Racer944, Please see thread, Hatch Cover Alternative Sources. Go to website, wichitarcsailing.org That is the Air Capital Model Sailing Club. Go to, For Sale, and find the hatch cover, with photo. I use this , and it is great. Alan
This has been an interesting thread. Having owned 3 Seawinds in the last 8 years I am familiar with the issues discussed thus far. I have experienced a number "crash dives" which are something you might associate more with a submarine. Once you have a few more miles on you, I assure you this experience can actually be fun. Learning to control the boat when it happens or is just about to happen and knowing how to avoid it makes it so. I posted a few pictures of others who have experienced a "crash dive" just to assure you this happens to all of us at some point or another. Sinking is a whole other thing. Once you have your boat correctly water proofed and set up, it should not ever sink again! Seawind's are known to have a rudder that is a tad under-sized and come with a bit more sail area than the rudder can (on occasion) handle. This again, is part of the fun. There is company the makes an larger rudder for a Seawind - not legal for class racing but for overall sailing can be a nice upgrade. I think this a link to the Stockmaritime web page for rudders. http://www.stockmaritime.com/modell...41261&id2=&m=-1&id4=&id5=&ret=3&modellbau/611 Pulling the sails in to dumb the wind and/or turning the boat slightly one side or the other can reduce the force being put on the sails and can defuse the situation. Wing on wing in strong winds is great fun if you and your boat are prepared for it. If you opt to add some foam be selective as some foams can absorb water. Be sure after sailing you leave the hatch open and all water is removed before storage. Protecting your electronics is critical to surviving a crash dive! Enjoy Boomer
I am concerned that if some water gets into the hull, which has flotation material, that it would never dry out and would get moldy. What are your thoughts about this? Alan
Here's one way to dry it out. With the boat on its stand, I place a muffin fan partially over the open hatch. This gently blows room air into the hull & allows it to escape out the half of the hatch that is not covered by the fan, plus out the open rudder access hatch. The fan is gentle & practically noiseless, so I leave it on for a couple days giving a gentle circulation of fresh air into the hull. The fans may still be available at Radio Shack, computer repair shop, etc. They essentially are cooling fans for pc's & electronics. I was able to find one powered by 120v ac house current, & added my own power cord. Some are like 12-15v dc, so be sure to check the fan's power requirement.
