" rolling motion from her wide beam and hard chine .... again ..... discomfort.
So I see the Manatee as a boat that is probably quite seaworthy but very uncomfortable at times in the nasty. I think your concern is probably greater than it needs to be. In rough stuff it would be very good to have a lower helm. But I've never set foot on a Manatee. Something that I personally think is a sizable pluss is that the Manatee IS a Krogen.
So there's some plusses and minuses
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