Duo dinghy test capsizes

One of the essential tests when designing and building a small boat is to perform a capsize recovery trial. Because it is the first time it should be done in controlled conditions, just in case. So I did it inside a boat house with the boat tied with a long painter.I wore a wetsuit and a buoyancy aid. I am a fat 60year old with a bad back (I took some painkillers before doing the tests), so if I can do it anyone can.

The video is 90seconds, in two shots. Yet I manage to capsize and board the Duo twice.

The first test you see is the Duo in its rowing version, with inflatable collars lashed to the gunwales (the "dinghydogs" are on order). The boat is very stable, I can stand on the gunwale before it would come close to capsizing. Righting was easy and the boat came upright almost completely empty

The second test is of the Duo in sailing mode with wings attached but without the rig. The real sailing capsize and recovery will follow in the next Duo video. Again it was difficult to capsize (I fell in without the boat capsizing). Righting was again easy, as expected this time there was a bit more water in the boat (maybe 20L, 5gal). That's because the wing tubes have less buoyancy and so the boat sinks deeper as it is lighter

So all in all a successful test. You can see more on the Duo here

http://sailingcatamarans.com/index.ph...

BTW, it is not a trick of the light, the water was green. An algae bloom drifted through the marina as I was do the tests